How to Create a UTM Link: A Step-by-Step Guide

You want to know which marketing campaigns actually drive traffic and conversions, but you’re not sure how to set up tracking. Creating UTM links is simpler than you might think, and it’s one of the most valuable skills for any marketer. This guide walks you through exactly how to build UTM-tracked links using free tools, with practical examples you can use immediately.

TL;DR

Creating a UTM link means adding special text tags (parameters) to the end of a regular URL. You can do this manually, but the easiest way is using Google’s free Campaign URL Builder or a browser extension. The three required parameters are utm_source (where traffic comes from), utm_medium (channel type), and utm_campaign (campaign name). Once created, paste the tagged link into your marketing channels, and your analytics tool will track every click.

Key Takeaways

• Three parameters are required for meaningful tracking: utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign .
• Google’s Campaign URL Builder is the most common free tool, but it lives on Google’s developer tools site, not inside your GA4 dashboard .
• Always use lowercase and replace spaces with underscores or hyphens to keep your analytics data clean .
• Test your UTM link before sharing it to make sure the destination page loads correctly.
• Shorten your UTM links before sharing them on social media or in emails — long tagged URLs look messy and can break .

What Is a UTM Link?

A UTM link is a regular website URL with extra text tags appended to the end. These tags tell your analytics tool exactly where a visitor came from. UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, named after the analytics company Google acquired in 2005 .

Here’s what a UTM link looks like:

https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

The visitor still lands on the same page — the tags just travel with them so your analytics tool can record the traffic source .

The Five UTM Parameters

A UTM link can carry up to five parameters. Three are required for accurate attribution, and two are optional for deeper segmentation .

Required Parameters

• utm_source — Identifies the specific platform sending traffic, like facebook, newsletter, or google .
• utm_medium — Identifies the channel type, like social, email, or cpc (paid search) .
• utm_campaign — Identifies the specific promotion or campaign, like spring_sale_2026 or product_launch .

Optional Parameters

• utm_content — Distinguishes between different links in the same campaign, like header_button vs footer_link .
• utm_term — Tracks paid search keywords, primarily used for Google Ads campaigns .

How to Create a UTM Link: Step-by-Step

You can create UTM links manually or using a tool. Here’s both approaches:

Method 1: Using Google’s Campaign URL Builder (Easiest)

Google offers a free, straightforward tool called the Campaign URL Builder. It lives on Google’s developer tools site, not inside your GA4 dashboard . This is the fastest way to build a correctly formatted UTM link.

1. Open the Campaign URL Builder. Go to Google’s GA4 Campaign URL Builder page. Make sure you’re on the “GA4” tab, not the iOS or Android tabs .
2. Enter your website URL. This is the page you want people to land on. For example: https://example.com/diwali-sale. Use the full address including https:// .
3. Fill in the three required fields:
   • Campaign Source: Where traffic comes from — instagram, newsletter, or google .
   • Campaign Medium: The channel type — social, email, or cpc .
   • Campaign Name: The promotion — diwali_sale_2026 or product_launch .
4. Add optional fields if needed. Use Campaign Content to differentiate between links in the same campaign (like bio_link vs story_link). Use Campaign Term for paid search keywords .
5. Copy the generated URL. The tool builds the link automatically as you type. Click the copy button .
6. Shorten it before sharing (optional but smart). Long UTM links look unprofessional on social media or in emails. Use a URL shortener to clean them up .

Here’s a real example from a Diwali sale campaign on Instagram:

https://linkutm.com/diwali-sale?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=diwali_sale_2026&utm_content=bio_link

Method 2: Manual Creation

If you prefer building links manually, here’s the syntax:

1. Start with your destination URL: https://example.com/pricing
2. Add a question mark: https://example.com/pricing?
3. Add your first parameter: https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=facebook
4. Add subsequent parameters with an ampersand: https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

Remember: the first parameter uses ?, and every parameter after that uses & .

