How to use UTM links
Make one link per channel
One for the Snapchat ad, one for your Instagram bio, one for WhatsApp, with the same campaign name.
Share it instead of your plain link
Use the new link in the ad, post or message as is.
Watch the results
In Google Analytics open Traffic acquisition and pick “Session source / medium” or “Session campaign”.
The five UTM parameters
| Parameter | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | Source: the platform the visitor came from | snapchat |
utm_medium | Medium: the traffic type (ad, free post, email) | paid_social |
utm_campaign | Campaign name | white_friday_2026 |
utm_content | Content: tells two ads in one campaign apart | video_1 |
utm_term | Keyword, for search ads | web_design |
Common mistakes that spoil reports
X isn’t on Google’s list by that name. Use the source twitter, not x, or X ads count as “Paid Other” instead of “Paid Social”.
Capital letters. Snapchat and snapchat show as separate rows in reports, so stick to lowercase.
No UTMs on your own internal links. They replace the visitor’s real source with your campaign, so you lose where they actually came from.
Avoid spaces. Use _ or - between words; a space becomes %20 in the link.
FAQ
What are UTM links?
Your normal page URL plus parameters like utm_source=snapchat. Google Analytics reads them to tell where each visitor came from, so you know which ad or platform brings customers.
What’s the difference between source and medium?
Source is the platform, like snapchat or google. Medium is the traffic type: paid_social for ads, social for free posts, email for email.
How does the tool know the GA4 channel?
It applies Google’s official default channel group rules and Google’s official source list (819 sources), as published in the Google Analytics Help Center.
Do UTM links hurt SEO?
No, as long as your page has a canonical link (WordPress with Yoast adds one automatically), so Google indexes the clean URL. Just don’t use them on internal links.
Do I need UTMs for Google Ads?
Usually not. With Google Ads linked to Google Analytics and auto-tagging on, the data arrives automatically and more accurately.
Are my links stored?
No. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.