You’ve probably heard marketers talk about UTM tracking and UTM parameters in the same breath. But what exactly is it? And when do you use these parameters?
What is UTM?
UTM codes are variables added to URLs to track campaigns. You can think of UTM as a tool to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
But what does UTM actually mean?
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. The name comes from Urchin Software Corporation, a company Google acquired in 2005, and whose software formed the basis of what we know today as Google Analytics.
While the name may sound very technical, the concept behind UTM codes is quite simple. By adding extra information to your links, you can track where your visitors are coming from. Which campaigns are driving the most traffic to your website. And what actions they take.
Are UTM parameters and codes the same thing?
UTM codes consist of UTM parameters, which are the individual tags added to a URL to track information about a web address.
For example, utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign are examples of UTM parameters that together form a UTM code.
Think of it like the ingredients in a cake. Each parameter is an ingredient, and when combined, they create the finished cake (the UTM code).
Why use UTM codes?
UTM codes are like little tracking tags that you put on your links in, for example, emails, ads or social media. They allow you to see exactly where your visitors are coming from. But also which campaigns are sending the most traffic to your website.
With UTM codes you can:
- Understand which marketing activities are working: See which campaigns, channels, or ads are driving the most traffic and conversions.
- Optimize your marketing: Use the data to adjust your campaigns and get the most out of your budget.
- Get a clear picture of your online performance: Track the results of your online efforts and gain valuable insights into customer behavior.
In short, UTM codes give you a detailed view of how people find your website, allowing you to make better decisions and improve your results.
The 5 components of UTM codes
When it comes to tracking marketing campaigns, UTM parameters have become an indispensable tool. By using UTM parameters, you can gain detailed insights into which of your campaigns are performing best.
There are 5 main types of UTM parameters that you can add to your URLs to track specific campaigns. These parameters allow you to identify the source of your traffic, the type of media, the name of the campaign, and more.
Here is an overview of the 5 UTM parameters:
- utm_source: Identifies the source of your traffic, such as Google, Facebook, a newsletter, or a specific website.
- Example: utm_source=facebook
- utm_medium: Indicates the type of traffic source, such as organic search, paid advertising, email, or social media.
- Example: utm_medium=cpc (cost-per-click)
- utm_campaign: Identifies the specific campaign that the link is part of, such as a summer sale, product launch, or contest.
- Example: utm_campaign=summersale2024
- utm_term: Used primarily to track keywords in paid search campaigns, but can also be used to track other elements.
- Example: utm_term=shoe
- utm_content: Used to differentiate between different versions of ads or links in the same campaign.
- Example: utm_content=banner1
By using these UTM parameters, you can get a detailed overview of your campaigns’ performance and optimize your marketing to achieve better results.
UTM tracking
To optimize your campaign tracking and get accurate data, it is recommended to add UTM parameters to all campaigns you want to understand better. This also applies if you are only running a specific campaign. This allows you to group traffic and analyze how different channels are performing.
Imagine sending the same link out in an email, on Facebook, and in an ad. By using different UTM codes for each source, you can see in Google Analytics exactly which of the 3 sources is generating the most traffic to your website.
This gives you valuable insight into how your content-targeted ads are performing in organic search (SEO), email, or other channels. In addition to seeing when a user clicks on your link, you can also track event data in the form of interactions.
Best practices for UTM parameters and codes
UTM parameters are a powerful tool for tracking and analyzing your marketing campaigns. But to get the most out of them, it’s important to follow some best practices. Below you’ll find 8 best practice tips to get
- Consistency: Use consistent naming for your different UTM parameters across all your campaigns. For example, always use “facebook” as the utm_source for traffic from Facebook, and not variations like “fb” or “facebook.com”. This makes it easier to analyze and compare data.
- Use a URL builder: Use a URL builder to generate your UTM codes correctly and systematically. This ensures consistency and makes data analysis more reliable. Google Analytics has a free URL builder that is easy to use.
- Track all relevant campaigns: Add UTM parameters to all your marketing activities, including email marketing, social media, paid ads, and banner ads. The more data you collect, the better insight you will gain into the performance of your campaigns.
- Be specific: Use detailed names for your campaigns and content. Instead of using a generic utm_campaign value like “summer campaign,” use more specific names like “summer_shoe_sale” or “summer_contest_instagram.”
- How to name your UTM codes:
- Use only lowercase letters in your UTM codes.
- Avoid special characters and æ, ø, å.
- Use hyphens or underscores instead of spaces.
- Keep the parameters short but meaningful.
- Consider using dynamic tracking: If you use Google Ads, you can use dynamic tracking to automatically add UTM parameters to your ads. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors.
- Analyze your data: Using UTM parameters is just the first step. Be sure to analyze the data in Google Analytics to understand which campaigns are performing best and where you can optimize.
- Test your links: Before you publish your campaigns, test all links to make sure they lead to the same URL. Make sure your UTM parameters are tracked correctly in your analytics tool.
Additional resources:
By following these best practices, you can ensure that you get the most out of UTM tracking and gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
