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A beginner's guide on using UTM parameters to track everything

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A UTM parameter is the textual content included in the URL to apprehend where are the site visitors coming from, and therefore, to understand which advertising campaigns are working and which are not.

  1. What is a UTM parameter?
  2. UTM parameter types
  3. When should I use UTM parameters?
  4. How to create UTM parameters?
  5. Some tips for using UTM codes and UTM tracking
  6. Why use Swetrix for tracking UTM parameters

What is a UTM parameter?

UTM stands for “Urchin Tracking Module,” which initially commenced in Google Analytics (they acquired a product known as Urchin many years ago).

They are now recognized in much more places than simply Google Analytics and are used as an industry standard. And fortunately, if you employ them on websites without Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager, no data is sent to Google.

The information in the URL known as a UTM parameter helps you determine which of the pieces of content you're distributing is the most pertinent or effective at generating leads or sales.

Creating and tracking UTM links doesn't require some technical skills, violating people's privacy, or writing complex code and even our UTM builder may be used to construct these links.

UTM parameter types

Take a look at the following link:
`https://swetrix.com/docs?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=ads&utm_medium=paid_ads&utm_term=analytics&utm_content=text_ad`
At a glance it may look difficult to understand, but actually it's not. Let's break down each piece of it in a more understandable format:
  • utm_source - the website or platform that is generating the traffic.
  • utm_campaign - the campaign that is generating the traffic.
  • utm_medium - traffic-generating marketing channel type.
  • utm_content - the specific content user clicked on.
  • utm_term - the specified paid keywords.

When should I use UTM parameters?

You want to see where your users are coming from when you are running an advertising campaign on Google or social media.

You employ additional strategies to draw readers and potential clients, and you are curious about their origins.

Using e-marketing services, you send newsletters to your subscribers, and you want to monitor how effective they are.

How to create UTM parameters?

You can use the following template to paste your UTM parameters into the link `https://example.com/?utm_source=[SOURCE]&utm_medium=[MEDIUM]&utm_campaign=[CAMPAIGN]&utm_term=[TERM]&utm_content=[CONTENT]` or use the UTM builder application we specifically created for that reason.
Swetrix UTM builder application

Some tips for using UTM codes and UTM tracking

UTMs can be any terms you choose, but when making them, it's crucial to keep the following in mind:
  1. UTM links should only be utilised for links that lead to other websites.
  2. Use no punctuation, emojis, or other special characters.
  3. Keep your capitalisation in lowercase (certain platforms may make UTMs case sensitive, which could result in several results for the same thing; for example, "GOOGLEADS" and "googleads" would track as two different UTM parameter values).
  4. Instead of using spaces in URLs, use underscores or plus signs to prevent URL errors that can cause a 404 error to load in place of your website.
  5. Keep things simple and memorable, otherwise in future you may not remember what some specific UTM metric means.
  6. Be careful not to use the incorrect UTM parameter or to use the UTM parameter which you don't plan to. Verify that the UTM parameters are set to the appropriate values for the link you are utilising every time.

Why use Swetrix for tracking UTM parameters

You can quickly view and filter UTM parameters using Swetrix.

As a result, you can view all the UTMs you've used for your campaigns directly on the dashboard for your website and filter each one (or many UTMs at once) to further delve into your data and track the development of your campaigns.
Even event filtering is possible with UTMs. In order to determine which UTMs result in which conversions (for things like newsletter signups, product purchases, trials, etc).

Why not to try out Swetrix , which respects user privacy and does not use cookies for tracking at all?
Sign up and start using our service for free and then you may begin to understand how beneficial UTM tracking can be for your website or business.