Glossary

UTM parameters: definition and examples

UTM parameters are query-string labels on a destination URL that describe a campaign. They provide explicit acquisition context when a referrer alone cannot distinguish a particular newsletter, post or ad.

A small naming convention

utm_source

The origin you want to group, such as x, reddit or newsletter.

utm_medium

The distribution type, such as social, email or cpc.

utm_campaign

The shared initiative, such as autumn_launch.

utm_content

The individual placement or creative, such as founder_post_1.

utm_term

An optional keyword or targeting label, often used with paid search.

A usable example

https://example.com/?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=autumn_launch&utm_content=founder_post_1

Use lowercase values and a documented convention. AnalyticFast uses source tags, including supported source aliases, and medium classification to label acquisition. An explicit utm_source takes priority over ref as the tag input. Provider checkout metadata is a separate handoff; UTMs alone do not identify which visitor paid.

Test the entire link

Open the real short link or redirect chain and inspect the final landing URL. Confirm that its parameters survive and the dashboard groups them as intended. Publish different content labels for distinct placements. Do not append acquisition UTMs to ordinary internal navigation, which can distort the source of a later session.

Keep personal data out

URLs appear in histories, logs and shared links. Never encode email addresses, customer names, access tokens or signing secrets in UTMs. A campaign label describes distribution, not an individual person. Maintain a small link register so teammates reuse the same source spelling.

Related definitions

• Revenue attribution
• Last-touch attribution
• Conversion rate

Install AnalyticFast and connect verified revenue to use these definitions with your own data.