What are UTM parameters?
https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_launch
What each tag means.
utm_source
Where the traffic comes from: google, newsletter, linkedin.
utm_medium
The type of channel: cpc, email, social, referral.
utm_campaign
The campaign or promotion: spring_launch, black_friday.
utm_term
Optional. The paid keyword the ad was bought for.
utm_content
Optional. Tells similar links or ads apart: hero_button, footer_link.
Habits that keep reports readable.
Agree on names
Decide the allowed values for source and medium once, and write them down.
Use lowercase
Values are case-sensitive in reports: Email and email count as different mediums.
Never tag internal links
Tagging a link between pages of your own site starts a new session and overwrites where the visitor really came from.
What they don't do.
UTM parameters only label a visit. They don't track people, and they have no effect on how a page is ranked. They are visible in the address, so anyone who shares the link shares the tags too. A tool that removes them is useful before you pass a link on.
Common questions
Do UTM parameters affect SEO? +
Not directly. Search engines treat a tagged URL as the same page when a canonical tag points at the clean version.
Which UTM parameters are required? +
Analytics tools expect source, medium and campaign. Term and content are optional.
Can I add UTM parameters to a short link? +
Yes. Add them to the destination URL before shortening it, and the short link carries them through.
How do I remove UTM parameters from a link? +
Use the UTM and tracking parameter remover, which strips utm_ tags and common click IDs from one or many URLs.