If you’re running marketing campaigns to acquire leads, UTM tracking can be a powerful tool in your arsenal.
UTM (short for Urchin Tracking Module) codes help you understand:
- What type of content resonates most with your audience
- Where your traffic is coming from
- Which campaigns have the highest ROI
By providing a clear view of your customer journey, UTMs empower you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your campaigns through A/B testing for even better performance. Not using UTMs means you’re leaving money on the table — but using them incorrectly could cost you even more. Mastering UTM tracking is a small time investment that pays massive dividends.
In just 10 minutes, we’ll equip you with the skills to:
- Identify the perfect UTM parameters for your specific use case
- Build UTM parameters from scratch with confidence
- Create reusable UTM templates to keep your entire team aligned and on track
What is a UTM code and how it works
Think of UTM codes as additional tags in a URL. Each tag is called a “parameter”. Here are the UTM parameters you can choose from:
| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | Identifies the source of the traffic | facebook_ads, newsletter_jan, partner_site |
utm_medium | Specifies the marketing medium used | ppc, affiliate, organic_social |
utm_campaign | Represents the specific product, promotion, or campaign | new_year_launch, black_friday_special |
utm_term | Tracks paid keywords associated with the campaign | best_running_shoes, cheap_flight_deals |
utm_content | Differentiates creative elements within the same campaign. For instance, if you have two banners on the same webpage, you can use unique utm_content values to identify which banner performs better | red_banner_v1, blue_banner_v2 |
How UTM Parameters work
When someone clicks on a UTM-coded link, your analytics software (like Dub Analytics) recognizes these tags and records the data. This allows you to track the performance of specific campaigns, traffic sources, and user interactions.
Here’s how it works step by step:
- Click Tracking: When a user clicks on a UTM-tagged link (e.g., in an ad, email, or social post), the link directs them to your website while passing along the UTM parameters.
- Data Capture: Your analytics tool captures these parameters—such as the traffic source (
utm_source), campaign name (utm_campaign), or medium (utm_medium)—and links them to the user’s session. - Behavior Analysis: As the user browses your website, the analytics software tracks their journey, showing which pages they visited, how long they stayed, and what actions they took (e.g., adding a product to their cart or signing up for a newsletter).
- Conversion Tracking: If the user completes a desired action, like making a purchase or filling out a form, the UTM data ties their conversion back to the original campaign or source.
With Dub Analytics, you can also filter and visualize your link traffic by UTM parameters, which gives you context on how each of your UTM campaigns are performing.
UTM Code Examples
Let’s dive into a few examples to see how UTM parameters work in real-world scenarios.
Example 1: UTM-Coded Link for a Social Media Campaign
Suppose you're running a Facebook ad for a summer sale. Here's how a UTM-coded link might look, with clear labels:
| Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | Indicates that the traffic comes from Facebook | |
utm_medium | paid_social | Specifies the marketing medium as paid social media |
utm_campaign | summer_sale | Tracks this as part of the summer sale campaign |
utm_content | carousel_ad_v1 | Distinguishes this specific ad creative (e.g., version 1 of a carousel ad) |
Example 2: UTM-Coded Link for an Email Campaign
Imagine you're sending out a newsletter to promote a new product launch. Here’s the UTM-coded link:
| Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | newsletter | Identifies that the traffic originates from your email newsletter |
utm_medium | Specifies the marketing medium as email | |
utm_campaign | product_launch | Tracks clicks related to the product launch campaign |
utm_content | cta_button | Differentiates the call-to-action button in the email from other links, like a text hyperlink or banner |
How to Set Up UTM Parameters
Setting up UTM parameters is simpler than it seems. In this section, we’ll help you choose the right parameters for your campaigns and create clean, effective UTM-tagged URLs. Follow these steps to ensure your tracking is accurate and actionable.
Which UTM Parameters Should You Choose?
