The five parameters#
| Parameter | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
utm_source |
Where the traffic comes from | newsletter, linkedin, google |
utm_medium |
Marketing channel | email, social, cpc, organic |
utm_campaign |
Campaign name | diwali-offer-2026 |
utm_content |
Which link or creative | header-button, video-ad-b |
utm_term |
Paid keyword | wordpress-developer |
Example: https://iftikhar.in/seo-library/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oct-digest
Rules#
- Never use UTMs on internal links — they overwrite the real source and start a new session in analytics.
- Use consistent, lowercase naming; keep a shared spreadsheet of values.
- Match GA4’s default channel rules (e.g.
utm_medium=email,social,cpc) so traffic lands in the right channel. - Tag your Google Business Profile website link to measure local traffic.
- Make sure tagged URLs have a canonical tag pointing to the clean URL (WordPress does this by default).
Related: Google Analytics 4, organic traffic.