UTM Parameters
UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL, such as utm_source and utm_campaign, that tell analytics tools where a visitor came from and which campaign brought them.
Also called: UTM, UTM codes, UTM tags
Why it matters
The core parameters are utm_source (the referrer, such as linkedin), utm_medium (the channel type, such as email or cpc), utm_campaign (the campaign name), utm_term (the paid keyword) and utm_content (which link or ad variant was clicked). Analytics tools such as Google Analytics read these values when the page loads and attribute the session to them.
Without UTM parameters, traffic from emails, direct messages and many apps can show up as direct, so a team cannot tell which post or sequence drove a signup. Consistent naming matters: values are case sensitive, so a shared lowercase convention keeps LinkedIn and linkedin from splitting into two sources. UTM parameters describe the link that was clicked; on their own they do not identify the person.
Example
A marketer shares a webinar signup link in a LinkedIn post and in a newsletter. The post link ends in ?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=q3_webinar, and the newsletter link uses utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email with the same campaign name. After the event, the analytics report shows how many signups each link produced, so the budget for the next webinar follows the channel that worked.
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