Less is often more. You don’t need to use every parameter available, just the ones that provide meaningful insights for your campaign. The goal is to track enough data to understand what’s working and what isn’t, without overcomplicating things or collecting unnecessary information.
Let’s break it down into two parts to help you choose the right parameters for your campaign:
Core Parameters (Essential for Most Campaigns)
Start with these core UTM parameters to track the key aspects of your campaign:
Ask yourself, "What platform or source will direct traffic to my site?". Some examples include:
- Social Media: facebook, twitter
- Email Campaign: newsletter_march
- Search Engine: google, bing
Ask yourself, "How is this traffic being delivered?". Some examples include:
- Paid Ads: cpc, paid_social
- Organic Channels: organic_search, organic_social
- Email: email
Ask yourself, "What specific campaign or promotion does this traffic relate to?". Some examples include:
- Seasonal Sale: spring_sale, black_friday
- Product Launch: new_product2025
- Event Promotion: webinar_series
Advanced Parameters (optional but useful for granular insights)
Use these additional parameters if you need more specific tracking:
Ask yourself, "What keywords are associated with this traffic source?". Some examples include:
- Paid Search Terms: best_running_shoes, cheap_hotels
- High-Intent Keywords: buy_laptops_online, organic_skincare
Ask yourself, "Do I need to track different versions of the same ad or link?". Some examples include:
- Ads: carousel_ad1, video_ad2
- Email CTAs: cta_top_banner, cta_footer_link
- A/B Tests: version_a, version_b
By dividing it into core and advanced parameters, you can focus on what matters most for your campaign while keeping things simple and actionable. Start with the essentials, and add advanced parameters as needed for deeper insights.
Bonus: The "Ref" Tag
In addition to UTM parameters, the "ref" tag is another powerful tracking tool, particularly for referral and affiliate campaigns. Unlike UTMs, which track broader campaign metrics, the "ref" tag focuses on individual referrers or sources.
When to use the “ref” tag instead of UTMs:
If you don’t need the detailed insights that UTMs provide and only want to track who referred traffic, the “ref” tag alone might be enough.
Example without UTMs:
In this case, the “ref” tag captures traffic from a specific affiliate, and the website's backend system attributes conversions directly to them.
When to use the ref tag with UTMs:
For more comprehensive tracking, combine the “ref” tag with UTMs to capture both the campaign-level insights and the referral source.
Example With UTMs:
Here, UTMs provide detailed analytics about the campaign's performance (e.g., traffic source, medium, and campaign), while the ref tag identifies the specific affiliate responsible for the traffic.
Key Takeaway: The “ref” tag is a lightweight option for referral tracking, while UTMs offer a deeper dive into campaign analytics. You can use them separately or together, depending on your tracking needs. This flexibility makes the “ref” tag a useful addition to your marketing toolkit without replacing the functionality of UTMs.
Free UTM Generator
Now that you know how to choose the right UTM parameters for your campaigns, let’s make the process even simpler with our free UTM Builder. This tool helps you create clean, accurate UTM-tagged URLs in seconds, ensuring your tracking is both consistent and effective. Here’s how to use it:
Head over to the UTM Builder and start by entering your destination URL—the page where you want to send your traffic.
Fill in the fields for source, medium, and campaign—the essential parameters for most campaigns.
Optionally, include term, content and referral for more detailed tracking.
Once you’ve entered all the parameters, the tool will generate a UTM-tagged URL for you. Copy it and use it in your campaigns.
If you run recurring campaigns, you can create reusable templates for your parameters.
This ensures consistency across all your links.
With this tool, setting up UTM tracking becomes quick and hassle-free, letting you focus on analyzing results and optimizing your campaigns.
There are many free UTM builders out there. While each has its strengths, Dub stands out for several reasons:
-
Clean and User-Friendly Interface: The Dub UTM Builder makes it easy to create UTM links without getting overwhelmed with cluttered options or a steep learning curve.
