UTM URL Generation

The UTM can also be used to generate URLs that contain tracking information. These URLs can be used in email campaigns, social media posts, or other online marketing efforts. When a visitor clicks on one of these URLs, the UTM will track their behavior on the website.

To build UTM codes in Google Analytics, follow these steps:

  • Open Google's Campaign URL Builder. This tool offers three different types of tracking tags, including the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder that we'll use for this purpose.
  • Fill out the form by providing the URL, Campaign, Source, and Medium information in their respective boxes. You can access the UTM builder by visiting the link provided and clicking on the corresponding button.
  • Use the generated link in your marketing campaign. If the URL is too long, consider using a tool like bit.ly to shorten it.
  • Measure your success by accessing the campaign reports in Google Analytics. You can access these reports under Acquisition > Overview and then click View Google Ads campaigns. Click on each campaign to view the source and medium.
By following these steps, you can quickly set up custom tracking codes to measure the success of your marketing campaigns and access the right metrics to make data-driven decisions.

 

UTM Code Example

UTM codes can be overwhelming at first, so let’s take a look at an example. Here's a URL with its own UTM code:

https://www.csueastbay.edu/?utm_campaign=blog_post &utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Let’s break this link down.

  • https://www.csueastbay.edu/: This is the base URL of the page.
  • ?: This signals to your analytics software that a string of UTM parameters will follow.
  • utm_campaign=blog_post: This is the first UTM parameter, specifically for the campaign the visitor engaged with (in this case, a blog post campaign).
  • &: This denotes that another UTM parameter will follow.
  • utm_medium=social: This is the second parameter, specifically for the channel the visitor came from (in this case, social).
  • &: This denotes that another UTM parameter will follow.
  • utm_source=facebook: This is the last parameter, specifically for the specific website the visitor came from (in this case, Facebook).

The generated URL will contain tracking information that is specific to the campaign and visitor behavior. This information can be viewed in the Google Analytics reports.

 

Conclusion

Generating URLs with UTM can be a valuable tool for tracking the success of online marketing campaigns. By using the tracking information provided by the module, website owners can make data-driven decisions about their marketing strategies and optimize their campaigns for better performance.