UTM Parameters: The Complete Guide for Marketers

UTM parameters are the backbone of digital marketing attribution. They're simple tags you add to URLs that tell your analytics tools exactly where traffic is coming from.

What Are UTM Parameters?

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module (named after the company that became Google Analytics). They're query string parameters appended to URLs that track the source, medium, and campaign of traffic.

Here's what a URL with UTM parameters looks like:

`https://example.com/page?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring_sale`

The Five UTM Parameters

1. utm_source (Required)

Identifies which site or platform sent the traffic.

Examples: google, twitter, newsletter, facebook, linkedin

2. utm_medium (Required)

Identifies the marketing medium or channel.

Examples: cpc, social, email, referral, display

3. utm_campaign (Required)

Identifies the specific campaign or promotion.

Examples: spring_sale, product_launch, weekly_digest

4. utm_term (Optional)

Identifies paid search keywords.

Examples: running_shoes, best_crm, link_shortener

5. utm_content (Optional)

Differentiates similar content or links within the same campaign.

Examples: hero_banner, sidebar_cta, text_link

UTM Naming Best Practices

**Be consistent.** Use lowercase letters and hyphens or underscores as separators. Never mix formats.

**Be descriptive but concise.** Someone should be able to understand the campaign from the UTM values alone.

**Document your conventions.** Create a shared document that defines your team's UTM naming standards.

**Avoid spaces and special characters.** Stick to alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and underscores.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

**Inconsistent naming** — "Facebook" vs "facebook" vs "fb" creates messy data

**Missing parameters** — Always include source, medium, and campaign at minimum

**Using UTMs for internal links** — UTM parameters are for external traffic only

**Overly complex values** — Keep values simple and readable

Using UTM Parameters with Brevr

Brevr's built-in UTM builder makes it easy. When creating a link, simply fill in the UTM fields and the parameters are automatically appended. No manual URL construction needed.

You can then analyze UTM performance directly in your Brevr analytics dashboard, with dedicated views for source, medium, and campaign breakdowns.