UTM Parameters Explained
Build a complete campaign link, choose useful values, and understand what a UTM can and cannot measure.
By UTMCraft / Axellier · Updated · Examples use fictional campaigns.
Describe the visit you want to distinguish
Imagine a workshop promoted through a newsletter and a partner website. Both links open the same booking page. The destination alone cannot tell your reporting system which promotion brought the visitor. Campaign parameters attach that context to the incoming link.
Start with source for the origin, medium for the distribution method, and campaign for the initiative. Our workshop uses newsletter, email, and pottery_intro_oct26. These are illustrative naming choices, not values required by UTMCraft. Use the vocabulary already used in your reports.
Separate the campaign from the placement
Two buttons in the same email belong to the same campaign. Give the header button utm_content=header_button and the article link utm_content=article_link. That keeps the experiment about placement rather than creating two unrelated campaigns. Leave utm_term empty unless you have a defined keyword or term use case.
A campaign ID can provide a stable identifier when the human-readable campaign name changes. Agree on its ownership before using utm_id in imports or reporting. Do not fill every available field simply because the builder offers it.
https://example.com/workshop?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pottery_intro_oct26&utm_content=header_button
Preserve the destination’s own instructions
If the booking URL contains ?location=colombo#times, keep both the location filter and the fragment. The UTM fields belong in the query string before #times. Replacing the entire query could change the page visitors see.
Paste the final URL into the Parser and confirm that location remains a custom parameter. Then change only utm_content for the second placement. This produces two comparable links with the same destination and campaign identity.
A label is not a measurement system
UTMCraft creates the link; it does not install analytics, count visits, configure consent, or connect purchases to sessions. A perfectly formatted URL can still yield no campaign data if the destination does not collect it.
Test the actual distributed link, including any shortener or redirect. Confirm the final page loads and inspect your analytics implementation separately. Do not put UTMs on internal navigation merely to measure button clicks; use your site’s event measurement for that task.
Before you publish
- Keep the same campaign value across placements in one initiative.
- Use content to distinguish a meaningful creative or placement.
- Preserve functional query parameters and fragments.
- Test the final landing page and reporting separately.
References and further reading
Our worked examples explain a workflow; platform behavior can change. Report a correction with a synthetic example.