UTM : What are they and how can use them?

A UTM code, short for Urchin Traffic Monitor, includes small pieces of coded data that attach to the end of a URL to help you keep track your content and campaign performance. UTM codes have two components and five standard parameters.

The two components of UTM codes are:

Tracking variable: UTM codes have a unique variable that identifies the dimension you are tracking. The variable always comes after the "=" sign. The variable after the equals sign may only have letters, numbers, periods, hyphens, and a "+" sign.

 
UTM parameter: The UTM parameter starts with "utm_" and there are five different parameters you can track: utm_campaign, utm_source, utm_email, utm_term, and utm_content.

Most companies turn to UTM codes to track performance of your marketing campaign. The code will help differentiate the traffic coming from each source and medium by campaign. Essentially, the UTM code performs one function – to help analytics tools track your visitors.

Let's break down the five UTM codes to help you understand what you can track when you use each parameter.

• utm_source - This parameter allows you to track the source of your traffic. The sources you could track include Bing, Google, Facebook, Instagram, or other individual sources from your marketing channels.

• utm_medium - This parameter tracks what marketing channels your visitors came from. Popular marketing channels include social media, organic search, PPC, email, and affiliates.

• utm_campaign - This tracks which marketing efforts or campaigns attracted your visitors to your site.

• utm_content - The content parameter is usually optional and only used if you have multiple links that go to the same URL. For instance, you may have two CTAs in one email. The content UTM helps you see the exact link or CTA that was clicked.

• utm_term - The term UTM parameter is used to track keyword terms. This parameter is typically used for paid search ads