What are UTM Parameters​

What is a UTM and what is it for?

Ultimate Guide to Measuring Your Campaigns Like an Expert

In the world of digital marketing, data is everything. You can have the best design, the best offers or the most persuasive copy, but if you don't know Where does your traffic come from, Which campaigns are generating conversions O Which channel provides the most return, so you're browsing blindly.

This is where famous people come in UTM. They're simple, powerful, and yet many brands still don't use them or misapply them. In this article we explain What is a UTM, What is it for, your benefits and how can you start using them Just today.

What does UTM stand for by its acronym?

UTM means Urchin Tracking Module, and although it sounds complex, it's actually a very simple system. This is a set of parameters that are added to the end of a URL so that tools such as Google Analytics, Ortto or any modern CRM They can know How did users arrive at your website.

These parameters act as identification tags. When someone clicks on a URL that contains a UTM, that data travels along with the visit and is recorded in your analytics system.

Basic example:

Let's say you're going to launch an Instagram campaign to promote a new product. Instead of just pasting the link:

https://www.tusitio.com/producto-nuevo


You add UTM parameters to it like this:

https://www.tusitio.com/producto-nuevo?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign= 2025 release


This way, when someone enters your site from that link, you'll know exactly what came from Instagram, in a social campaign, and in a specific campaign called “launch2025”.

What are the UTM parameters?

There are five main parameters you can use. The first three are Mandatory if you want the URL to make sense:

You can combine these parameters as needed. The important thing is that you are Consistent And Coherent to avoid confusion in reports.

What are UTMs for?

The main function of UTMs is to allow you accurately measure the performance of your digital campaigns. They are a traceability tool that helps you to know:

• Which channel is generating the most views and conversions.
• What ads or versions of content work best.
• Which email marketing strategy generates the most clicks.
• Which influencers or affiliates bring you the best results.
• How traffic from QR codes or physical links behaves.

Benefits of using UTM in your campaigns

1. Precise measurement‍

No more assumptions. You know exactly which link, platform or campaign is generating results.

2. Budget optimization‍

By identifying the channels that work best, you can reallocate your budget and effort to what generates the most impact.

3. Detailed analysis in Google Analytics‍

Your reports will have a clear, orderly structure with useful data for decision-making.

4. Differentiation between organic and paid traffic‍

It prevents paid traffic from mixing with organic traffic. Often, without UTM, campaign clicks can appear as “direct traffic” or “referral”.

5. 360° view of your conversion funnel‍

If you have a CRM like HubSpot, RD Station, or ActiveCampaign, you can know not only who clicked, but what actions they took on your site and if they ended up buying.

6. Tracking by channel, advertisement, influencer or affiliate‍

You can assign unique UTMs to each collaborator or external source and measure their real impact on your sales.

Where are UTMs used?

• In campaigns of Google Ads And Facebook Ads
• In posts and links from social networks
• In email marketing
• In links from Affiliates
• In CTA buttons of landing pages
• In internal or external banners
• In Printed QR codes
• In remarketing campaigns

How to easily create UTM

The good news is that you don't need to program anything. Just fill out a small form and you're good to go.

👉 Here you have the Official UTM Builder from Google:
🔗 https://ga-dev-tools.web.app/campaign-url-builder/

How to use it:

1. Paste the destination URL of your site.
2. Fill in the fields: Source, Medium, Campaign, etc.
3. Copy the generated URL.
4. Use it in your campaign and start tracking data.

Best Practices When Using UTM

• Be consistent with the names (always use “Facebook” and sometimes not “Facebook” and sometimes “FB”).
• Don't use spaces or accents in the parameters.
• Usa Hyphens or underscores to separate words.
• Save your UTM conventions in a shared document for the entire team.
• Usa URL shorteners (like Bitly) if you're going to share long links on social networks.

Common mistakes when using UTM

❌ Don't use UTM in paid campaigns and lose traceability
❌ Use different names for the same channel
❌ Create duplicate UTMs without differentiating campaigns
❌ Share UTM on internal links (this restarts the user's session in Analytics)
❌ Put UTM parameters in links in your menu or footer

📍 Where to see UTMs in GA4?

To see UTMs in GA4, you should review Acquisition → Session data. This is where UTM parameters are automatically captured if users arrived using links with utms.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in to your GA4.
2. In the left menu, go to “Reports” → “Acquisition” → “Traffic Acquisition”.
3. There you'll see metrics by Channel, Medium, and Fountain.
4. To view specific UTMs:
   • Change the main dimension using the button “Add secondary dimension” or “Modify report”.
   • Add dimensions such as:
     • Session source (Session-source)
     • Half session (Session Medium)
     • Session campaign (Session campaign)
     • Term of session (Session term) — for utm_term
     • Session content (Session content) — for utm_content

🛠️ Or if you want a custom report:

If you want to keep everything neater (ideal for a blog where you want to see by campaign, post, etc.):

1. Go to “Explorations” (Explorations) in GA4.
2. Create a new type exploration “Table”.
3. Add dimensions:
   • Session source
   • Half session
   • Session campaign
   • Session content
   • Term of session
4. Add metrics such as:
   • Users
   • Sessions
   • Conversions
   • Time on page

This is how you see all your UTMs in one place filtered however you want.

✨ How to create a UTM dashboard in GA4

1. Open your GA4 → in the left menu click “Explorations” (Explorations).
2. Click “Blank Scan” (Blank).
3. Give it a name, for example: UTM Tracking Blog.
4. In the left panel, do the following:

A) Add Dimensions:

Click on the “+” and select:

• Session source (Session-source)
• Half session (Session Medium)
• Session campaign (Session campaign)
• Term of session (Session term) → (optional, if you use utm_term)
• Session content (Session content) → (optional, if you use utm_content)
• (Optional) Page name (Page title) → if you want to know what blog post they entered.

✅ After selecting, click Import.

B) Add Metrics:

Click on the “+” from Metrics and select:

• Users (users)
• Sessions (Sessions)
• Conversion events (Conversions) (if you have set goals).
• Average session length (Average session duration).

✅ Click Import.

C) Assembling the table:

• Type of exploration: Tabla.
• In Filas, adds:
  • Session source
  • Half session
  • Session campaign
  • (Optional) Term And Content if you want to see more detail.
• In Columns:
  • You can leave it empty, or if you want, put Page name to cross it.
• In Values, adds:
  • Users
  • Sessions
  • Conversions (if you use conversions).

📌 Additional Tips:

• You can Filter to see only traffic that comes with utms (for example, half ≠ (not set)).
• You can Order it by users, conversions, etc.
• You can Save this exploration to use whenever you want.

Don't fly blindly, measure everything

UTMs are one of the most powerful (and underused) tools in digital marketing. They're free, easy to use, and they give you a full visibility of the performance of your campaigns. In an environment where every click counts, Knowing where your results come from is a competitive advantage.

In SEOTopSecret, we help you implement intelligent data strategies to scale your business. If you want us to configure your UTMs correctly or you need a web analytics consultancy, contact us and we will design a tailor-made plan for you.