UTM parameters – create UTM links and see which GA4 channel they land in

Definition

UTM parameters, also called UTM tags or UTM codes, are added to the end of a link, for example utm_source=linkedin, so the analytics tool can see where a visit came from. GA4 uses them to sort traffic into channels such as Email, Paid Social and Organic Social.

Create a UTM link

Enter the address the link should point to and fill in source, medium and campaign. The tool builds the link and shows which channel GA4 will file the visits under, based on Google's rules for the default channel group. If the link lands in Unassigned, or in a channel you did not intend, you can see why and what to change.

UTM builder

Fill in the address and the tags. The link is built as you type, and you can see which channel GA4 sorts the visits into, by Google’s own rules.

Address

Source · utm_source

Where the link sits: linkedin, facebook, newsletter.

Medium · utm_medium

Type of traffic: email, social, cpc, paid_social, referral.

Campaign · utm_campaign

The same name in every channel, for example autumn-campaign.

Campaign ID · utm_id (optional)

The campaign’s ID in the ad platform, if it has one.

Term · utm_term (optional)

The paid keyword.

Content · utm_content (optional)

Tells ads or links in the same campaign apart.

Tidy the values: lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces and a and o instead of å, ä and ö

Your link

https://www.example.com/offer?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=autumn-campaign&utm_content=ad-a

Turn the link into a QR code

• Lands in the GA4 channelPaid SocialThe source is a social network in Google’s list and the medium counts as paid.

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What do the UTM parameters mean?

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, after Urchin, the analytics tool that became the basis of Google Analytics. The same abbreviation is used for the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system on maps, which has nothing to do with the parameters. The parameters are written after a question mark in the link and read by the analytics tool when someone clicks. Google recommends always using source, medium and campaign (Google). If any of them is missing, the value shows as (not set) in the reports.

• utm_source – the source. Where the link sits, for example linkedin, facebook or newsletter.
• utm_medium – the medium. The type of traffic, for example email, social, cpc or referral. The medium carries the most weight when GA4 picks a channel.
• utm_campaign – the campaign. Which campaign the link belongs to, for example autumn-campaign or product-launch.
• utm_id – the campaign ID. The campaign's ID, the same as in the ad platform or in campaign data uploaded to GA4.
• utm_term – the term. The paid keyword, when the link comes from a search ad.
• utm_content – the content. Tells ads or links in the same campaign apart, for example two buttons in the same email.

GA4 also reads utm_source_platform, utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic. The last two are not currently shown in the reports (Google).

Most analytics tools read UTM parameters, including the alternatives to Google Analytics. The channel rules below, however, are GA4's own.

How does GA4 sort a link into channels?

GA4 compares the source, the medium and the campaign name against fixed rules. The rules cannot be edited and ignore case (Google). Some require the source to be on Google's list of search engines, social networks, video services and shopping services. For others, a matching medium is enough.

Google gives no order of precedence between the rules. When the values match more than one, the tool shows the rule listed first in Google's description and mentions the others.

Four pitfalls that give the wrong channel

1. The medium newsletter or mail. GA4 only counts email, e-mail, e_mail and e mail as email. A newsletter tagged utm_medium=newsletter lands in Unassigned.
2. The source x. Google's list has twitter, twitter.com and t.co, but not x or threads. An ad tagged utm_source=x and utm_medium=cpc therefore lands in Paid Other, not Paid Social.
3. A paid medium that does not start with paid. GA4 counts a medium as paid if it contains cp, as in cpc and cpm, if it is ppc or retargeting, or if it starts with paid. social_paid and social-ads do not count as paid, so a Facebook ad tagged with either of them lands in Organic Social.
4. Campaign names with shop. Campaign names containing shopping or starting with shop count as shopping, and so do names with shop after a hyphen. A newsletter with the campaign name black-friday-shop can then land in Organic Shopping instead of Email. The campaign workshop-nov is not affected.

How to keep your parameters tidy

Parameters are only comparable if everyone on the team writes them the same way. Google itself recommends a strict naming convention, with lowercase as the default (Google).

• Lowercase everywhere. Otherwise Facebook and facebook become two sources in the reports.
• Hyphens instead of spaces. The link stays readable and the reports are easier to filter.
• A shared list of sources and mediums, in a shared spreadsheet for example, so nobody invents variants of their own.
• The same campaign name in every channel, so a campaign can be followed from LinkedIn to the newsletter.
• utm_content for variants. Two ads in the same campaign are told apart with ad-a and ad-b, not with two campaign names.