UTM parameters

UTM parameters or Urchin Traffic Monitor parameters (UTM) are URL parameters used by marketers to track audiences. The parameters enable marketers to analyse the effectiveness of marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing media.

By adding UTM parameters to URLs, web analytics software (e.g. Google Analytics) reports show which domain source and which campaign name is referring traffic to a website.^[1] When a person clicks a link that contains a URL with UTM parameters, the web analytics software of the destination website interprets the parameter information and attributes it to the person's website session.

UTM parameters

There are five different UTM parameters, which may be used in any order:^[1]

1. The utm_source parameter (required) identifies which site sent the traffic, and is a required parameter. Example: utm_source=Google
2. The utm_medium parameter (required) identifies what type of link was used, such as cost per click or email. Example: utm_medium=cpc
3. The utm_campaign parameter (required) identifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign. Example: utm_campaign=spring_sale
4. The utm_term parameter (optional) identifies search terms. Example: utm_term=running+shoes
5. The utm_content parameter (optional) identifies what specifically was clicked to bring the user to the site, such as a banner ad or a text link. It is used for A/B testing and content-targeted ads. Examples: utm_content=logolink or utm_content=textlink

References

1. "Custom campaigns - Analytics helps". Google. Retrieved March 15, 2016.