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Time-Saving Templates: With Dub, you can create and save templates for your most frequently used UTM parameters. This ensures consistency across campaigns and saves you time when building links for future campaigns.
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Built-In Link Shortening: One of the most exciting features of Dub is its ability to shorten UTM-tagged links directly. Instead of sharing long, cumbersome URLs like
example.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium..., you can generate a clean, short link likedub.sh/abc123or a branded one likeyourbrand.com/abc123
Costly UTM Mistakes to Avoid
UTM tracking can provide invaluable insights, but small mistakes can lead to skewed data or missed opportunities. Here are the most common UTM mistakes and how to avoid them:
1. Not Using Templates
Consistency is key when it comes to UTM parameters. Without templates, you risk creating inconsistent tags, making your data harder to analyze.
Solution: Use templates to ensure uniform naming conventions for your campaigns. Our free UTM Builder is designed to make this process seamless.
2. Using Capital Letters
UTM parameters are case-sensitive. Using capital letters in some links and lowercase in others can create duplicate entries in analytics tools. Example: utm_source=Facebook and utm_source=facebook will be treated as separate sources.
Solution: Stick to lowercase across all UTM parameters for better standardization.
3. Tracking Internal Links
UTMs are designed for tracking external traffic sources. Adding UTMs to internal links can override the original source data, leading to inaccurate attribution.
Solution: Use UTMs only for external links. For internal tracking, rely on event tracking or custom analytics setups.
4. Copy-Pasting Links for New Campaigns
Reusing UTM-tagged links across different campaigns can result in mixed data and incorrect attribution.
Solution: Always generate unique UTM parameters for each campaign, even if the destination URL is the same.
5. Using Long Links
UTM-tagged URLs can get long and cumbersome, which may discourage clicks or look unprofessional.
Solution: Shorten your UTM-tagged URLs using our link shortener. This keeps your links clean and clickable.
6. Adding Unnecessary Parameters
Tracking too many parameters can clutter your analytics data and make it harder to interpret.
Solution: Only include parameters that provide meaningful insights. Focus on clarity and simplicity to ensure your data remains actionable.
By avoiding these common pitfalls, you’ll ensure that your UTM tracking is accurate, clean, and valuable—helping you make data-driven decisions with confidence.
Disadvantages of Using UTM Parameters
While UTM parameters are invaluable for tracking marketing efforts, they come with certain limitations that can affect data accuracy and campaign confidentiality. Here's what you need to be aware of:
1. Re-Sharing of UTM-Tagged Links
When UTM-tagged links are shared beyond their intended audience—such as being reposted on social media or forwarded via email—the original tracking parameters remain. This can lead to inaccurate attribution, as the traffic may appear to originate from the wrong source.
Example: A link tagged for a Facebook campaign (utm_source=facebook) gets shared on Twitter. Analytics will still attribute the traffic to Facebook, skewing your data.
Solution: Use our robust tracking solution - Dub Conversions. It uses first-party cookies and server-side event tracking to accurately attribute conversions, even when links are re-shared. This ensures your data reflects true user journeys.
2. Exposure of Campaign Details
UTM parameters are appended directly to URLs, making campaign information visible to anyone who accesses the link. This transparency can inadvertently reveal marketing strategies or sensitive data to competitors and the public.
Example: A URL like example.com/?utm_campaign=exclusive_offer&utm_source=email discloses the campaign name and source, potentially compromising strategic information.
Solution: To maintain confidentiality, consider using our link management platform to shorten and brand your URLs, effectively concealing UTM parameters. This not only protects your campaign details but also presents cleaner links to your audience.
Conclusion
Accurate tracking through UTM parameters is the backbone of effective marketing analytics. It gives you the clarity to:
- Scale campaigns that drive results
- Eliminate those that underperform and drain resources
Start by creating clean and consistent UTM links with our free UTM creation tool. For more accurate tracking, use Dub Conversions which leverages first-party cookies and server-side technology to ensure accurate attribution, even in complex scenarios.
