What is UTM And How it Works?

As a digital marketer, you know that your marketing will bring more traffic to your customers’ websites. But do you have the data to prove it? That’s where the importance of creating UTM comes in. But it’s important to know first what is UTM, how to create a UTM link, and what does it do?

  • What is a UTM link?
  • Components and structure of UTM code
  • UTM Parameter
  • Tracking variable
  • What is the application of various UTM parameters?
    1. Traffic Source
    2. Medium or (bed)
    3. Campaign Name
    4. Content
    5. Keyword Term
  • How to use a variety of UTM parameters
  • How to build a UTM link
    1. manually
    2. Google Analytics URL builder
  • UTM link tracking method
  • Does the presence of the UTM parameter affect the screen display?
  • Is the UTM link usable on social networks?
  • Does UTM link help SEO?

UTM

In this article, we would like to provide you with useful information on how to set up a UTM link, how to create a UTM link, and how to use its code to track performance.

What is a UTM Link?

The UTM code is a simple piece of code that you can add at the end of the URL to track campaign performance and content. The dimensions you monitor are displayed in your analytics reports through your UTM code, giving you a clear view of your marketing performance.

UTM stands for “Urchin Traffic Monitor”. Named after Urchin Tracker, it is a web data analysis project based on Google Analytics. The UTM code is as follows:

UTM code after “?” Starts. As you may have guessed, this particular code tracks the traffic coming to the specific page (ie the source).

Components And Structure of UTM Code

The UTM link itself has two components:

  • UTM Parameter
  • Tracking Variable

UTM Parameter

(UTM parameter) which starts with utm. Types of UTM parameters include the following:

  • utmsource (traffic source)
  • utmcampaign (campaign)
  • utmmedium (platform or media)
  • utmcontent (content)
  • utm-term (keyword)

Tracking Variable

It is a unique variable that is used to identify the dimension being tracked, such as a traffic source. This variable exists after the “=” sign and can only use numbers, letters, hyphens, “+” and dots.

What are the 5 Types of UTM Parameters?

UTM Parameters

Traffic Source

The source parameter allows you to trace the source of the traffic. The parameter added to your URL is utm_source. Sources you can follow include Facebook, google, bing, inbound.org, or the name of your email list.

For example: &utm_source=twitter

Medium

The middle parameter monitors the type of traffic a visitor is generating through email, social media, suggestions, views, and more. For example, if it is Google, then the CPC code will be used after this parameter.

Examples : &utm_medium=cpc

Campaign Name

The campaign name parameter allows you to monitor the performance of a particular campaign. For example, you can use the campaign parameter to differentiate traffic between different Facebook or email campaigns.

For Example: &utm_campaign=example-campaign

Content

If you have multiple links pointing to the same URL (such as an email with two CTA buttons), this code will help track the link that was clicked.

For Example: &utm_content=navlink

Keyword Term

The key parameter allows you to keep track of the keyword used by a website visitor. The utm_term parameter is used specifically for paid search ads.

For Example: &utm_term=growth+hacking+tactics

How to Use Different Types of UTM Parameters?

By separating each parameter with “&”, you can use these symbols in any combination. So you may have a simple URL that you want to track the actions of visitors from your email campaign. Like the following phrase:

yoursite.com/your-page/؟utm_campaign=spring-sale2022

By adding the utm_campaign parameter, you can track the performance of the “Spring 2022 Sales” email campaign on Google Analytics. You can also use the UTM link to measure email campaign sales. You may also have complex code that monitors multiple parameters. Here are some examples of tracking source, media, campaign name, keyword, and content:

yoursite.com/your-page/?
utmsource=facebook&utmmedium=cpc&utmcampaign=springsale&utmcontent=shoead

UTM Code

How to Build a UTM Link?

There are many ways to create a UTM link. You can create a UTM connection manually or using existing tools. In this section, we will explain to you both methods.

