> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sourcemedium.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What are UTMs (and how to set them up)?

> Learn what UTM parameters are, how to name them, and how to set them up for reliable last-click attribution

UTM parameters (Urchin Tracking Module) are **query string parameters** you add to links so tools like SourceMedium and Google Analytics can attribute visits and purchases back to marketing campaigns.

## How UTMs work (in practice)

* UTMs are appended to a URL (after a `?`).
* When a user clicks that URL, analytics tools record those parameters for the visit/session.
* When the user purchases, SourceMedium uses the available attribution signals (including UTMs) to assign attribution (see [Attribution Source Hierarchy](/data-transformations/attribution-source-hierarchy)).

## The UTM fields (and what they mean)

SourceMedium primarily uses these fields:

* `utm_source`: **Where** the traffic came from (e.g., `google`, `meta`, `klaviyo`, `podcast_partner`)
* `utm_medium`: **How** it got there (e.g., `cpc`, `paid_social`, `email`, `affiliate`)
* `utm_campaign`: **Which campaign** (e.g., `bfcm_2025`, `spring_launch`)
* `utm_content`: Optional creative/variation (e.g., `video_15s`, `carousel_a`)
* `utm_term`: Optional keyword/targeting (often paid search)
* `utm_id`: Optional internal campaign identifier

<Tip>
  If you’re starting from scratch, make `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, and `utm_campaign` mandatory. Use `utm_content` and `utm_term` only when you’ll actively use them.
</Tip>

## What each value should represent

Here’s a practical mental model that prevents messy reporting:

* Put the **platform/publisher** in `utm_source` (where the traffic is coming from)
* Put the **marketing motion** in `utm_medium` (how you’re buying/sending it)
* Put the **initiative** in `utm_campaign` (what you’re running)
* Put the **creative/variation** in `utm_content` (what version)

<Note>
  Avoid putting highly-granular values (like ad IDs) in `utm_source` or `utm_medium`. Those tend to explode your reporting into thousands of rows.
</Note>

## Recommended naming conventions

Consistency matters more than the “perfect” taxonomy. Pick rules your team will actually follow.

**Recommended defaults**

* Lowercase values (avoid `Facebook` vs `facebook`)
* Use `_` for separators (avoid spaces)
* Keep sources stable over time (campaigns can change; sources shouldn’t)

**Example**

```text theme={null}
https://example.com/products/widget?utm_source=meta&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=spring_launch&utm_content=video_15s
```

## How to tag links (step-by-step)

1. Start from the clean destination URL (no UTMs).
2. Use the official [Google Campaign URL Builder](https://ga-dev-tools.google/ga4/campaign-url-builder/) to ensure correct formatting.
3. Decide values for `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, `utm_campaign` (and optionally `utm_content`, `utm_term`).
4. Append parameters to the URL:
   * If the URL has no query params, start with `?utm_source=...`
   * If it already has query params, append with `&utm_source=...`
5. Click your own tagged link and confirm the landing page retains UTMs.
6. Reuse the same conventions everywhere (ads, emails, affiliates, QR codes).

<Tip>
  If you use short links, ensure the short link resolves to a URL that still includes the UTMs (or preserves them via redirect).
</Tip>

## Setup checklist (by channel)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Paid social (Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.)">
    Ensure every ad destination URL has UTMs. If the platform supports templates, use a single template so your whole account stays consistent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paid search (Google, Microsoft)">
    Tag final URLs with UTMs. If you use auto-tagging (click IDs), still set UTMs for human-readable reporting.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Email / SMS (Klaviyo, Attentive, etc.)">
    Tag every link, including buttons and image links. Email/SMS is a common source of `(direct) / (none)` if links aren’t consistently tagged.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Affiliates / influencers">
    Give each partner a tagged URL (or short link that redirects to a tagged URL). Decide whether you want partner-level detail in `utm_source` or `utm_content`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Partnerships, PR, podcasts, offline">
    Use tagged vanity URLs/QR codes that redirect to your UTM-tagged landing page. Pair with a post-purchase survey to validate discovery.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Examples (copy/paste)

