If you’re into digital marketing and need to track the behavior of visitors from one place to whatever campaign web page you’re running, then you’ll want to think about using UTM codes.
You may have seen URLs around with some extra little code at the end. The UTM codes basically are small snippets of text at the end of a URL. A lot of times the UTM has a specific term which is used to identify what marketing campaign it is tracking. In this article you’ll learn more about UTM codes and how to create UTM tracking URLs.
Breaking Down 'UTMs': What Does It Mean
UTM code or UTM parameters stands for Urchin Tracking Module, which was a web analytics software developed by Urchin Software Corporation and bought by Google in 2005. UTM codes have been added as a handy tool for Google Analytics. Essentially, in Google Analytics, the UTM codes help measure how well or bad a marketing campaign turns out.
A UTM code is a series of parameters that are added to a custom URL, typically at the end of the URL after a question mark. These parameters include the following types:
utm_source
utm_medium
utm_campaign
utm_term
utm_term
utm_content
utm_source
The utm_source parameter identifies where the traffic came from, whether it’s a search engine, a specific website, or even from a social network website.
utm_medium
The utm_medium or Medium parameter identifies the medium through which the traffic went through, like a link in an email newsletter campaign, a social media post, or even a paid ad in the search engines.
utm_campaign
The utm_campaign parameter identifies whatever specific campaign is being tracked, for example a grand opening sale or a holiday deal.
utm_term
The utm_term parameter identifies whatever keyword or keyword phrase that the user clicked on that sent traffic to your site.
utm_content
The utm_content parameter identifies what specific piece of content that was clicked on that sent traffic to your site. A banner ad image, or a button, or a text link are examples of what can be used for utm_content.
How do UTM Codes Work?
When you add a UTM code to a link, add it to your site, an email, a social media post, or a paid ad, and one of your visitors clicks on it, the code is passed to Google Analytics.
Additionally, other information is passed to Google Analytics, like the user’s location, what browser or device they used, and their entire season. Through Google Analytics, this information is gathered and allows you to see where the traffic came from, and even things like what exactly the visitor clicked.
So, say you’re running a company that likes to create ads on Facebook or even Google Ads. These campaigns are to promote a sale or perhaps a brand-spanking new product. Your company would use a UTM code for each and every ad in the campaign.
For example, you might use utm_source=GoogleAds, utm_medium=Search, and utm_campaign=NewProduct as your parameters. During the campaign run, if a user clicks on any of the ads, the UTM code basically alerts Google Analytics and gathers data that someone clicked from Google Ads, through the search engine using the link for the new product.
How can UTM Codes be Used to Improve Marketing Campaigns?
UTM codes help improve marketing campaigns because they allow marketers to track how successful their promotions are while also allowing them to tweak their strategies based on data from previous campaigns. A marketer or business owner can analyze the data given by UTM codes, and figure out where the source of traffic came from, what was clicked on, and even which campaigns are doing better.
If you're running two or three campaigns that target different keywords, and all of them have separate UTM codes, you can compare which keyword is performing better. Through Google Analytics, you can gather enough data and determine what you need to do in order to improve each of your campaigns.
How to Create UTM Tracking URLs
An example of a UTM code looks something like:
Here’s the breakdown of this URL and the UTM code, so you can understand what is going on. The utm starts at the question mark (?). The campaign is a blog post (utm_campaign=blog_post) that is shared in a social media post (utm_medium=social) on Facebook(utm_source=facebook). Each of the ampersands (&) in between tie each parameter together.
Here are the 4 steps on how to create a UTM tracking URL:
Go to the Google Analytics Campaign Builder.
Fill out the form.
Copy the link you want to use for your campaign.
Track your campaign.
