UTM parameters
- utm_source — the source: facebook, instagram, google, newsletter. Required.
- utm_medium — the medium: cpc, paid_social, email, referral. Required; GA4 assigns the channel group mainly from it.
- utm_campaign — the campaign name: november-sale-2026. Required.
- utm_content — the ad or variant within a campaign: video-1, banner-green.
- utm_term — the keyword (mainly for search ads).
- utm_id — the campaign ID (for importing cost data into GA4).
Link = Destination URL + ? + utm_source=… & utm_medium=… & utm_campaign=…Which GA4 channel the link lands in
GA4 sorts traffic into channels with its default channel group rules: Paid Social, Paid Search, Email, Organic Social, Referral and so on. The rules look at the combination of source and medium.
- source is a social network (facebook, instagram) + medium contains "cp", is "ppc", "paid…" or "retargeting" → Paid Social.
- medium = email → Email.
- medium = social, or the source is a social network (unpaid) → Organic Social.
- A combination that matches no rule → Unassigned — the main reason traffic goes missing in reports.
The channel estimate is a simplified version of Google's official rules. Full rules: GA4 default channel group.
Example
A link for a paid Instagram ad:
https://example.com/insurance?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=insurance-november&utm_content=video-1In GA4 these visits appear in the Paid Social channel under the "insurance-november" campaign. utm_content lets you compare video and banner ads within the same campaign.
In Meta Ads, use dynamic parameters instead of writing a link per ad: utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{ad.name}}. The tool keeps these expressions unchanged.
Naming rules
- Use lowercase everywhere: GA4 treats "Facebook" and "facebook" as two sources.
- Use hyphens (-) or underscores (_) instead of spaces.
- Transliterate local letters (ə → e, ş → s): reports and spreadsheets stay readable.
- Keep one naming sheet for the team — variants like "paid-social", "paidsocial" and "ppc_social" split your reports.
- Do not use UTMs on internal links: a new session starts and the original source is lost.
How attribution works: data-driven vs last click.
Frequently asked questions
What is a UTM?
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are added to a link. GA4 reads them to record the visit's source, medium and campaign.
Which UTM parameters are required?
In practice utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. Without these three, traffic is not grouped properly in GA4 reports.
Do I need UTMs for Google Ads?
If Google Ads is linked to GA4 and auto-tagging (gclid) is on, usually not — GA4 receives the campaign data automatically. Adding manual UTMs can sometimes confuse attribution.
Why is my traffic "Unassigned"?
The most common reason is a utm_medium value that matches no GA4 rule (e.g. "instagram-story"). Use standard medium values: cpc, paid_social, email, social, referral.
Do UTMs affect SEO?
UTMs on external campaign links do not affect rankings. Using them on internal links, however, corrupts analytics data and creates duplicate URLs.
Is the link I build sent anywhere?
No. The link is built in your browser; neither the link nor the campaign names are sent to a server or to analytics.