UTM Builder

Build clean, consistent UTM tracking links for Google Analytics and every ads platform — with presets for the sources you actually use, a live preview, and one-click copy. Free, no signup.

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How to use UTM parameters properly

UTM parameters are five query-string fields Google Analytics (and almost every other analytics tool) reads to attribute a visit to a campaign: source (where the click came from), medium (the channel type), campaign (the push it belongs to), plus optional content and term for creative- and keyword-level splits. They only work if they are consistent — “Facebook”, “facebook” and “fb” become three different sources in your reports, and the fastest way to ruin attribution is to let each person on the team invent their own casing.

The convention that keeps reports clean: everything lowercase, words separated with underscores, source = the actual site (facebook, google, newsletter), medium = the channel class (cpc for paid clicks, social for organic social, email for email). Reserve utm_campaign for the initiative — spring_sale, launch_week — and keep it identical across every channel promoting that initiative, so the campaign rolls up in one row.

Worked example: you are running a Facebook ad and an email blast for the same spring promotion. Ad link: ?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale&utm_content=video_a. Email link: ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_sale. In GA4 you can now answer “which channel sold more this spring?” in one report — that is the entire point of tagging.

Frequently asked questions

What do the five UTM parameters actually mean?

utm_source is where traffic comes from (facebook, google, newsletter); utm_medium is the channel type (cpc, social, email); utm_campaign names the marketing push; utm_content separates creatives in the same campaign; utm_term records the paid keyword. Source, medium and campaign are the three you should always set.

Should UTM values be lowercase?

Yes — analytics tools treat values as case-sensitive, so “Facebook” and “facebook” split into two rows. This builder lowercases values for you and replaces spaces with underscores.

Do UTM parameters affect SEO?

Not when used for their purpose — inbound campaign links from ads, email and social. Don't use them in internal links on your own site: they overwrite the visitor's original attribution and can create duplicate-URL crawl noise.

What's the difference between utm_source and utm_medium?

Source is the specific place (facebook, bing, partner_site); medium is the class of channel (social, cpc, email, referral). GA4's default channel groupings are keyed off medium, so getting medium right is what makes your traffic land in the right report bucket.

Should I tag organic social posts, or only ads?

Tag both. Without tags, most social clicks land in Direct or a vague referral bucket — especially from mobile apps. Use utm_medium=social for organic posts and utm_medium=cpc (or paid_social) for ads so the two never blur.

Do UTM links work outside Google Analytics?

Yes — Matomo, Plausible, Fathom, HubSpot, Mixpanel and most CRMs read the same parameters. UTM is a convention, not a Google-only feature, which is why it has survived every analytics migration since 2005.

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