Manually

There is nothing technically complicated about UTM codes. Your first option is to add the parameters manually. UTM codes can be too long and you can be wrong. Therefore, we generally do not recommend the manual method. However, if you want to add a campaign or source name below the URL, typing it in is a simpler option.

In the UTM link framework, three parameters of name, medium (medium), and campaign source are required. The other two parameters (content and keyword phrase) are completely optional.

That means you can’t put it in your web address. In manual mode, you have to type the URL of your site. Select the area where you want to redirect visitors by clicking on the URL. For example in a clothing store, the shoe stoe.

www.mysite.com/shoes/?

When creating a UTM link manually you must use the question mark after your web address. These tags will be placed automatically when using UTM tools. But you have to type it manually. The next step is to select the campaign entry source. This means you have to decide if your site should come from Google or other sites. For example, if the input source is Google:

www.mysite.com/shoes/?utm_source=google

Or if the source of entry is other sites:

www.mysite.com/shoes/?utm_source=namesit

In the next step, select the type of campaign media or social media. Here, if your media type is an email that you sent to your email banks, then your campaign media is an email. Use the banner and Google CPC for the banner.

www.mysite.com/shoes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc

Now is campaign time. You can use any name for your campaign. But choosing the right name will save you from any confusion. For example, if your goal is to advertise at a Yalta event, use the Yalta phrase.

www.mysite.com/shoes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=yalda

As we said, writing content and key phrases is not necessary and is completely optional. So you can’t put it in your address.

Using Google Analytics URL Builder

Google Analytics URL Builder is a quick way to generate UTM code. Install this plugin on your Chrome. On the same page where you want to create a UTM, click on the plug-in and enter the required parameters in the window that opens. At the bottom of this window, your new link will be displayed with the UTM code, which you can copy and paste on any page you want.

UTM Link Tracking Method

The question now is how to use the UTM code to track your marketing campaigns. The main reason to use UTM tracking is to know where your internet traffic is coming from.

UTM Connection Tracking is a Google Analytics application. Google Analytics usually displays default channels in its user interface. However, using UTM parameters, you can track resources more accurately. UTM Tracking can be very helpful in understanding your recommendations and directing traffic to Google Analytics.

Follow these steps in Google Analytics to see which sites are bringing in visits:

Acquisition → All Traffic → Referrals

Also, if you want to know who generated the traffic between sent posts, add the post name to your link address. (& utm_campaign = name-post) This allows you to easily see which posts have generated the most traffic.

Sometimes you just want to know which links got the most clicks on a post. To do this, add the utm_content parameter to the links in your body. For example, in a newsletter with two separate codes for shoes and jackets, the UTM codes are placed as follows:

utmsource=mailchimp&utmcampaign=newsletter1&utm_content=shoes

utmsource=mailchimp&utmpcampaign=newsletter1&utm_content=jackets

Now, to calculate the number of clicks per link in Google Analytics, follow these steps:

Acquisition → Overview → Campaigns → All Campaigns

Generally, when you use the UTM link, all of this information is retrieved and recorded as one dimension in Google Analytics. For this reason, you can use all UTM parameters to get the reports you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1:- Does having a UTM parameter affect the screen display?

Ans: Adding UTM code does not affect the screen. You can easily remove the UTM token from the URL and the page will continue to load. The sole purpose of these codes is to enable your analytics tool to track the source of your audience.

Q2:- Can I use the UTM link on social networks?

Ans: Yes. If you have an active social network, do not forget to use the UTM link. Read the social media article to learn about different types of networks.

Q3:- Does the UTM link help SEO?

Ans: No, the UTM link is used to analyze user behavior and clicks and has no effect on SEO.

Q4:- Does using a UTM link reduce clicks?

Ans: Using a UTM link does not in itself reduce clicks. The appearance and length of these types of links can prevent some users from clicking due to unreliability.

Final Words

I hope that you like this article and have been able to use it to create a UTM link. If you have any questions or queries regarding the creation of the UTM link, please let me know in the comments section. I can respond to you as soon as possible.

 

 

 

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button