UTM parameters are five query string tags you append to any URL. They tell your analytics tool exactly where a visitor came from. Done right, they answer the most important question in marketing: which effort is actually driving results?
The five UTM parameters
- utm_source — where the traffic originates (newsletter, google, facebook)
- utm_medium — the marketing channel (email, cpc, social, referral)
- utm_campaign — the specific campaign name (black-friday-2025)
- utm_content — differentiates links within a campaign (hero-button, sidebar-link)
- utm_term — paid search keyword (web+analytics+software)
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
1. Inconsistent naming
utm_source=Newsletter vs utm_source=newsletter produces two separate entries. Pick a convention (lowercase, hyphens not spaces) and stick to it.
2. UTM tagging internal links
Never tag links between pages on your own site. This resets the original traffic source for that session, making your attribution wrong.
3. Missing utm_medium
Without utm_medium you can't tell whether newsletter traffic came from an email or a social post. Always use all three core parameters: source, medium, and campaign.
A naming convention that works
- utm_source: platform (mailchimp, google, linkedin)
- utm_medium: channel (email, cpc, social, banner)
- utm_campaign: YYYY-MM-description (2025-06-summer-sale)
AI Infos Web Statistics includes a built-in UTM Builder at Tools → UTM Builder. Campaign data flows automatically into the Campaigns analytics tab.