UTM parameters

What are UTM parameters?

UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL that tell your analytics tool where a visitor came from. They're the small text after a question mark in a link, and they turn an anonymous click into a traceable source. UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, named after the analytics tool that became Google Analytics.

There are five. utm_source names the origin, like newsletter or facebook. utm_medium describes the channel type, like email or cpc. utm_campaign labels the specific campaign. utm_term and utm_content are optional, used for paid keywords and for distinguishing two versions of the same link. A link such as ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring-launch tells analytics that this visitor clicked the spring launch email. Without it, that traffic often lands in a vague "direct" or "referral" bucket and the campaign gets no credit.

The catch is consistency. UTM values are case-sensitive and free-text, so Email and email become two separate sources, and one sloppy tag fragments a report. A naming convention agreed in advance is what keeps campaign data clean enough to actually compare.

UTM parameters at Dallonses

When we build campaign reporting for a client, the UTM convention comes first. We agree on the exact values, lowercase and consistent, before any link goes out, because a tagging scheme nobody follows is worse than none at all.

UTMs feed directly into the attribution work and performance dashboards we build, where they become the line that connects spend to outcome. Clean tags mean a marketing team can see which channel drove revenue instead of guessing. We set that structure with clients and document it so it survives long after the campaign ships.

Traffic landing in a "direct" black hole? Let's get your tagging right.

Talk to us about attribution