What are UTMs, and why do you need them?

Implementing UTMs (Urchin Tracking Module) as part of your digital marketing strategy can seem like extra work, and many businesses are unsure whether they are worth the effort. However, they can be one of the easiest ways to understand how well your marketing activity is performing. 

Without UTMs, it's difficult to know which emails, social posts or campaigns are actually driving results. By spending time adding these tracking parameters, you can gain valuable insights into customer behaviour and make more informed marketing decisions. 

What are UTM parameters?

UTM parameters are small pieces of text added to the end of a web link. They help tools like Google Analytics show you where visitors came from before they arrived on your website. 

For example, if someone clicks a link in an email, UTMs can tell you which email generated the activity, which campaign it was part of, and even which specific link is driving traffic. 

Once the users are on your site, analytics tools can track what they do next, whether that's filling in a form, making a purchase, or viewing key pages. This establishes a clearer picture of what in your strategy is generating value. 

Why are UTMs so valuable?

UTMs also help you understand how different parts of your marketing are performing in more detail. You can see which buttons or links in your email drive the most valuable activity and connect each visit back to the campaign and audience that brought them in. 

Over time, consistent UTM tracking helps you optimise your campaigns, understand which channels deliver the best results, and show the impact of your marketing efforts with confidence. 

Why can't you only rely on click figures from email, social media, and other sources?

Open rates and click rates can be helpful, but they do not tell you whether your email actually delivered tangible results. One campaign might get lots of clicks but lead to very few conversions, while another might get fewer clicks but generate more revenue. 

Without UTMs, you're only getting half the story. This means you are missing the connection between marketing activity and the valuable actions it drives. 

Overall, this creates a clear cycle of strategy, implementation, analysis, and iteration, helping you continuously improve your marketing over time.

How much time does adding UTMs actually take?

Less time than you think. Many businesses assume UTMs are time-consuming because you need to remember different parameters and decide how to name them. However, by establishing a clear and efficient process, adding UTM parameters can take a lot less time. 

There are tools available that can generate UTM links for you, making the process even quicker and helping to keep your tracking consistent. When you compare the small amount of setup time with the insights UTMs provide, it's a worthwhile investment. 

How do I set up UTM parameters? 

Adding UTM parameters is straightforward. You can add them manually to your links or use a tool like Google's Campaign URL Builder to create them quickly and consistently.

What are some UTM best practices? 

To get the most value from your UTM tracking, follow these simple best practices:

• Be consistent - decide on a naming convention, such as using hyphens or underscores, and stick to it across all campaigns
• Keep names descriptive - use clear names that make sense when you are reviewing reports months later 
• Be specific - make it easy to identify the source, channel or campaign behind each link 
• Keep a shared record - store your UTM links in a shared spreadsheet or document so everyone can follow the same approach
• Don’t overcomplicate things - simple naming structures are easier to manage, analyse, and report on 

What are the five standard UTM parameters?

The five standard UTM parameters are: 

1. utm_source (where the traffic came from)
2. utm_medium (the marketing channel)
3. utm_campaign (the campaign name)
4. utm_term (the paid search keyword)
5. utm_content (the specific ad or link variation)

Together, they tell you where your traffic came from, which marketing channel it used, which campaign it was part of, any paid search keywords, and which version of a link or ad someone clicked.

The goal is to make your data as clear and reliable as possible, so you can spend less time cleaning up reports and more time using the insights. 

UTMs vs cookies 

UTM parameters and cookies are both used to understand how people interact with your website, but they do different jobs. UTM parameters tell you where someone came from, such as an email, social media post or paid advert. 

Cookies, on the other hand, store information about a visitor after they arrive, helping you understand things like their activity on your site or whether they've visited before. Used together, they give you a more complete picture of how people find and engage with your website.

The bottom line 

UTMs might look like a small detail, but they can make that extra difference to your marketing and overall business performance. 

By taking a few extra minutes to add tracking parameters, you can gain valuable insights into customer behaviour, understand which campaigns are driving results and make more confident marketing decisions. 

At webdna, building and managing UTM tracking is a standard part of our marketing process because we know how valuable accurate data can be when measuring performance and refining strategy. With a consistent approach to tracking, you will spend less time guessing and more time focusing on what works.