UTM parameters: what are they and why are they useful?
Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters are valuable tools that you can use to gain further knowledge on what is driving the results of your organic and paid digital marketing campaigns.
UTM Parameters: What Are They?
UTM parameters are case sensitive attributes that are added to the marketing campaigns destination URLs sending traffic to a website. When a user clicks on a link with UTM parameters, specific tags will appear in the Google Analytics metrics that allow marketers to discover valuable information on their campaigns.
There are five UTM parameters that can be added to a URL:
- Source: utm_source identifies the source of your traffic. Facebook, Google and newsletters can all be included here.
- Medium: utm_medium identifies the medium where the link was shared. Examples of these parameters are emails or banners.
- Campaign: utm_campaign identifies which campaign the link is a part of.
- Content: utm_content is used to differentiate different ads. If you have several calls-to-action for the same campaign on one page, you can identify which call-to-action is performing best.
- Term: utm_term is the parameter that tells you what keywords generated the clicks.
The following is an example link with UTM parameters: https://www.commpla.com/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=june2021blog&utm_content=contactus.
UTM Parameters: Why are they important
UTM parameters allow you to understand what works best in your digital marketing process by providing the answers to questions like: Where is the traffic coming from? How is it getting to you? Why is it coming to you?
This data teaches you more about where your traffic comes from, not only in terms of which platforms but of the specific campaigns and content that makes customers click through.
Therefore, UTMs are invaluable, especially considering how easy they are to implement.
The execution of a winning digital marketing campaign requires an in-depth knowledge of various tools and techniques: from Google analytics and Google ads to UTM parameters. Tracking your digital marketing campaigns means more effective marketing campaigns overall. Knowing precisely what is generating traffic informs you where your advertising budget is working the best and allows you to boost your marketing campaigns.
If you would prefer to focus on managing your business, you can delegate the creation and management of your digital marketing campaigns to an experienced technical partner.
Track your traffic and measure what matters, let’s get started.