What UTM parameters do
UTM parameters are query-string tags that analytics tools such as Google Analytics use to attribute visits to a campaign. They don't change what the page shows; they only label the traffic.
| Parameter | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | Who sent the traffic | newsletter, linkedin, google |
utm_medium | The marketing channel | email, social, cpc, referral |
utm_campaign | The specific campaign | launch-week, black-friday-2026 |
utm_term | Paid keyword (optional) | cron+api |
utm_content | Which link or creative (optional) | hero-button, footer-link |
Best practices
- Pick a naming convention and stick to it. Analytics treats
Emailandemailas different values, which is why this builder can normalize to lowercase with hyphens. - Never add UTM tags to internal links on your own site; that overwrites the original source of the visit.
- Keep a shared spreadsheet of campaign names for your team.
- This builder also strips click IDs (
gclid,fbclid,msclkidand others) from the base URL so you don't share someone else's tracking.