At Healthy Ads, we 100% support Google Analytics trackable UTM links as one way of tracking campaign success. Let’s take a look into what UTM codes are and why they are important for Google Analytics.
What are UTM Codes?
A UTM code is a little chunk of very simple code that you can add to the end of a web page’s URL in order to track the performance of your ad campaigns and promotional content. You can track a variety of URL parameters, which we’ll cover in-depth at the end of this guide. The dimensions you choose to track through UTM codes will appear in your Google Analytics reports in order to provide more substantial insight into customer behavior and the success of your campaign.
A UTM code will look somewhat similar to this: http://mywebsite.net/my-post-title/?utm_source=google
What does UTM Stand for?
UTM stands for Urchin Traffic Monitor. Urchin Tracker is a type of software that once was the base of Google Analytics.
How to track UTM in Google Analytics
To start, use UTM codes in any combination fo your choice by separating every parameter you use with a “&” character. Here’s an example of a UTM code in action:
https://mywebsite.net/my-page/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc &utm_campaign=spring_sale&utm_content=wine_ad
Once you’ve added your code to your campaign’s URL, you can track how it is doing in Google Analytics through a few reports:
- Create a custom report via Customization > Custom Reports.
- Add the medium, campaign, or source as well as the metrics you would like to track.
- Click on Acquisition > Overview > All Traffic > Source or Medium to view the actual traffic.
- Click on Acquisition > Campaigns > All Campaigns to look at the traffic that is based on your actual campaign names.
What is UTM Builder?
UTM Builder is an excellent little tool that makes it easy to add campaign parameters to URLs of your choice so that you can track Custom Campaigns through Google Analytics. Within the UTM generator, there are six fields:
- Website URL. This is what you will be tracking.
- Campaign Source. This is the referrer and essentially the source of your campaign. (Search results page, email newsletter, etc.)
- Campaign Medium. In what form is your campaign connecting with people? This can be CPC, a banner ad, an email, etc.
- Campaign Name. This is pretty self-explanatory. Name your campaign something that makes sense.
- Campaign Term. Make a note of all of the paid keywords.
- Campaign Content. Use this field to differentiate ads.
UTM codes really aren’t that complex to master. If you’re already somewhat used to Google Analytics and use it for your ad campaigns, getting the hang of UTM codes and custom reports really isn’t that difficult.
