UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module and got their name from the Urchin company which has since been bought out by Google. UTMs provide the segmented metrics for Google Analytics.
UTM tracking involves using specific tags in a URL in order to accurately monitor traffic sources. The UTM parameters provide insight into the origin and volume of web traffic, such as which social media platforms generate the most visits, by utilizing analytics tools.
UTM parameters are short snippet codes that you create and add to the end of a campaign URL in order to track the performance of your fundraiser and the conversion rates from specific posts or marketing campaigns. You can track 3 (of the five) standard variants of UTM parameters: source, campaign medium, & campaign.
Dimensions you track via UTM codes show up in the campaign donation export as well as your Google analytics reports. It is important to set up your Google Analytics account properly to ensure accurate tracking.
A UTM code looks something like this:
http://causematch.com/bestorgever/?utm_source=knowledge_base
The part starting after '?' is the UTM code. As you might have guessed, this particular code tracks who sent the traffic to the page (i.e. the source).
UTM Parameters - that starts with utm. ie. utm_source
Tracking variable – a unique term to identify the dimension being tracked (such as the name of the source).
The "=" sign precedes this variable. You can have only numbers, letters, hyphens, '+' sign and periods in the variable.
Source: Which social network, search engine, or specific source drove the traffic to your site?
Medium: Which channel type (e.g., organic social, paid social, email) drove the traffic to your site?
Term: Are there paid keywords or key phrases that warrant a UTM tag?
Content: Are there different ads within a campaign?
Campaign name: Every campaign should have a unique name, so you can keep track of traffic. This could be the name of a contest, sale, deal, influencer ID, or even a product name.
Where the traffic originated, such as from Google, Facebook, or MailChimp.
UTM Parameters Example: &utm_source=MailChimp
The medium UTM parameter tracks what type of traffic the visitor originated from – CPC (cost-per-click), email, social, referral, display, etc. These UTM tags help differentiate between paid social media ads and organic social media traffic based on viral Instagram posts, for example.
UTM Parameters Example: &utm_medium=email
The campaign parameters allow you to track the performance of a specific campaign. For example, you can use the campaign parameter to differentiate traffic between different Facebook Ad campaigns, Google ads campaign ID, or email campaigns. (See more on naming conventions below.) The parameter is utm_campaign.
UTM Parameters Example: &utm_campaign=kick-off_email
In case you have multiple links pointing to the same URL (such as an email with two CTA buttons or various social media links), use UTM parameters to track which link was clicked.
The keyword UTM parameter allows you to track which keyword term a website visitor came from. This parameter is specifically used for paid search ads. it broadly answered the question, “What did someone type into Google when they clicked our ad?” Today, Google Ads has automated the reporting of keywords and search terms, making this UTM less necessary.
Once you created UTM links and sent them on their way, you can see how well they did in converting your viewers into donors, by checking the export.
Log into the Dashboard
Select “Campaign” > “Donations” > "All Donations" > Select campaign from the drop down > Click “Export” then "Export Donors" in the top right corner.
Look for the UTM Dimensions in the export in Columns AL-AP.
Create a custom report under "Customization" > "Custom Reports". Add Medium, Campaign, or Source as a dimension and the metrics you want to view.
Go to Acquisition → Overview → All Traffic → Source/Medium to view traffic.
Go to Acquisition → Campaigns → All Campaigns to view traffic based on your custom campaign names.
The purpose of UTM codes is to track incoming site traffic coming from external sources, like your social media profiles or promotional emails. Internal UTM parameters can cause tracking errors within your analytics platform.
UTM parameter builders can automatically attach UTMs to all the links you create without fear of creating errors.
https://ga-dev-tools.google/ga4/campaign-url-builder/
Keeping it consistent means you will be more organized and more able to track more data across time.
For instance, the last thing you want is for one team member to use “Instagram” as the source of a 2022 fundraising campaign on Facebook, while someone else uses “FB” for 2024’s campaign — it’ll be much more challenging to make an apples-to-apples comparison of how well your Facebook posts performs over these fundraising events.
Here are some rules that you’ll want to follow when developing your UTM code naming process:
Lowercase only. Because UTM codes are case-sensitive — for example, “Facebook,” “facebook,” and “FACEBOOK” are tracked separately — you can easily run into data tracking problems when there are variations in capitalizations.
Underscores are better than spaces. Similarly, spaces can easily throw a wrench in your plans. One accidental space can mean multiple codes for the same thing. We recommend underscores in lieu of spaces to keep your UTM codes clean, but some brands also prefer dashes, percentage symbols, or plus signs.
Keep it simple. While making your UTM codes as descriptive as possible can result in fewer misunderstandings, it also increases the chances of someone making a mistake when creating them. UTM codes that are simple and easy to understand will always work best.
Once you’ve determined your naming process, stick with it! That’s the only way you’ll be able to accurately compare the data over time.
When you add UTM codes to URLs, links can get overly long — very quickly. Good thing you can easily hide your parameters or shorten the links while still getting the tracking data you need.
You can either do this by shortening them with something like Bit.ly. You can ALSO use UTMs in a hyper-link, where and when possible, so you have all the info available, but it is out of sight.
Remember: donors can see your UTM parameters when they open or copy a link. Don’t use any terms, words, or phrases you’d prefer to keep private.
As you generate more content and marketing materials — each with its own UTM code — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of links that you’re tracking.
Though analytics platforms provide a comprehensive overview of the data related to your links, we recommend creating a spreadsheet that’s accessible to the whole team in an effort to stay organized.