UTM links in plain words: tag your links to see what worked

What a UTM link is

A UTM link is your ordinary page address with a question mark and some labels added at the end. The page looks exactly the same to the visitor. The labels travel with the click, and tools such as analytics can read them afterwards.

Here is the shape: yoursite.com/offer?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring-menu. Three labels, each saying something simple about the click.

The five parts

• utm_source: where you placed the link, such as instagram, newsletter or flyer.
• utm_medium: the kind of link, such as social, email, qr or paid.
• utm_campaign: the offer or season the link belongs to.
• utm_term: an optional label, often used for the keyword in paid search.
• utm_content: an optional label that tells two links in one campaign apart, such as button and image.

Use source, medium and campaign every time

These three do most of the work. The other two are extras you can add when you have a clear reason, for example when you want to know whether the button or the picture got the clicks.

A naming rule everyone follows

• Use lowercase only.
• Use hyphens, not spaces.
• Keep words short and descriptive.
• Choose a fixed list of sources and mediums, and add to it only on purpose.
• Name campaigns after the offer or season, never after the person who built the link.

Check how your analytics groups the words

Some analytics tools sort traffic into groups by the words in the medium label. Unusual words can end up in a catch-all group. Look at how your tool treats yours before you settle on a list, and then stick with it.

A tiny tracking sheet

A shared sheet stops tags from drifting. Keep one row per link and these columns:

• Where the link will be placed.
• The full tagged address.
• Source, medium and campaign.
• Content label, if you use one.
• Who made it.
• When it can be retired.

Common mistakes

• Mixed case. Instagram and instagram appear as two sources.
• Spaces and odd characters that break the link.
• Tags on links between pages of your own website. They can start a new visit and hide the real source.
• No tag on the link in your profile bio, which is often the busiest link you have.
• Renaming a campaign halfway through.
• Adding your own tags to paid links without checking how your analytics tool combines them with the codes the ad platform adds itself.
• Long labels that nobody can read in a report.

Offline sources need a note instead

A QR code on a flyer, poster or box can carry UTM labels like any other link. Phone calls and walk-ins have no link, so ask 'How did you hear about us?' and write the answer down. Tags show where clicks came from. They cannot see what happened offline.

From tagged link to traceable lead

In the AI Marketing Master CRM, every lead has a recorded source, and website forms can keep the UTM labels the visitor's link carried. When leads move to Won or Lost, you can compare sources by customers gained, not only by enquiries.