UTM parameters
Also known as: UTM tags, UTM codes, campaign parameters, tracking parameters
UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL — like ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email — that tell analytics tools where a visitor came from. They power campaign reporting but do not change the page itself, so they often create duplicate-URL and tracking-clutter issues.
- Query parameters that tag a link with its source
- Five standard tags: source, medium, campaign, term, content
- Should be stripped before sharing to avoid skewed data
The five UTM parameters
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) tags attach to a link as query parameters. The common ones are utm_source (where the traffic comes from, e.g. `google`), utm_medium (the channel, e.g. `email` or `cpc`), utm_campaign (the campaign name), plus optional utm_term and utm_content for keyword and A/B detail.
When someone clicks a tagged link, analytics tools read these values and group the visit under the right source, medium, and campaign instead of lumping it into generic "direct" or "referral" traffic.
Why UTMs need cleaning
UTM tags only matter for the click that lands on your site — they should not travel further. People frequently copy a tagged URL from the address bar and share it, which skews analytics and creates messy, duplicate-looking links.
Strip UTM (and similar tracking) parameters before sharing or before treating two URLs as different pages. Build tagged links deliberately for campaigns, and keep clean, canonical URLs for everything else.