UTM Parameters Cheat Sheet: Examples for Every Channel
UTM parameters are five tags you append to a URL to tell Google Analytics where the traffic came from. The five are utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, and utm_content. Here’s a copy-paste cheat sheet with real examples for every channel that matters.
The five UTM parameters at a glance
| Parameter | What it answers | Example value |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | Where (which platform/site) | newsletter, instagram, google |
utm_medium | How (channel type) | email, social, cpc, qr |
utm_campaign | Why (campaign name) | black-friday-2026 |
utm_term | Which keyword (paid search) | buy-running-shoes |
utm_content | Which variant (A/B test, ad creative) | cta-blue-button |
Channel-by-channel examples
Email newsletter
?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=may-product-update&utm_content=hero-ctaInstagram bio link
?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bio-linkInstagram story sticker
?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=launch-story&utm_content=swipe-upLinkedIn organic post
?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=case-study-shareGoogle Ads (paid search)
?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=search-brand&utm_term=your-brand&utm_content=ad-variant-aMeta Ads
?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=retargeting-q2&utm_content=carousel-v3Podcast show notes
?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=ep-42-guest-nameQR code on a flyer
?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=qr&utm_campaign=spring-event-2026Pair the QR with the QR code generator and bake the UTM into the encoded URL.
WhatsApp broadcast
?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=messaging&utm_campaign=customer-surveyAffiliate or partner link
?utm_source=partner-name&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=q2-co-marketingNaming conventions that don’t break later
Pick a style and stick to it. Otherwise your reports will show Newsletter, newsletter, and NEWSLETTER as three different sources.
- Lowercase everything. UTMs are case-sensitive.
Emailandemailare different. - Use hyphens, not spaces or underscores. Hyphens read cleanest in reports.
- Keep
utm_mediumto a fixed list. email, social, paid-social, cpc, display, qr, referral, affiliate. Don’t invent new mediums per campaign. - Date your campaigns when relevant.
black-friday-2026beatsblack-fridaythe second year you run it.
What about utm_id?
Google Analytics 4 added utm_id to tie clicks to a specific campaign ID in your ad platform. Useful if you’re stitching costs from multiple sources. Most teams don’t need it.
Common mistakes
- Tagging internal links. Never UTM links inside your own site — it overwrites the original source attribution.
- Inconsistent capitalization. Pick lowercase. Forever.
- No naming doc. Six months in, nobody remembers what
utm_content=v3meant. - Tagging organic search. Google does that for you. Adding UTMs to organic links breaks attribution.
Tools to keep your UTMs sane
- The UTM link generator for one-off links.
- A shared Google Sheet as the source of truth for campaign names. One row per link.
- A URL shortener (Bitly, Short.io) to clean up the long UTM-tagged URLs before sharing.
FAQ
Are UTMs case-sensitive?
Yes. Email and email show as separate sources in GA. Always go lowercase.
Can I use special characters in UTMs?
Avoid them. Stick to letters, numbers, and hyphens. Spaces, ampersands, and emojis cause headaches.
Do UTMs hurt SEO?
No. Google ignores UTM parameters and treats the URL as the same canonical page. They have zero ranking impact.
How long should a UTM-tagged URL be?
As short as possible while still being readable in your analytics. If a URL gets ugly, run it through a shortener before sharing publicly.
Can I use UTMs on a QR code?
Yes, and you should. Print campaigns are otherwise untrackable. Bake the UTM into the URL before generating the QR.
Build clean UTMs without a spreadsheet
The UTM link generator builds the full tagged URL from a simple form. Drop in your destination URL, fill in the five fields, copy the result. Combine with the QR code generator for offline campaigns.