What is a UTM code?
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, named after the company that Google once bought to build Google Analytics. A UTM code consists of a few separate pieces, the UTM tags or parameters that you place after the address of a page.
A link without a UTM code looks like this:
https://uwwebsite.nl/aanbieding/
The same link with UTM code:
https://uwwebsite.nl/aanbieding/?utm_source=nieuwsbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=voorjaarsactie
Nothing changes for the visitor. They end up on the same page. Google Analytics does read the extra pieces, however, and therefore knows where the visitor came from.
Which UTM tags are there?
- utm_source: the source. For example newsletter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
- utm_medium: the type of channel. For example e-mail, social or cpc for paid clicks.
- utm_campaign: the name of your campaign. For example spring promotion.
- utm_content: optional. Useful if you want to compare two buttons or two ads in the same campaign.
- utm_term: optional. Intended for the keyword in paid search ads.
You use the first three always. The last two only when you need them.
Why is this important for your website?
Without a UTM code, Google Analytics lumps many visitors together. Anyone who clicks on a link in your newsletter often lands as direct traffic. You can see that there were visitors, but not that your newsletter brought them.
With UTM codes, you can see how many visitors came per campaign and, more importantly, how many requests or orders that yielded. Only then can you decide where to invest your time and budget.
How do you create a UTM code?
You can type the code by hand, but a typo is easily made. Google has a free tool, the Campaign URL Builder. You enter the source, the medium, and the campaign name and copy the ready-made link.
Agree on fixed names and write them down. Google Analytics sees Facebook and Facebook as two different sources. Therefore, use always lowercase and no spaces.
NB: Never place a UTM code on a link within your own website, for example on a banner on your homepage. Google Analytics will then think that the visitor is re-entering via that banner, and you will lose the real source (such as Google or your advertisement).
Do you need UTM codes for Google Ads?
Usually not. Google Ads itself appends its own code to every click, the gclid. If your Google Ads account is linked to Google Analytics, the data will automatically be received correctly. You primarily use UTM codes for newsletters, social media, advertisements on other platforms, and links you provide to partners.
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