It’s not enough to set up marketing campaigns, we must measure the success of your marketing campaigns. One effective method for tracking campaign performance is through the use of UTM tracking.
Table of Contents
In this article, we’ll explore what UTM tracking is & how it works. you’ll also learn how to use it effectively in your digital marketing strategy.
What Is a UTM Tracking?
UTM tracking (Urchin Traffic Monitor tracking) is a URL-encoded method that informs Google Analytics about the path visitors took to reach your website. It helps you to analyze the traffic sources, mediums, and campaigns that drive visitors to your website.
This method originated from Urchin Tracker, a web analytics tool acquired by Google back in 2005, which eventually evolved into Google Analytics. UTM codes are added to URLs and consist of different parameters that help you track various aspects of your marketing campaigns.
Why to Use UTM Tracking Parameters?
Using UTM codes is essential for understanding how your web marketing efforts impact traffic and justifying your work to clients or your boss.
Without UTM tracking, you’ll have limited visibility into the sources of your website traffic, making it challenging to make data-driven decisions and demonstrate a positive return on investment.
Top 5 Reasons You Should Use UTM Tracking
1. Enhanced Visibility
UTM codes offer enhanced visibility into the sources of your website traffic, allowing you to identify which marketing channels are driving the most visitors.
2. Data-driven Decision-making
By tracking UTM tags, you gain valuable data that helps you make informed decisions about optimizing your marketing campaigns, identifying successful strategies, and allocating resources effectively.
3. ROI Measurement
UTM tracking enables you to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and demonstrate a positive return on investment to clients or superiors.
4. Accurate Analytics
Incorporating UTM tags into your URLs provides Google Analytics with the necessary information to accurately attribute traffic sources, allowing for detailed analysis and reporting.
5. Customized Reporting
UTM codes allow you to create custom reports in Google Analytics, providing specific insights into the performance of individual campaigns, channels, or even specific ad creatives.
What Can You Track Through UTM Tracking?
With UTM tracking, you can track multiple elements of your campaigns.
| Source | Location |
| Medium | Device |
| Campaign | Conversion |
| Content | Custom |
| Term | Creative |
The ten primary UTM tracking codes are:
- utm_source: Tracks the source of the traffic, such as Google or a specific website.
- utm_medium: Tracks the online channel that brought the traffic, such as social media or email campaigns.
- utm_campaign: Tracks the specific campaign the visitors came from, enabling you to measure its success.
- utm_content: Tracks visitors from content-targeted ads or A/B tests, helping you identify the most effective calls to action.
- utm_term: Primarily used for PPC campaigns, this code reveals the keyword that brought visitors to your site.
- utm_location: Tracks the geographical location of the traffic, allowing you to analyze regional campaign performance.
- utm_device: Tracks the device type used by visitors, such as desktop or mobile, providing insights into user behavior.
- utm_conversion: Tracks specific conversion actions, such as purchases or form submissions, helping you measure campaign effectiveness.
- utm_custom: Allows you to create custom parameters tailored to your specific tracking needs, providing additional flexibility and insights.
- utm_creative: Tracks the specific creative or variation used in your campaign, helping you assess the performance of different ad designs or messaging approaches.
Also read: How to Prevent Your Website PDF File From Getting Indexed in Google?
How to Set Up a UTM Tracking Code
Setting up a UTM tracking code involves a few simple steps.
Follow these steps to get started:
1. Identify the Parameters
Determine the specific parameters you want to track for your campaign.
This typically includes utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, and utm_term.
2. Build the URL
Take the destination URL you want to track and add the necessary UTM parameters to it. Ensure each parameter is properly formatted and separated by an ampersand (&).
For example: www.example.com/?
tm_source=source&utm_medium=medium&utm_campaign=campaign.
3. Choose Values for Parameters
Assign appropriate values to each UTM parameter. For utm_source, it could be the specific platform or website where the link will be placed.
For utm_medium, it could be the type of marketing channel used (e.g., email, social media, banner ad). Customize the values based on your campaign specifics.
4. URL Encoding
If any of your parameter values include spaces or special characters, make sure to properly encode the URL.
You can use online URL encoding tools to ensure the code is correctly formatted.
5. Test the URL
Copy and paste the generated URL with UTM parameters into a browser to test if it redirects to the desired destination without any errors.
6. Implement and Share
Use the generated URL with UTM parameters in your marketing materials, such as email campaigns, social media posts, or advertisements.
This will allow you to track the performance and effectiveness of your campaigns.
7. Analyze the Data
Once your campaign is running, monitor the data in your analytics platform, such as Google Analytics.
Explore the UTM parameters’ performance to gain insights into traffic sources, campaign success, and other valuable metrics.
Related: Set Up Goal Conversion Tracking on Google Analytics (GA4) With GTM
Setting Up Analytics Goals Based on Your UTM Tracking Campaigns
Google Analytics enables you to set up goals to track conversions on your website. Goals represent specific URL targets or actions that users take on your site. By incorporating UTM tags into your URLs, you can identify which campaigns led to goal completions, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
To leverage this feature, you’ll need to include utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign parameters in your UTM tags. Once you’ve set up goals and let them run for a while, you can analyze the data in Google Analytics to gain a comprehensive understanding of your UTM strategy’s impact on goal conversions.
UTM Tracking for Conversion Rate Optimization
Here’re the 5 most important factors for conversion rate optimization:
- Analyze UTM Parameters: Compare UTM codes used in social media and PPC campaigns to identify effective marketing efforts.
- Assess Targeting: Evaluate audience demographics and behaviors to refine PPC targeting based on successful social media campaign segments.
- Review Ad Creative: Identify engaging visuals, headlines, and CTAs from the social media campaign to optimize PPC ads.
- Optimize Landing Pages: Ensure PPC campaign directs users to user-friendly landing pages that align with their expectations.
- Allocate Ad Spend: Adjust budget allocation based on campaign performance to maximize conversions.
- Test and Iterate: Continuously experiment with variations and use UTM tracking data to make data-driven optimizations.
Also read: How to Enable Discover Feature in Google Search Console?
Final Thought
UTM tracking codes play a pivotal role in measuring the success of your marketing campaigns. By leveraging these codes, you gain valuable insights into campaign effectiveness, allowing you to optimize strategies, boost conversion rates, and achieve better results.
With the ability to track and analyze data on traffic sources, campaign performance, and user behavior, UTM tracking empowers you to make informed decisions and showcase a positive return on investment. Harness the power of UTM tracking codes to unlock the full potential of your marketing campaigns and drive success.
