DATA & INSIGHTS | 3 minute read

How to use UTM tags to track digital campaigns.

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In digital marketing, tracking and measuring campaign performance is crucial to understanding what works and what doesn’t. One of the most effective tools for tracking the effectiveness of your marketing efforts is UTM tags (Urchin Tracking Module). These tags are small snippets of text added to the end of a URL to track the performance of digital marketing campaigns. In this article, we’ll explain what UTM tags are, why they matter, and how to use them effectively.

What are UTM tags?

UTM tags are parameters that you add to your URLs to track the performance of online campaigns. When users click a link with UTM tags, the information from these tags is sent to your analytics tool (like Google Analytics), helping you understand how visitors are interacting with your content, where they are coming from, and what actions they are taking on your site.

What are UTM tags?

UTM tags consist of five main parameters. While not all of them are mandatory, using the right combination of these parameters will give you the most detailed insights into your campaigns.

utm_source: Identifies the source of your traffic, such as “facebook”, “newsletter”, or “google”.

utm_medium: Identifies the medium through which the link was shared, like “social”, “email”, or “cpc” (cost per click).

utm_campaign: Specifies the name of the campaign or promotion. It’s useful for tracking specific marketing campaigns.

utm_term (Optional): Tracks specific keywords for paid search campaigns. This parameter is typically used in PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns.

utm_content (Optional): Differentiates between similar content or links within the same campaign. It’s often used for A/B testing or tracking different call-to-action (CTA) buttons or images.

How to create UTM tags

To create effective and useful UTM tags, it’s essential to be consistent. Here are some of our best tips:

Ensure your analytics platform is properly set up to capture UTM data, otherwise, you might miss out on valuable insights.

Consistency is key when creating UTM tags. For example, always use lowercase letters for parameters like utm_source and utm_medium to avoid tracking discrepancies.

Use descriptive, easily identifiable names for your campaigns and sources. For instance, fall_sale_2025 is more useful than just sale.

UTM tags should not have spaces. If you need to separate words, use dashes or underscores. For example, fall_sale_2025.

Avoid making UTM tags too long or complex. Focus on the most important parameters to maintain clarity.

Conclusion

UTM tags are an invaluable tool in digital marketing, helping you track the performance of your campaigns and gain valuable insights into where your traffic is coming from and how visitors behave on your site. By using UTM tags, you can make more informed decisions and improve your digital marketing strategies to increase traffic, conversions, and ultimately your ROI.