Last Updated: June 2026
What are UTM Parameters?
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, named after the Urchin analytics software that Google acquired in 2005. UTM parameters are five specific query string parameters that can be appended to any URL to provide detailed attribution data in Google Analytics, GA4, and other platforms.
The 5 UTM Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Example Values | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
utm_source | ✅ Yes | google, facebook, newsletter | Identifies the traffic source |
utm_medium | ✅ Yes | cpc, email, social, organic | Identifies the marketing channel |
utm_campaign | ✅ Yes | spring_sale_2025, product_launch | Names the specific campaign |
utm_term | Optional | running+shoes, cheap+flights | Identifies paid keyword (PPC ads) |
utm_content | Optional | banner_ad, text_link, cta_button | Differentiates multiple links in the same email or ad |
Example Tagged URL
https://example.com/sale?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring_sale_2025&utm_content=banner_ad
Quick Source Templates
| Platform | Source | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | google | cpc |
| Facebook Ads | facebook | social |
instagram | social | |
| Email Newsletter | newsletter | email |
| Twitter/X | twitter | social |
linkedin | social |
[!IMPORTANT] Use consistent naming conventions for your UTM parameters. Mixing
Best Practices
- Lowercase everything — Analytics tools are case-sensitive. Always use lowercase parameter values.
- Use underscores — Replace spaces with underscores (
spring_sale) rather than hyphens or spaces. - Be consistent — Create a naming convention document and share it with your entire marketing team.
- Don’t use UTMs for internal links — UTM tags should only go on external traffic sources. Internal links (from your own site) will overwrite the original session attribution.