Understand Your Buyer > How To Get Attention > UTM Codes

 

What is it?

UTM codes (Urchin Tracking Module codes) are short text snippets added to the end of a URL to track the performance of online marketing campaigns. They tell you where your website traffic is coming from, whether it’s from an email, social media post, Google ad, or any other source. A UTM link might look like this:
https://yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=spring_sale

 

Why does it work?

UTM codes work because they pass detailed data into tools like Google Analytics, allowing you to measure exactly which campaigns, platforms, and content are driving traffic, leads or sales. Without UTM parameters, your marketing efforts can blur together and make it hard to see what’s working. UTM tracking gives you clarity so you can focus your time and budget on what delivers real results.

 

How can you use it?

You can use UTM codes on any link you share online. Start by defining five key parameters:

• Source (for example, facebook or newsletter)
• Medium (such as social or email)
• Campaign (like spring_sale or black_friday)
• Term (optional, for tracking paid keywords)
• Content (optional, for A/B testing or ad variations)

 

Use a UTM builder like Google’s free Campaign URL Builder to generate your trackable links. Then paste those links into your ads, emails or social posts. Check your analytics to see exactly which links are getting clicks and which ones are converting.

 

Example

This example breaks down exactly what a UTM code looks like in real life:

 

See also:

• Lead Source
• The DM Word Effect