How to build a UTM link
- Paste the page URL you want people to visit.
- Choose a preset or fill in source, medium and campaign — these three are needed for clean reports.
- Optionally add term (for paid keywords) and content (to tell apart two ads or links in the same campaign).
- Copy the URL and use it in your ad, post, email or QR code.
UTM parameters explained
| Parameter | Answers | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Where did the visitor come from? | facebook, google, newsletter, whatsapp |
| utm_medium | What type of channel? | cpc, paid_social, social, email, referral |
| utm_campaign | Which campaign or promotion? | eid_sale_2026, spring_launch |
| utm_term | Which paid keyword? | leather_wallet |
| utm_content | Which ad, link or creative? | video_ad, blue_banner, footer_link |
In Google Analytics 4, these values appear as Session source, Session medium and Session campaign in the Traffic acquisition report.
Best practices
- Be consistent. GA4 treats “Facebook”, “facebook” and “fb” as three different sources. Agree on a naming convention and keep it lowercase — the tool lowercases values by default.
- Use GA4’s default channel names for medium (such as
cpc,email,social,paid_social) so traffic lands in the right channel group. - Never use UTMs on internal links between pages of your own site — it overwrites the original source of the visit.
- Shorten long links for printed material, or turn them into a QR code with our QR Code Generator.
- Google Ads can tag links automatically (auto-tagging with gclid); use UTMs there only if you need them for other analytics tools.
Frequently asked questions
Which UTM parameters are required?
Technically only utm_source is required, but you should always use source, medium and campaign for meaningful reports.
Do UTM parameters affect SEO?
No, as long as you use them only on external campaign links, not internal links. Pages should have a canonical tag pointing to the clean URL.
Are UTM values case-sensitive?
Yes. Google Analytics treats different capitalisations as different values, so keep everything lowercase.
Can I use UTM links on WhatsApp and Facebook posts?
Yes. Use source “whatsapp” or “facebook” with an appropriate medium so you can measure each channel separately.