How do UTM Parameters work?
UTM stands for “Urchin Tracking Module,” and the system was set up so that site owners could track and categorize site traffic. For more on the basics, head over here.
For any given UTM parameter, you can have up to five different pieces.
- UTM Source: Marketing vendor, e.g., Google, Ad Words, Facebook
- UTM Medium: Type of link, e.g., ad, email, organic
- UTM Campaign: An ID that relates to the marketing vendor
- UTM Term: Search terms used to get to your page (if there was a search)
- UTM Content: Type of ad, e.g., text ad, banner ad
Not all eCommerce merchants use every UTM parameter: if you are tracking ad campaigns, you can gain actionable insights from UTM Source, UTM Medium, and UTM Campaign. These will allow you to track your marketing efficiency on the campaign level. For certain ads, you will want to use UTM content, so that you know what people are clicking through.
Special thanks to our friends at Daasity for their insights on this topic.
