Question 1

what is utm?

Accepted Answer

utm (urchin tracking module) is a set of parameters added to the end of a url to track traffic origin in tools like google analytics 4.

Question 2

what are utms for?

Accepted Answer

they let you precisely identify which channel, campaign, creative or piece drove each visit and each conversion, enabling performance analysis and attribution.

Question 3

what are the main utm parameters?

Accepted Answer

there are eight: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign (required), utm_content, utm_term, utm_source_platform, utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic (optional).

Question 4

what's the difference between utm_source and utm_medium?

Accepted Answer

utm_source identifies the specific traffic origin (e.g. google, instagram, newsletter). utm_medium describes how the traffic is reaching your site (e.g. cpc, social, email).

Question 5

what should go in utm_campaign?

Accepted Answer

the name of the marketing campaign — usually a standardized identifier that groups all the pieces of the same effort (e.g. blackfriday2026).

Question 6

when should i use utm_content?

Accepted Answer

to differentiate variations within the same campaign: creatives, pieces, placements, copies or a/b tests.

Question 7

when should i use utm_term?

Accepted Answer

originally for keywords in paid search campaigns. today it's rarely used and is usually filled automatically by media integrations.

Question 8

is utm case sensitive?

Accepted Answer

yes. 'facebook' and 'facebook' are treated as different sources by ga4. that's why the recommended standard is always lowercase.

Question 9

can i use accents and special characters?

Accepted Answer

it's not recommended. utms should only use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores. accents, spaces and symbols break tracking.

Question 10

should i use a hyphen or an underscore?

Accepted Answer

pick a standard and keep it consistent across the whole operation. underscore (_) is the most common choice to separate words within a value.

Question 11

what's the maximum length of a utm?

Accepted Answer

there's no official limit, but the full url + utms should stay under ~2,000 characters to avoid issues in browsers and platforms.

Question 12

do utms affect seo?

Accepted Answer

no. urls with utms are treated as the canonical version as long as you set up the canonical tag correctly. even so, avoid indexing urls with utms.

Question 13

do i need to use utm on internal links?

Accepted Answer

no. utms on internal links overwrite the user's original session in ga4 and distort attribution. use them only on external links pointing to your site.

Question 14

does utm work in mobile apps?

Accepted Answer

for deep links and apps, traditional utms aren't enough. you need firebase, appsflyer, adjust or platform-specific parameters.

Question 15

how do i track paid campaigns in google ads?

Accepted Answer

enable auto-tagging (gclid). it's more accurate than manual utms and integrates natively with ga4 + ads. however, it's recommended to set up utms alongside gclid, which ensures tracking in browsers that block or misread gclid.

Question 16

can i combine gclid and utm?

Accepted Answer

yes. gclid takes precedence for google ads integration, and utms still feed acquisition reports in ga4.

Question 17

how do i standardize utms across a company?

Accepted Answer

create a written naming convention, use a centralized utm builder, and keep an auditable history of the generated urls.

Question 18

what is a naming convention?

Accepted Answer

it's the set of rules that defines how each parameter should be filled in (e.g. utm_medium always lowercase, no accents, values controlled by a closed list).

Question 19

what's the difference between utm and custom parameters?

Accepted Answer

utms are standardized by google analytics. custom parameters (any ?key=value) can be used for other tools, but they don't show up in standard acquisition reports.

Question 20

how do i view utms in ga4?

Accepted Answer

go to reports → acquisition → traffic acquisition and use the 'session source', 'session medium' and 'session campaign' dimensions.

Question 21

why do my campaigns show up as (direct)/(none)?

Accepted Answer

because the accessed url had no utm, the link was broken, or the user came through an app/redirect that lost the parameters.

Question 22

what is (not set) traffic in ga4?

Accepted Answer

it means ga4 didn't receive a value for that dimension. it usually happens when utms are incomplete or inconsistent across channels.

Question 23

do utms expire?

Accepted Answer

no. as long as the url with the parameters is accessed, tracking works. but the user's session in ga4 does expire (30 minutes by default).

Question 24

can i shorten urls that have utms?

Accepted Answer

yes. shorteners like bitly preserve parameters through the redirect. always confirm the final destination keeps all utms.

Question 25

how do i test whether a utm is working?

Accepted Answer

open the url in incognito mode and check ga4 → realtime → traffic source to see if the session shows the correct origin.

Question 26

what is marketing attribution?

Accepted Answer

it's the process of crediting conversions to the channels and campaigns that contributed to them. well-built utms are the foundation for any attribution model.

Question 27

do utms work for email marketing?

Accepted Answer

yes, and they're essential. without utm, every click from email shows up as 'direct' in ga4. use utm_source=newsletter, utm_medium=email.

Question 28

how do i organize utms for multiple brands/clients?

Accepted Answer

use utm_campaign or utm_content with brand prefixes, and keep separate spreadsheets/builders per client to avoid naming conflicts.

Question 29

what is cross-domain tracking and how does it relate to utm?

Accepted Answer

cross-domain tracking lets the same session flow across multiple domains. utms help identify the original campaign even when the user moves between sites.

Question 30

what's the most common utm mistake?

Accepted Answer

inconsistent capitalization and naming: mixing 'facebook' with 'facebook', 'cpc' with 'cpc', or using accents. this fragments reports and hides real performance.

faq — 30 questions about utm

ready to validate your utms?

want to go beyond urls? talk to eleonora diniz.

faq — 30 questions about utm

01. what is utm?

02. what are utms for?

03. what are the main utm parameters?

04. what's the difference between utm_source and utm_medium?

05. what should go in utm_campaign?

06. when should i use utm_content?

07. when should i use utm_term?

08. is utm case sensitive?

09. can i use accents and special characters?

10. should i use a hyphen or an underscore?

11. what's the maximum length of a utm?

12. do utms affect seo?

13. do i need to use utm on internal links?

14. does utm work in mobile apps?

15. how do i track paid campaigns in google ads?

16. can i combine gclid and utm?

17. how do i standardize utms across a company?

18. what is a naming convention?

19. what's the difference between utm and custom parameters?

20. how do i view utms in ga4?

21. why do my campaigns show up as (direct)/(none)?

22. what is (not set) traffic in ga4?

23. do utms expire?

24. can i shorten urls that have utms?

25. how do i test whether a utm is working?

26. what is marketing attribution?

27. do utms work for email marketing?

28. how do i organize utms for multiple brands/clients?

29. what is cross-domain tracking and how does it relate to utm?

30. what's the most common utm mistake?

ready to validate your utms?

want to go beyond urls? talk to eleonora diniz.