UTM link builder

The UTM standard consists of five parameters. The first three are required; the last two add extra detail.

• utm_source — the traffic source: the specific platform or system the visitor came from. Examples: google, facebook, telegram, newsletter.
• utm_medium — the channel type: cpc for paid search, social for social networks, email for newsletters, banner for display ads.
• utm_campaign — the campaign name: a promo, launch or newsletter issue. Examples: spring_sale, black_friday_2026.
• utm_term — the keyword in paid search. In Google Ads it is handy to insert the dynamic macro {keyword}.
• utm_content — the ad variation or placement: use it to compare banners, copy versions and buttons against each other. Examples: banner_1, text_ad, footer_link.

Naming conventions

Analytics tools are case-sensitive and compare values character by character, so Facebook, facebook and fb become three different sources in your reports. To keep the data clean, agree on rules and stick to them:

• lowercase only, Latin characters;
• no spaces — separate words with underscores or hyphens, and use the same separator everywhere;
• consistency: the same value is always written the same way across all campaigns. Keep a shared tagging dictionary for the team — a simple spreadsheet is enough.

Typical schemes per channel

Google Ads. The classic combination: utm_source=google, utm_medium=cpc, the campaign name in utm_campaign, the {keyword} macro in utm_term and the ad variation in utm_content. Auto-tagging with gclid only works inside Google Analytics, so UTM tags are still needed for any third-party analytics.

Social networks. Put the platform in utm_source (facebook, instagram, linkedin) and use social in utm_medium for organic posts or paid_social for paid campaigns. The campaign is your promo or content series; utm_content identifies the specific creative.

Email. Use the newsletter or list name in utm_source (newsletter), always email in utm_medium, the topic or issue date in utm_campaign (digest_2026_08), and utm_content to tell the header link apart from the button and the footer.

Common mistakes

• Non-Latin characters and symbols in values. After URL encoding they turn into unreadable sequences and your reports into a mess. Stick to Latin characters.
• Inconsistent spelling. Google, google and google_ads split one source into several report rows, and you end up totalling the channel by hand.
• UTM tags on internal links — never. Following a tagged link within your own site breaks the session and overwrites the real source: instead of the ad, you will see a visit from your own website.
• Empty required parameters. A link without source, medium and campaign technically works, but analytics cannot attribute the traffic to a channel correctly.

Why do I need UTM parameters?

They tell analytics tools where a visitor came from: which ad platform, channel and campaign. Without them, traffic from newsletters, messengers and some ads collapses into "direct", making it impossible to measure what each channel actually delivers.

Do I have to fill in all five parameters?

No. utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign are considered required — without them the tagging loses its meaning. utm_term and utm_content are optional: use them for keywords and ad variations when you need more granular reporting.

Do UTM parameters affect SEO?

Not when used correctly. Search engines recognize them as tracking parameters. Just never tag internal links on your own site and keep a correct canonical tag on your pages — then no duplicates will appear in the index.

Where do I see UTM statistics?

In any web analytics tool: Google Analytics 4 shows them in the traffic acquisition reports, and other platforms have similar source/medium/campaign breakdowns. If your CRM or attribution system accepts UTM data, campaigns will show up there too.

Are my links sent to your server?

No. The builder runs entirely in your browser: the link is assembled on the fly from the fields you fill in, and nothing is transmitted or stored anywhere.