Chapter 3 — The Five Standard UTM Parameters

The five parameters at a glance

While naming conventions and analytics mapping are handled elsewhere, this chapter focuses on what each parameter means and how to choose values that keep reports clean.

Source names the platform; medium names the channel

Teams often swap utm_source and utm_medium. Do not store “linkedin” in utm_medium or “paid_social” in utm_source.

• Source identifies where the click came from (linkedin).
• Medium identifies the channel category (paid_social). Mixing them corrupts channel reporting and hides performance by platform.

Three core parameters are non‑negotiable

Use utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign on every tagged link. Without this trio, sessions land in “unassigned” buckets or blend into organic/referral traffic.

Always present:

• utm_source = the platform or sender (e.g., linkedin, g2, partner_acme, marketo)
• utm_medium = the channel (e.g., cpc, email, paid_social, referral)
• utm_campaign = the initiative (e.g., abm_q1_enterprise)

Add when relevant:

• utm_content = the creative, placement, or link (helps A/B testing and multi-link emails)
• utm_term = the keyword or audience term (mainly paid search)

utm_source identifies the platform that sent the click

Use clear, platform-level names:

• LinkedIn Sponsored Content driving demo requests → utm_source=linkedin
• Review directory listing → utm_source=g2
• Sales outreach from Salesloft → utm_source=salesloft
• Partner newsletter send → utm_source=partner_acme

Clarity test: If someone reads only utm_source, they should know the traffic origin without guessing.

utm_medium captures the marketing channel

Use channel categories that make roll-up reporting possible:

• Product update via Marketo → utm_medium=email
• LinkedIn ad click → utm_medium=paid_social
• Google Search Ads click → utm_medium=cpc
• Co-marketing link from a partner blog → utm_medium=referral

Choose a stable set of mediums and stick to them across platforms. Channel consistency is what makes multi-campaign comparison work.

utm_campaign names the initiative you are measuring

Represent a specific push, event, or theme:

• ABM for Fortune 100 in Q1 → utm_campaign=abm_q1_enterprise
• Product launch → utm_campaign=launch_2026
• Event-driven promo → utm_campaign=rsa_conf_2026
• Pipeline push → utm_campaign=q3_pipeline_accel

Pick a name that can survive copy/paste across channels and still mean the same initiative.

utm_content shows exactly what was clicked

Use it when you have multiple links or creatives under the same campaign and channel:

• Nurture email with two CTAs → utm_content=cta_book_demo for the demo link, utm_content=cta_download_guide for the guide link
• Ad variations → utm_content=ad_variant_2 or utm_content=video_vs_static
• Email placement → utm_content=header_link or utm_content=footer_cta
• Landing page buttons → utm_content=primary_cta or utm_content=secondary_cta

If the question is “which creative or link performed?”, utm_content holds the answer.

utm_term stores the targeted or matched keyword (mainly paid search)

Use it when a keyword or audience label drives targeting:

• Google Ads bidding on “SOC 2 compliance software” → utm_term=soc2_compliance_software
• Branded coverage → utm_term=brand_name
• Non-brand theme → utm_term=erp_integration
• Audience labels (when the platform supports them) → utm_term=manufacturing_cio

Outside keyword-driven channels (most paid social and email), utm_term is usually empty.

How the five parameters describe a visit

• utm_source pinpoints the platform, publisher, or sender.
• utm_medium classifies the channel for roll-up reporting.
• utm_campaign tracks the initiative across placements.
• utm_content distinguishes the creative, placement, or link clicked.
• utm_term records the keyword or audience term when relevant.

Quick B2B mappings:

Google Search Ads for SOC 2 offer:

• utm_source=google, utm_medium=cpc, utm_campaign=soc2_q2_pipeline, utm_content=ad_text_v1, utm_term=soc2_compliance_software

LinkedIn Sponsored Content (ABM):

• utm_source=linkedin, utm_medium=paid_social, utm_campaign=abm_q1_enterprise, utm_content=carousel_variant_b

Partner newsletter to webinar:

• utm_source=partner_acme, utm_medium=email, utm_campaign=webinar_modern_etl, utm_content=cta_register_now

Nurture email with two CTAs:

• utm_source=marketo, utm_medium=email, utm_campaign=q3_pipeline_accel, utm_content=cta_book_demo

Keep targeting separate from the click (content vs. term)

• Use utm_term for what targeted or matched the user (keyword or audience).
• Use utm_content for what the user actually clicked (creative, placement, or link).
• Use both only when the campaign is keyword-targeted and has multiple creatives.

?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=abm_q1_enterprise&utm_content=cta_book_demo&utm_term=soc2_compliance

new URL(window.location).searchParams.get('utm_source')

new URL(window.location).searchParams.get('utm_medium')