UTM parameters
UTM parameters are query string tags such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign added to links so analytics tools can tell where a visit came from. Without them, ad clicks and newsletter links often arrive with no referrer and are counted as direct traffic, which makes paid channels look worse and direct look better than they are.
Formula
https://example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=springAppend utm_source (who sent the visit), utm_medium (the type of channel, such as cpc or email), and optionally utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content to every link you control.
Worked example
| Link | /?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oct |
|---|---|
| Visits from it | 300 |
| Customers | 6 |
- utm_medium=email classifies the visits as the email channel.
- 6 / 300 = 2% of these visitors became customers.
The October newsletter shows as its own campaign with 2% conversion.
How ProductLense shows it
ProductLense keeps utm_* parameters plus gclid, fbclid and msclkid from the landing URL and drops other query strings. utm_medium values cpc, ppc, paid, paidsocial and display, or any click id, classify a visit as paid; email classifies as email.
Tag every ad and newsletter link, and use the same source, medium and campaign values in your ad spend rows so spend joins to revenue for profit per channel.
UTM parameters: questions
- What is utm parameters?
- UTM parameters are query string tags such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign added to links so analytics tools can tell where a visit came from. Without them, ad clicks and newsletter links often arrive with no referrer and are counted as direct traffic, which makes paid channels look worse and direct look better than they are.
- How do you calculate utm parameters?
- Append utm_source (who sent the visit), utm_medium (the type of channel, such as cpc or email), and optionally utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content to every link you control. For example, tagging a newsletter link with utm_medium=email makes its 300 visits and 6 customers show under email.
- Where does ProductLense show utm parameters?
- ProductLense keeps utm_* parameters plus gclid, fbclid and msclkid from the landing URL and drops other query strings. utm_medium values cpc, ppc, paid, paidsocial and display, or any click id, classify a visit as paid; email classifies as email.
- What does ProductLense need to calculate utm parameters?
- Tag every ad and newsletter link, and use the same source, medium and campaign values in your ad spend rows so spend joins to revenue for profit per channel.
- How is utm parameters different from first-touch attribution?
- UTM parameters label a single visit; first-touch attribution decides which labelled visit gets the credit for a payment. ProductLense stores the UTM values of each visitor’s first event as their first touch.
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