UTM medium is a tracking parameter that identifies the general marketing channel through which a visitor arrived at your website. While the utm_source tells you the specific platform, the utm_medium tells you the broader category—answering the question “how did they get here?”—such as through email, social media, or paid advertising .
TL;DR
- utm_medium is one of five UTM parameters and is essential alongside utm_source and utm_campaign .
- It identifies the broad marketing channel of a visitor—for example, social, email, or cpc (cost-per-click).
- The medium is a broader category of the source. For instance, if the source is facebook, the medium would be social .
- Common values include organic, email, social, cpc, and referral .
- Using a consistent medium naming convention is crucial for accurate reporting in tools like Google Analytics.
Understanding the Role of utm_medium
Think of the utm_medium as the “how” in your marketing attribution story. It groups traffic into high-level categories, allowing you to compare the performance of entire channels against each other. For example, you can easily see whether your email marketing campaigns generate more conversions than your social media efforts .
This parameter is crucial for platforms like Google Analytics, where it populates the “Medium” dimension, enabling analysis of how different marketing channels contribute to your business goals. As the official Google Analytics documentation notes, the utm_medium is used to identify the marketing medium that led to a key event .
utm_medium vs. utm_source
The key difference between the “source” and “medium” is their level of specificity. The source is the specific platform or website, while the medium is the general channel category.
| Parameter | Question It Answers | Example Values |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Where did the visitor come from? (the specific platform) | facebook, google, monthly_newsletter |
| utm_medium | How did the visitor arrive? (the broad channel) | social, cpc, email |
For example, if your source is a facebook ad, the medium would be social. If your source is a monthly newsletter, the medium would be email .
Common utm_medium Values and Examples
Choosing clear and consistent medium names is vital for clean data. Here are some standard medium values and how they are used :
- social – For traffic from social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
- email – For traffic from any email campaign, such as a newsletter, promotional blast, or automated sequence.
- cpc – Stands for “cost-per-click.” Used for paid search or paid social advertising campaigns where you pay per click.
- organic – For traffic from unpaid search engine results. This is often used to distinguish organic search from paid search (cpc).
- referral – For traffic from another website that links to yours, not including social platforms or search engines.
- ppc – An alternative to “cpc,” also used for paid advertising campaigns.
Best Practices for Naming Your utm_medium
Following a consistent naming convention is critical to avoid fragmenting your data in your analytics reports. Here are a few key guidelines:
- Use lowercase: UTM values are case-sensitive . Social and social will be interpreted as two different mediums in your reports. Always use lowercase.
- Be consistent: If you decide to use email, use it for all your email campaigns. Avoid using e-mail, newsletter, or mailing for the same type of traffic.
- Don’t use spaces: Use underscores or hyphens instead of spaces (e.g., paid_social). This prevents browser encoding issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is utm_medium required?
Yes, along with utm_source and utm_campaign, utm_medium is one of the three essential parameters for effective campaign tracking. Without it, your data will be incomplete and you won’t be able to analyze traffic by channel .
What if I don’t use utm_medium?
If you omit the utm_medium, your traffic will likely be categorized under a default value like “direct” or “(none)” in your analytics reports. This makes it impossible to accurately attribute visits to specific marketing channels.
What is a good naming convention for utm_medium?
Use clear, broad terms that represent your primary marketing channels. Good examples are social, email, cpc, organic, referral, display, and affiliate.
Can I create custom utm_medium values?
Yes, you can define any medium name you like. However, sticking to a standardized list that aligns with your analytics platform’s default channel groupings (like Google Analytics) makes reporting easier. Some advanced tools allow you to create logic-based parameters to enforce rules for medium values .
Sources
- Equifax: UTM Parameters and Channel Groupings
- Google for Developers: Google Analytics API Schema
- Reportei: UTM: Cómo utilizarlo para medir el rendimiento de tus campañas
- TikTok For Business: About UTM Parameters
Need help choosing the right utm_medium for a specific campaign? Share your scenario in the comments below.
