UTM Tracking

UTM tracking helps you understand which marketing campaigns, sources, and mediums drive the most valuable traffic to your links.

Understanding UTM Parameters

UTM parameters are tags added to your link URLs to track marketing campaign performance:

• utm_source - The traffic source (google, facebook, newsletter)
• utm_medium - The marketing medium (email, social, cpc, organic)
• utm_campaign - The specific campaign name (summer_sale, product_launch)
• utm_term - Paid search keywords or audience targeting (running_shoes, fitness_gear)
• utm_content - Specific ad content or creative variation (banner_ad, text_link, video)

UTM Analytics Dashboard

The analytics dashboard provides three donut charts showing performance by UTM dimension:

The dashboard currently displays Source, Medium, and Campaign data. Term and Content parameters are tracked but not yet visualized in the dashboard.

UTM Source Analysis

• Traffic sources - Which platforms drive the most visitors
• Performance comparison - Revenue vs sessions by source
• Toggle metrics - Switch between sales and sessions view

UTM Medium Analysis

• Marketing channels - Which mediums perform best
• Channel effectiveness - Compare email, social, paid ads performance
• ROI insights - Revenue generated by each medium

UTM Campaign Analysis

• Campaign performance - Which specific campaigns drive results
• Campaign comparison - Side-by-side performance analysis
• Success metrics - Identify your highest-performing campaigns

Each UTM chart has a toggle button to switch between sales (revenue) and sessions (traffic) metrics for different perspectives.

Adding UTM Parameters to Links

The preferred method for setting UTM parameters is using the Attribution feature on any link, which provides an easy interface for UTM configuration.

You can also manually add UTM parameters to your link URLs:

https://yourstore.com/your-link?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_content=banner_ad&utm_term=running_shoes

UTM Best Practices

Source Naming

• Use consistent, descriptive names: google, facebook, newsletter
• Keep names lowercase and use underscores for multi-word sources
• Be specific: instagram vs social for better attribution

Medium Classification

• email - Email marketing campaigns
• social - Social media posts (organic)
• cpc - Paid search and display ads
• organic - Organic search results
• referral - Traffic from other websites

Campaign Organization

• Use descriptive campaign names: summer_sale_2024, product_launch_shoes
• Include time periods or product categories for better organization
• Keep names consistent across all marketing channels

UTM parameters are case-sensitive. Use consistent capitalization to avoid data fragmentation.

Analyzing UTM Performance

Revenue vs Traffic Analysis

Toggle between sales and sessions metrics to understand:

• High-traffic, low-conversion sources - May need optimization
• Low-traffic, high-conversion sources - Candidates for scaling
• Balanced performers - Your most effective channels

Campaign Optimization

Use UTM data to:

• Identify top performers - Scale successful campaigns
• Optimize underperformers - Adjust messaging or targeting
• Budget allocation - Invest more in high-ROI channels
• A/B testing - Compare campaign variations

UTM data requires consistent parameter usage across campaigns. Inconsistent naming will fragment your attribution analysis.

Troubleshooting UTM Tracking

Missing UTM Data

• Check parameter format - Ensure correct spelling and syntax
• Verify link usage - UTM data appears only after links are clicked
• Wait for processing - New UTM data can take up to 24 hours to appear

Inconsistent Attribution

• Standardize naming - Use consistent UTM parameter values
• Avoid special characters - Use only letters, numbers, and underscores
• Check case sensitivity - Facebook and facebook are treated as different sources