UTM parameters explained (and how to build links that don't break)

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UTM parameters are tags you add to a link so your analytics can tell where a visitor came from. Without them, a report shows that someone visited. With them, it shows the visit came from the March newsletter.

The five UTM parameters

• utm_source: where the traffic comes from: newsletter, twitter, partner-site.
• utm_medium: the channel type: email, social, cpc.
• utm_campaign: the campaign name: spring-sale.
• utm_term: optional, usually the paid keyword.
• utm_content: optional, to tell two variants apart (e.g. hero-button vs footer-link).

They live in the query string: https://example.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring-sale. Your analytics tool reads them and groups visits by source, medium and campaign. The shortener counts the click itself, which we cover in how to track link clicks.

How to build them without breaking things

• Be consistent. Pick email and always use email, not Email or e-mail. UTMs are case-sensitive, so Twitter and twitter become two rows.
• Use lowercase, no spaces. Use hyphens: spring-sale, not Spring Sale.
• Don't UTM internal links on your own site, since it resets attribution.

Then shorten it

A UTM link is long and ugly, and in a social media post people see all of it. A shortener hides it. Urlicer has a built-in UTM builder on the link form, so you can add the tags and shorten in one step. The tags live in the destination URL, so if you later add targeting rules or A/B variants (which swap the destination), give each of those its own utm_content so you can still tell them apart.

Want to tag and shorten in one step? Start with a free account. Links in your workspace never expire, and every one gets a QR code and click analytics.