Always use lowercase for your parameter values and replace spaces with underscores or hyphens. Google Analytics treats “Newsletter” and “newsletter” as different sources, which splits your data .

Other Tools for Creating UTM Links

Beyond Google’s builder, here are some alternatives:

Tool	Best For	Key Features
Google Campaign URL Builder	Simple, one-off links	Free, official Google tool, works with GA4
Browser Extensions	Quick links while browsing	UTM.io Chrome extension, UTM Builder for Firefox — create links without leaving your browser
UTM.io	Teams and repeated campaigns	Templates, team collaboration, branded URLs
Bitly	Shortening plus UTM tracking	Shorten UTM links and track clicks
WordPress Plugins	WordPress users	Easy UTM Builder — bulk tag posts, export CSV, generate QR codes

UTM Link Examples for Different Channels

Here’s how the same destination URL takes on different UTM links for each channel :

Channel	UTM Link Example
Email Newsletter	https://example.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=may_drop
Facebook Ad	https://example.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=may_drop&utm_content=video_ad_a
LinkedIn Organic Post	https://example.com/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=may_drop
Google Ads	https://example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=may_drop&utm_term=marketing_software
Affiliate Partner	https://example.com/?utm_source=partner_xyz&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=may_drop

Notice that the campaign name stays identical across channels — this lets your analytics tool group all sources under one campaign report .

UTM Link Best Practices

• Use lowercase only. Google Analytics treats Newsletter and newsletter as different values .
• Replace spaces with underscores or hyphens. Use spring_sale, not spring sale .
• Keep values short but descriptive. monthly_newsletter_blast_v3 works better than news .
• Never tag internal links. Adding UTMs to links between pages on your own site overwrites the original session source in GA4 .
• Document your naming conventions. Create a shared guide so everyone on your team tags links the same way .
• Shorten links before sharing. Long UTM links look spammy and can break in some platforms .
• Test links before launching. Click your tagged link to confirm the destination loads correctly .

Common UTM Link Mistakes to Avoid

The leading cause of broken attribution is inconsistent tagging . Avoid these common errors:

• Mixing case across links. utm_source=Newsletter and utm_source=newsletter show as separate sources in your analytics.
• Using spaces instead of underscores. utm_campaign=spring sale often breaks the URL or doesn’t track correctly.
• Forgetting the question mark. Parameters won’t work if you forget the ? before the first one.
• Tagging internal links. This disrupts your session attribution data.
• Not shortening long links. Unwieldy URLs look unprofessional and may not display correctly in all platforms .

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I create UTM links in Google Analytics?

You don’t create them inside GA4. Google offers a separate free tool called the Campaign URL Builder, which lives on Google’s developer tools site, not in your analytics account .

Which UTM parameters are required?

utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign are required for meaningful reporting. utm_content and utm_term are optional .

How long should UTM parameter values be?

Keep them short but descriptive. For example, monthly_newsletter_blast_v3 is better than just news or an extremely long phrase.

Can I use UTM parameters on shortened links?

Yes. A short URL can redirect to a UTM-tagged destination. Many link management tools let you add UTM parameters directly when creating the shortened link .

Do UTM parameters affect SEO?

No. Search engines ignore UTM parameters when indexing pages. However, using too many parameters can create duplicate URLs if not handled correctly with canonical tags.

What’s the difference between utm_source and utm_medium?

utm_source identifies the specific traffic source, like facebook or google. utm_medium identifies the channel type, like social or cpc. A link can have a source of facebook and a medium of social .

Sources

• LinkUTM — How to Create a UTM Link in Google Analytics
• ChemiCloud — Want to Know Where Your Traffic Comes From? UTM Tags Explained
• LinkUTM — UTM Link: Definition, Examples, and How to Create One

Have a question about UTM tracking or link management that we didn’t cover? Drop it in the comments below — we’d love to help you get clearer data from your campaigns.