UTM Parameters

GLOSSARY

Definition

UTM parameters are tags appended to URLs to track where traffic comes from. A URL like example.com/page?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer-sale tells your analytics platform that the visit came from a summer sale email campaign. Without them, all your email traffic shows up as 'direct' and you learn nothing.

Why it matters

UTMs were invented by Urchin Tracking Module, the analytics company Google acquired in 2005 to build Google Analytics. The naming convention stuck. The problem was never the technology — it's that someone has to decide on a taxonomy and enforce it. Half the companies I've looked at have three different people tagging campaigns three different ways, and the analytics data is a mess as a result.

Tools in this space

Amplitude

AI-powered digital analytics platform for product and marketing teams

Mixpanel

Product analytics platform with AI-powered insights for user behavior tracking

Attribution

AI-powered marketing attribution platform connecting ad spend to revenue

Related terms

CDP · Attribution · DMP · CRO · Customer journey