**Paid social ad**

```text theme={null}
https://example.com/collections/new?utm_source=meta&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=spring_launch&utm_content=carousel_a
```

**Paid search**

```text theme={null}
https://example.com/products/widget?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand_search&utm_term=widget
```

**Email**

```text theme={null}
https://example.com/pages/sale?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bfcm_2025&utm_content=hero_button
```

**Influencer**

```text theme={null}
https://example.com/discount/CREATOR?utm_source=creator_name&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=creator_program
```

## Standard Channel Groupings

Adopting a standard taxonomy helps ensure your data maps correctly to channels in SourceMedium and Google Analytics.

| Channel            | `utm_source`                      | `utm_medium`         |
| :----------------- | :-------------------------------- | :------------------- |
| **Paid Social**    | `facebook`, `instagram`, `tiktok` | `paid_social`, `cpc` |
| **Paid Search**    | `google`, `bing`                  | `cpc`, `paid_search` |
| **Email**          | `klaviyo`, `mailchimp`            | `email`              |
| **SMS**            | `attentive`, `postscript`         | `sms`                |
| **Affiliate**      | `shareasale`, `impact`            | `affiliate`          |
| **Organic Social** | `instagram`, `tiktok`, `youtube`  | `social`, `organic`  |

## QA: how to verify UTMs are working

1. Click a test link with UTMs and confirm the landing page URL includes the UTM parameters.
2. Add a product and proceed to checkout; confirm UTMs aren’t dropped during the journey (cross-domain and checkout flows are common break points).
3. In SourceMedium, spot-check recent orders to confirm expected `utm_source` / `utm_medium` values appear (and aren’t falling back to `(direct) / (none)`).

<Info>
  If checkout or privacy features drop UTMs, Shopify Plus teams often add a server-side backup by capturing UTMs into order attributes at checkout.
</Info>

## Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

* **Inconsistent casing** (`Meta` vs `meta`) → standardize to lowercase
* **Overlapping meanings** (`utm_source=paid_social`) → keep `source` for the platform, `medium` for the motion
* **Untagged email/SMS links** → tag all links (buttons + images), not just one CTA
* **Changing conventions mid-stream** → don’t rename sources/mediums without a migration plan (reporting will split)

## UTMs vs click IDs (gclid, fbclid, etc.)

Click IDs can help identify an ad click, but they don’t replace a consistent UTM taxonomy. In SourceMedium, click IDs can act as a **fallback-only inference** for the channel-level source when explicit UTMs are missing.

## External resources

* [Google Campaign URL Builder](https://ga-dev-tools.google/ga4/campaign-url-builder/) — Official tool for generating tagged URLs
* [Google Analytics: Custom URL collection](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/10917952) — Google's official UTM documentation

## Related resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What is last-click attribution?" icon="question-mark" href="/help-center/faq/account-management-faqs/what-is-last-click-attribution">
    How UTM-based last-click attribution works in SourceMedium.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Improve Last-Click Attribution" icon="bullseye" href="/help-center/faq/account-management-faqs/how-can-i-improve-my-last-click-attribution">
    Practical best practices and common pitfalls.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attribution Source Hierarchy" icon="sitemap" href="/data-transformations/attribution-source-hierarchy">
    How SourceMedium selects the winning source when multiple signals exist.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attribution Health" icon="heart-pulse" href="/data-inputs/attribution-health/index">
    Diagnose common attribution gaps like `(direct) / (none)`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Backfilling UTM Attribution via Order Attributes" icon="code" href="/data-inputs/platform-supporting-resources/shopify/backfilling-utm-attribution-via-checkout-attributes">
    Developer guide for Shopify order-attribute capture and backfills.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>