UTM parameters are five variants of URL parameters used by marketers to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing media. They were introduced by Google Analytics' predecessor Urchin and, consequently, are supported out of the box by Google Analytics. The UTM parameters in a URL identify the campaign that refers traffic to a specific website, and attribute the browser's website session and the sessions after that until the campaign attribution window expires to it. The parameters can be parsed by analytics tools and used to populate reports.
UTM Parameters
UTM parameters are used to track the performance of campaigns in Google Analytics. They are appended to the end of a URL as query parameters.
- Required parameter: The source of traffic, such as a search engine (e.g. Google), a website (e.g. Forbes), or a newsletter (e.g. Mailchimp).
- Required parameter: The medium of the campaign, such as organic search, paid search, email, or social media.
- Required parameter: The campaign or specific promotion being tracked, such as a product launch or a sale.
- Optional parameter: The keyword or phrase that led to the visit, such as the search query used on a search engine.
- Optional parameter: To differentiate between versions of the same ad or link, such as two different versions of a banner ad.
How to Use UTM Parameters
To use UTM variables, you will need to append them to the end of your URL as query parameters. For example: http://www.example.com?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=product_launch&utm_term=running_shoes&utm_content=banner_ad_1
Table: UTM Parameter Types
| Parameter | Description | Required/Optinal |
| utm_source | Identifies the source of traffic, such as a search engine or website. | Required |
| utm_medium | Identifies the medium of the campaign, such as organic search or paid search. | Required |
| utm_campaign | Identifies the campaign or specific promotion being tracked. | Required |
| utm_term | Identifies the keyword or phrase that led to the visit. | Optional |
| utm_content | Differentiates between versions of the same ad or link. | Optional |
