Analytics & Measurement
UTM parameters
Also known as: UTM tracking, UTM tags, UTM codes, Urchin Tracking Module
UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL that tell analytics tools where a click came from and which campaign it belongs to. The five standard tags are utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content. They do not change the page a visitor sees, they simply travel with the link and get recorded in your analytics platform.
What it is
UTM parameters are name and value pairs appended to a URL after a question mark, for example ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring-launch. The convention comes from Urchin, the analytics product that became Google Analytics, and it is now read by most analytics and attribution tools. Because the tagging is done by whoever builds the link, the data is only as good as the discipline behind it.
Why it matters
Without tagging, campaign clicks tend to collapse into broad buckets such as direct or referral, which makes it hard to show what paid, email and partnership activity actually produced. Consistent tags let you compare channels on equal terms and defend budget with session and conversion data rather than impressions. They also matter for AI search work, because links shared inside AI answers, assistant outputs and syndicated summaries often lose their original parameters, so you need to know which parts of your traffic you can tag and which you cannot.
How it works
Practitioners agree a naming convention, lowercase and hyphenated, then build links through a shared spreadsheet or a campaign URL builder so spelling stays consistent. Tags are applied to links you control, such as email, paid ads, social posts, PDFs, QR codes and partner placements, and never to internal links between your own pages, which would reset the session source. Reports are then built on source and medium, with periodic audits to catch duplicates like Email and email being counted separately.
When it applies
Use UTM parameters on any outbound link you own or place on a third party property where you need to attribute the click. Leave them off internal navigation, canonical URLs and links you expect to be copied, shared or cited widely.
Examples
- A monthly newsletter link tagged utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2024-pricing-update, so email sign ups can be separated from organic sign ups.
- A LinkedIn sponsored post tagged utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_content=video-a to compare two creatives on the same landing page.
- A partner webinar page linking to your guide with utm_source=partnerco&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=joint-webinar, confirming how much traffic the partnership delivered.
How it is measured
- Sessions and conversions by source and medium for each tagged campaign
- Share of paid and email clicks arriving with valid, correctly spelled tags
- Number of duplicate or malformed source and medium values found in a monthly audit
- Cost per conversion by utm_campaign where spend data is available
Insights on UTM parameters
Related terms in Analytics & Measurement
- A/B testingA/B testing is a controlled experiment that shows two or more versions of a page, email or feature to randomly split groups of users and compares how each performs against a chosen goal. It isolates the effect of a single change so improvement can be attributed rather than assumed. It is also called split testing.
- AI cost per taskAI cost per task is the total cost of completing one unit of useful work with an AI system, divided by the number of tasks completed to an acceptable standard. It includes model tokens, tool and retrieval calls, retries, and any human review needed before the output can be used. It is the unit economics measure behind an AI workflow.
- AttributionAttribution is the practice of assigning credit for a conversion to the marketing touchpoints that preceded it. It covers the models, rules and data joins used to decide which channels, campaigns or content get counted. In AI search, attribution is harder because many assistant-led journeys leave little or no referral data.
- Click-through rateClick-through rate is the proportion of people who saw something and then clicked it, expressed as clicks divided by impressions. It is used to judge search listings, ads, emails and internal links. A higher rate usually means the message matched what the audience was looking for.
- Consent ModeConsent Mode is a Google framework that lets tags adjust their behaviour based on the consent choices a visitor has made. Instead of tags being blocked outright, they receive signals about whether analytics and advertising storage are allowed, and act accordingly. Version 2 added parameters covering the use of personal data for ads and for ad personalisation.
- Conversion trackingConversion tracking is the practice of recording the actions you care about, such as purchases, form submissions or calls, and connecting them back to the channel, campaign or session that led to them. It gives advertising platforms and analytics tools the outcome data they need to report performance and optimise bidding. Accuracy depends on correct tag implementation, consent handling and clear conversion definitions.
Primary research · August 2026
How ChatGPT Shortlists Software Brands
An audit across 10 categories and 60 buying questions. I recorded what ChatGPT reads, throws away and links to when a buyer asks it which software to buy, and what that decides.
- 60
- Questions asked
- 10
- Software markets
- 2,680
- Results read
- 367
- Links shown
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