What Is UTM Tracking – How To Create And Use UTM URLs?

UTM Stands for Urchin Tracking Module, UTM Tracking codes are used to add to the end of any URL to track clicks and the performance of marketing activities.

Any Marketer who runs an online campaign or performs different marketing activities using a different medium like email, social, and Paid ads uses it frequently, UTM Tracking code allows them to track it individually so he/she can decide the effectiveness of any campaign.

Although terms may sound a bit technical UTM parameters are easy and simple to use while still packing a powerful analytical punch.

In this post, I will help you understand UTM Tracking codes and how to use them to track your marketing performance.

What is UTM Tracking Code?

A UTM tracking code is a snippet of code that you can add to the end of a URL to track the performance of a campaign. UTM Tracking codes allow you to see how many people are clicking on your links from different sources, such as social media or email. This information can be useful for understanding which marketing tactics are working and which ones are not so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

Example of UTM Tracking Code

In this example, the UTM Tracking code includes three parameters: utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign. The utm_source the parameter indicates that the link was clicked on in a newsletter. The utm_medium parameter indicates that the newsletter was sent via email. And the utm_campaign parameter indicates that the link was part of a summer sale campaign.

When someone clicks on this link, the information from the UTM code will be sent to the website’s analytics tool, allowing the website owner to track how many people are clicking on the link and where they are coming from. This can help them understand how effective their marketing efforts are and make any necessary adjustments to their strategy.

Types of UTM Tracking

There are five different types of UTM parameters that you can use in a UTM Tracking code:

1. utm_source: This parameter identifies the source of the traffic, such as “newsletter” or “Facebook”.
2. utm_medium: This parameter identifies the medium through which the traffic was sent, such as “email” or “banner ad”.
3. utm_campaign: This parameter identifies the specific campaign that the traffic is associated with, such as “summer_sale” or “holiday_promo”.
4. utm_term: This parameter is used to identify the keywords that were used in a paid search campaign.
5. utm_content: This parameter is used to differentiate between multiple ads or links that point to the same URL. For example, if you have two versions of a banner ad and you want to see which one performs better, you can use this parameter to track the clicks on each ad.

These parameters are added to the end of a URL in the form of query strings, with each parameter and its corresponding value separated by an “=” sign.

For example:

utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_sale.

how to create UTM Tracking URLs

To create a UTM Tracking code, you will need to decide on the values for each of the five UTM parameters. Once you have determined the values you want to use, you can add them to the end of a URL in the form of a query string.

Here is an example of how to create a UTM Tracking URL:

1. Start with the base URL that you want to track, such as http://www.example.com.
2. Add a question mark (?) to the end of the URL to indicate the start of the query string.
3. Add the first UTM parameter and its corresponding value, separated by an “=” sign. For example: utm_source=newsletter.
4. Add the next UTM parameter and its value, separated by an “&” sign. For example: utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email.
5. Repeat this step for each additional UTM parameter that you want to include in the code.

Here is an example of a URL with a UTM tracking code:

http://www.example.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_sale

When creating UTM codes, it’s important to use specific, descriptive values for each parameter. This will make it easier to understand the data in your analytics tool and make more informed decisions about your marketing strategy.

Tools to create UTM Tracking URLs

Here is a brief description of each of the tools I mentioned for creating UTM codes:

1. Google Analytics URL builder: This is a tool provided by Google that allows you to easily create UTM codes for your campaigns.
2. Bitly: This is a popular link-shortening tool that also includes a UTM builder that you can use to create and manage your UTM codes.
3. UTM.io: This is a free online tool that allows you to create and manage UTM codes for your campaigns.
4. HubSpot: If you are a user of HubSpot’s marketing software, you can use their UTM builder to create and manage UTM codes for your campaigns.
5. Campaign URL Builder: This is a simple, easy-to-use tool from Google that allows you to quickly create UTM codes for your campaigns.
6. UTM.net: This is another free online tool that allows you to create and manage UTM codes for your campaigns.

These tools can help you easily create and manage UTM codes for your campaigns so that you can track the performance of your marketing efforts and make more informed decisions.

Conclusion

To summarize, UTM Tracking codes are snippets of code that you can add to the end of a URL to track the performance of a campaign. UTM Tracking codes allow you to see how many people are clicking on your links from different sources, such as social media or email. This information can be useful for understanding which marketing tactics are working and which ones are not so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly. There are several tools that you can use to create UTM codes, including the Google Analytics URL builder, Bitly, UTM.io, HubSpot, Campaign URL Builder, UTM.net, and UTMTags. These tools can help you easily create and manage UTM codes for your campaigns.

Also Read: Beginner’s Guide to Using HTML Meta Tags for Better SEO

F.A.Q Related UTM Tracking Codes