The five UTM parameters
| Parameter | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
utm_source (required) | Who sent the traffic? | newsletter, facebook, google |
utm_medium | What kind of channel? | email, cpc, social, qr, affiliate |
utm_campaign | Which campaign? | october_launch, black_friday_2026 |
utm_term | Which keyword (paid search)? | running+shoes |
utm_content | Which link or creative? | header_button, link_3 |
Why bulk tagging beats one-by-one
A newsletter might contain 15 links, a social calendar 40 posts. Tagging them one at a time invites typos — and in Google Analytics Newsletter, newsletter and news-letter become three different sources. Paste all URLs here, enter the values once, and every link gets identical, consistent tags.
Numbered content tags with {n}
Put {n} in the utm_content field and it becomes the row number: link_{n} produces link_1, link_2, link_3… This lets you see exactly which link in an email got the clicks.
Naming conventions that keep reports clean
- Lowercase everything — GA4 is case-sensitive. The "lowercase values" option enforces this and replaces spaces with underscores.
- Use GA4's default channel vocabulary for medium —
email,cpc,social,display,affiliate,referral— so traffic lands in the right default channel group. - Never tag internal links — UTMs on links between your own pages start a new session and overwrite the real source.
- Keep a shared sheet of approved sources, mediums and campaign names for your team.
Existing parameters are preserved
If a URL already has a query string (?id=42), the UTMs are appended correctly and existing UTM values are replaced rather than duplicated. Invalid lines are listed separately so nothing is lost.
Next steps: shorten the tagged links with the URL Shortener so they look clean in posts, or tag a single link with the UTM Builder. To strip UTMs from a list instead, use the Query Parameter Remover.
Frequently asked questions
Which UTM parameters are required?
Only utm_source is technically required, but you should always set utm_medium and utm_campaign too, so traffic is grouped into the right channel and campaign in Google Analytics.
Are UTM parameters case-sensitive?
Yes. Google Analytics treats Facebook and facebook as different sources, so keep all values lowercase.
Should I add UTM tags to internal links?
No. UTMs on internal links start a new session and overwrite the original traffic source, which corrupts your reports.
Do UTM parameters affect SEO?
Not when used on external campaign links. Make sure your pages have a canonical URL so tagged versions are not indexed as duplicates.
Can I tag URLs that already have parameters?
Yes. The builder appends UTMs to existing query strings and replaces any UTM values that are already there.