UTM

UTM is basically a series of codes that are included at the end of URLs for tracking the origin of the traffic that websites receive.

These are small fragments that are of vital importance for web analytics, since they allow Google Analytics to offer a complete traceability of the campaigns from which the traffic is generated.

1. Origins of UTMs

UTM is the acronym of the term Urchin Traffic Monitor. A company called Urchin developed a tracking software with the same name.

In 2005 it was bought by Google and this technology was used for creating what we know as Google Analytics.

2. Types of UTM codes

Depending on the information you want to collect using Google Analytics, you must use a different type of UTM code or parameter, each of which is used to identify each type of information. The most common ones are:

Utm_campaign

It is used to know through which campaign the clients are coming; you should include a different name for each campaign, so that you can identify them later on.

For eexample: utm_campaign=navidad_2023 (Christmas campaign)

Utm_medium

This UTM is used to identify the channels that are generating more traffic. Banners, pay per click (PPC), cost per click (CPC), emails, social media, etc.

For example: utm_medium=social (The user came from a social media platform).

Utm_content

It is used to find the content that brings more visits to a website. Thus, it is a vital parameter for A/B testing. It is optional, but its use is common.

For example: utm_content=asunto_con_CTA & utm_content=asunto_sin_CTA_largo. This allows you to discover which one brings more traffic and thus continue using the one that offers better performance.

Utm_term

This optional parameter, not always used, is used to collect the keyword that has been used to locate you. It is very useful to discover which words rank you better and very useful for SEM campaigns.

For examplo: utm_term=glosario_marketing.

Utm_source

In this case it is used to know the source through which the user has arrived. This source could be a search engine, social network, email or referred from another website.

For example: utm_source=twitter (You will know that the user came from twitter).

3. How to create a UTM?

We already know different types of UTM codes, now let’s see an example of a URL where you use all the ones shown above.

This link consists of our site’s URL, campaign medium, campaign name, campaign source, campaign terms and campaign content.

https://email.mailrelay.com/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_campain=vacaciones_2023&utm_content=8000_gratius&utm_term=email_marketing&utm_source=adwords