UTM parameters are short text codes added to the end of a URL. They do not change the destination page, but they attach information about the click that analytics platforms can use to identify its source, channel and campaign.
A typical tagged URL might include utm_source=facebook, utm_medium=social and utm_campaign=spring_sale. These values indicate that the visitor came from Facebook, through social media, as part of a spring sale campaign.
The tags can be used in organic and paid social posts, email newsletters, influencer and partner campaigns, digital advertising, QR codes, affiliate links and local listings. They can also distinguish traffic from platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok, preventing visits from different channels from being grouped together in analytics.
UTMs and Google Tag Manager serve different purposes. UTM parameters identify where incoming traffic originated and exist in the shared URL. Google Tag Manager manages tracking tags on a website and can record subsequent actions such as clicks, form submissions, scrolls and purchases. Many teams use both systems together.
There are five standard UTM parameters. The required fields for most analytics tools are utm_source, which identifies the platform or partner; utm_medium, which describes the broader channel; and utm_campaign, which groups links belonging to the same marketing effort. The optional utm_term can identify keywords or audience segments, while utm_content can distinguish individual creatives or elements, such as a video ad, text call to action or image banner.
Naming conventions are important because UTM values are case-sensitive. Using lowercase consistently, avoiding spaces and applying the same campaign name across platforms helps prevent reports from splitting equivalent traffic into separate entries. A shared tracking log or a set of approved presets can also reduce spelling differences and duplicate labels.
Marketers can build tagged links manually, although campaign URL builders are less prone to errors. Hootsuite Social OS allows users to add tracking when creating a post and apply saved UTM presets. Its built-in link shortener or a vanity URL can then make the tagged link easier to share.
Google’s free Campaign URL Builder offers another option, particularly for links distributed through partner emails, QR codes or channels outside Hootsuite. Users enter the destination URL and the source, medium and campaign values, then optionally add term and content values before copying the generated link.
Once links are tagged, the resulting data can help compare traffic sources, assess campaign performance and test different creative versions. For example, separate utm_content values can show whether a video, image or text treatment performs better while pointing to the same landing page. Campaign-level tags can also bring posts, advertisements and other materials into a single view.
In Google Analytics 4, UTM results can be reviewed under Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition. Dimensions such as Session source/medium, Session campaign and Session content allow marketers to examine traffic, conversions and creative performance. More detailed reports can be created in Explorations using dimensions including Session campaign, Session source and Session manual ad content, alongside metrics such as sessions, key events and conversions.
GA4’s default retention period for user-level and event-level data is two months, although it can be extended to 14 months in the data settings. Teams comparing campaigns over longer periods may therefore need to export the information or send it to a separate dashboard.
Hootsuite Analytics can also be used to review results when links are tagged through Hootsuite Social OS. The central principle remains the same: UTMs label the traffic entering a site, while analytics tools show what visitors do after arriving.
Sources: Hootsuite Blog.