Tracking

UTM parameters, explained for campaign reporting

A UTM is a tag on a URL. Analytics software reads those tags and attributes a session to a source, a medium and a campaign. If the tags are missing or messy, your paid report lies.

Use five fields and stop there unless you have a real reason for more: utm_source (google, meta, newsletter), utm_medium (cpc, email, social), utm_campaign (the name your team already agreed), utm_term (optional keyword), utm_content (optional ad variant). Lowercase. Hyphens. No spaces.

The campaign name in the UTM should match the name in the ads UI and in the sheet. If Google Ads says “brand_exact_in” and the URL says “Brand Exact”, you will never roll the numbers up.

Do not put PII in a UTM. Do not use the same campaign string for two different offers. Do not let every intern invent a new source name for Facebook.