Understanding your customers’ behavior and analyzing your marketing campaigns are crucial factors to increase your revenue and reach your business success. One of the effective strategies for achieving this is to leverage UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes. But what is a UTM tracking URL? How do you create one? How do you track UTM URLs in Google Analytics? This blog post will delve into these questions, providing practical examples and useful advice.

What is a UTM Tracking URL?

In the simplest terms, a UTM tracking URL is a regular URL with a string of additional parameters attached at the end. These parameters allow you to capture key data about your website visitors, including where they came from (referral source), which specific ad or campaign led them to you, and even which keywords they used to find your website.

UTM codes essentially add more detail to the information collected by Google Analytics, enabling you to tailor and optimize your marketing efforts based on concrete data.

How to Create a UTM Tracking URL

Creating a UTM tracking URL is easier than it sounds, especially with Google’s Campaign URL Builder. Follow the steps below:

1. Visit the Google Campaign URL Builder: Simply type “Google Campaign URL Builder” into your search engine, and it should be the first result.
2. Fill in the necessary information: Here, you’ll see a form asking for various pieces of information, such as the website URL, campaign source, medium, name, term, and content. Fill out as much information as you can. Here’s a brief rundown of what each field represents:
   • Website URL: This is the webpage you want to track.
   • Campaign Source: This is where your traffic is coming from. This could be a search engine (like Google), a newsletter, or any other source.
   • Campaign Medium: This is the marketing medium. Examples include email, CPC, or any other method you’re using.
   • Campaign Name: This helps you differentiate between your campaigns.
   • Campaign Term: This field is used for paid search to identify the keywords for your ad.
   • Campaign Content: This is used to differentiate between similar content or links within the same ad.
3. Generate URL: Once you’ve filled in the necessary information, click the ‘Generate URL’ button at the bottom. You now have your UTM tracking URL!

How to Pass UTM Parameters in URL

Passing UTM parameters in a URL is as simple as appending them to the end of the URL. Let’s use an example:

Assuming you’re running an email marketing campaign for your Summer Sale. You’ve created a special landing page and want to track how many users arrive at that page through your email campaign.

Your URL might look like this:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/summer-sale

Your UTM tracking URL could be:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/summer-sale?utm_source=email_campaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_sale

Now, every time someone clicks on the link with the UTM parameters, those parameters are sent to Google Analytics, allowing you to track your campaign’s performance.

How to Track UTM URLs in Google Analytics

Once you’ve created and implemented your UTM tracking URLs, it’s time to analyze the results. Here’s how you can do this in Google Analytics:

1. Access Your Google Analytics Account: First, log into your Google Analytics account.
2. Navigate to the Acquisition Section: On the left side of your dashboard, you will see a menu. Click on “Acquisition.”
3. Go to All Traffic: Under “Acquisition,” find and click on “All Traffic.”
4. Open Source/Medium: Here, you’ll see all of your traffic sources and mediums – this is where your UTM codes come into play.

Once you’re on the “Source/Medium” page, you’ll be able to see the performance of each UTM parameter – the source, medium, and campaign name. You can evaluate the success of each campaign and identify which sources and mediums are most effective.

Conclusion

UTM codes are an efficient way to analyze your traffic in detail and improve your marketing strategies. This understanding enables better targeting, allowing you to reach potential customers more effectively and ultimately boost your revenue. Start using UTM tracking URLs now to make data-driven decisions and push your business towards success.