UTM parameters
What UTM parameters are
UTM parameters (Urchin Tracking Module tags) are short labels added to the end of a URL that tell your analytics tool where a visitor came from. When someone clicks example.com/sale?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_sale, Google Analytics 4 records the visit under that source, medium and campaign instead of lumping it into "direct" or "referral".
| Parameter | Answers | Examples |
|---|
utm_source (required) | Who sent the traffic? | google, newsletter, facebook, partner-site |
utm_medium (required) | What kind of channel? | cpc, email, social, paid_social, affiliate, qr |
utm_campaign (required) | Which campaign or promotion? | spring_sale, product_launch |
utm_term | Which paid keyword? | running shoes, {keyword} |
utm_content | Which ad, link or button? | hero_button, carousel_2 |
utm_id | Campaign ID for GA4 data import | abc.123 |
GA4 also reads utm_source_platform, utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic, which you can add in the optional section.
GA4 channel grouping
Use the right medium so GA4 groups traffic correctly
GA4 sorts sessions into default channel groups mainly by utm_medium and utm_source. A non-standard medium such as utm_medium=newsletter or utm_medium=fb ends up as "Unassigned". Use the values GA4 expects:
- Email:
utm_medium=email
- Paid search:
utm_medium=cpc (or ppc, paidsearch) with a search engine as the source
- Paid social:
utm_medium=paid_social (or cpc) with a social network as the source
- Organic social:
utm_medium=social
- Display:
utm_medium=display or banner
- Affiliates:
utm_medium=affiliate
UTM values are case-sensitive in GA4, so Email and email show up as two different mediums. Keep Lowercase values ticked, and agree a naming convention with your team. The builder flags any link with mixed case.
Advertisement
Google Ads and Meta
Google Ads, Meta and other ad platform presets
Choose a platform preset and the fields are filled with sensible values and the platform's own dynamic macros:
- Google Ads:
utm_source=google, utm_medium=cpc, utm_term={keyword}, utm_content={creative}, utm_campaign={campaignid}. Google replaces the ValueTrack parameters at click time. Auto-tagging with gclid still works alongside UTMs.
- Meta (Facebook and Instagram):
{{site_source_name}}, {{campaign.name}} and {{ad.name}} dynamic parameters.
- Microsoft Ads, TikTok, LinkedIn, email newsletters, organic social posts and printed QR codes.
With Keep ad platform macros as typed ticked, anything in {...}, {{...}} or __...__ is not lowercased or percent-encoded, so the ad platform can still recognise and replace it.
Bulk UTM builder
Build UTM links in bulk and clean them up
Use Same tags for all URLs to tag a list of landing pages for one campaign, for example every product link in a newsletter. Use Different tags per row to paste a CSV where each row has its own url, source, medium, campaign and content, which is ideal for planning a multi-channel launch in a spreadsheet. Existing query parameters and #fragments are preserved, and you choose whether new UTM values replace old ones.
Remove UTM tags does the opposite: it strips every utm_ parameter and, optionally, click IDs such as gclid, fbclid, msclkid and ttclid. Use it to clean URLs before sharing them or adding them to a sitemap.
Never add UTM tags to internal links on your own site: they start a new session and overwrite the real source. For printed material, convert tagged links into codes with the bulk QR code generator. To decode an existing tagged link, use Parse URL.
Naming
A simple UTM naming convention
Agree a few rules and write them down: lowercase only, hyphens instead of spaces, the platform name as the source (facebook, not fb one week and Facebook the next), a fixed list of mediums, and campaign names that start with a date or quarter such as 2026-q4-black-friday. Consistent names keep GA4 reports clean and make campaigns easy to compare year after year.
FAQ
UTM Builder: frequently asked questions
What is a UTM builder?
A UTM builder adds UTM tracking parameters such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign to a URL, so analytics tools can attribute visits to the right campaign.
Which UTM parameters are required?
utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. utm_term, utm_content and utm_id are optional.
Does this work with Google Analytics 4?
Yes. GA4 reads all standard UTM parameters plus utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic, which you can add here.
Can I build UTM links in bulk?
Yes. Paste up to 2,000 URLs to tag them all with the same values, or upload a CSV to give each row its own values.
Should UTM values be lowercase?
Yes. GA4 is case-sensitive, so Facebook and facebook are reported separately. Lowercase everything and use a consistent naming convention.
Can I use UTMs with Google Ads auto-tagging?
Yes. Auto-tagging adds gclid and keeps Google Ads data in GA4, while UTMs help other analytics tools. Use the Google Ads preset, which uses ValueTrack macros.
Should I use UTM tags on internal links?
No. UTMs on links within your own site start a new session and overwrite the original traffic source.
How do I remove UTM parameters from a URL?
Choose Remove UTM tags, paste the URLs and click Build UTM links. Tick the option to also remove click IDs like gclid and fbclid.