How to use the UTM Builder
- Paste the landing page URL. Existing parameters and #anchors are kept; old UTM values are replaced.
- Fill in the source, medium and campaign name. Pick from the suggestions to keep naming consistent.
- Add a term, content label or campaign ID if you need finer detail, for example to compare two buttons in one email.
- Click Copy URL to copy the link and save it to your recent links, or test it in a new tab first.
Features
- All standard UTM fields including utm_id
- Automatic lowercase and your choice of space handling
- Keeps existing query parameters and anchors intact
- Warnings for missing fields, capital letters and non-standard mediums
- Recent links saved privately in your browser for reuse
- One click to turn the link into a QR code
What UTM parameters are
UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL, after a question mark, that tell analytics software how a visitor found your site. The name comes from Urchin, the analytics company Google bought in 2005 that became Google Analytics. When someone clicks a tagged link, the analytics script reads the tags and stores the visit under the source, medium and campaign you chose, instead of lumping it into “direct” or “referral” traffic.
| Parameter | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Who sent the traffic? | newsletter, facebook, partner_blog |
| utm_medium | What kind of channel? | email, social, cpc, affiliate |
| utm_campaign | Which promotion? | spring_sale_2026 |
| utm_term | Which paid keyword? | trail running shoes |
| utm_content | Which link or creative? | header_button, video_ad_b |
| utm_id | Which campaign ID? | 2026-q2-07 |
Worked example
You send a monthly newsletter with a big button and a text link, both pointing to a sale page. Tag the button with source newsletter, medium email, campaign spring_sale_2026 and content header_button, and the text link the same way with content footer_link. The result looks like:
https://example.com/sale?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_sale_2026&utm_content=header_buttonIn your reports you can now see total visits from the email and which of the two links people preferred.
Naming rules that keep reports clean
- Be consistent with case. Analytics treats “Email”, “email” and “EMAIL” as three different values. Keeping the lowercase option on prevents split rows.
- Pick one word separator. Underscores or hyphens are easier to read in reports than encoded spaces.
- Use standard mediums. Google Analytics 4 assigns visits to channels such as Email, Organic Social, Paid Search and Affiliates by looking at the medium (and sometimes the source). A creative medium like “blast” may end up in the Unassigned channel.
- Keep a log. Store your naming scheme in a shared sheet so everyone on the team tags links the same way.
When not to use UTM tags
Never tag internal links between pages of your own site. Doing so overwrites the original source of the visit, so a visitor who came from Google search suddenly looks like they came from your homepage banner. Skip UTMs on Google Ads links if auto-tagging is switched on, since Ads already passes its own click ID. And do not put personal information such as email addresses in UTM values: the URL is visible to anyone and is stored in analytics, which Google Analytics terms forbid for personal data.
Making links shareable
Tagged URLs are long. For print, packaging or events, turn the final URL into a code with the QR Code Generator and use a medium such as qr or print, so scans are counted separately from clicks. If you share the link in a chat app, the WhatsApp Link Generator can prefill it in a message.
Frequently asked questions
Which UTM parameters are required?
Technically none, but source, medium and campaign should always be set together so analytics can attribute the visit properly. Term, content and ID are optional extras.
Are UTM parameters case-sensitive?
Yes. “Facebook” and “facebook” show up as separate sources in Google Analytics. Keep the lowercase option on to avoid split data.
Do UTM parameters affect SEO?
Not when used on links from emails, ads and social posts. Avoid them on internal links and make sure your pages have a canonical tag so tagged URLs are not treated as separate pages.
Where are my recent links stored?
Only in this browser’s local storage. Nothing is sent to a server, and Clear history removes them.
Can I add UTM tags to a link that already has parameters?
Yes. The builder keeps your existing parameters and any #anchor, replaces old UTM values and adds the new ones in the correct place.