UTM builder

Why UTM tags

Google Analytics and Yandex Metrica detect some sources on their own: search, links from other sites, their own ad networks. But they can't tell which newsletter, banner or flyer brought a visitor. Clicks from messengers, email apps and QR codes often arrive with no source information at all and end up as “direct” traffic.

UTM tags fix this: you add parameters to the link, and your analytics records the visit with the right source, campaign and ad. CRMs, call tracking and lead forms can read the tags too, so you see which ads bring sales, not just clicks.

The five parameters

• utm_source — where the traffic comes from: google, vk, telegram, newsletter, flyer.
• utm_medium — the type of traffic: cpc for pay-per-click, email, social, qr.
• utm_campaign — the campaign: autumn_sale, webinar_october.
• utm_content — the ad, banner or email variant. Useful when a campaign has several creatives you want to compare.
• utm_term — the keyword, usually filled in by the ad platform.

The first three are required: without them, campaign reports are incomplete. The other two are optional.

How to use the builder

Pick a channel: the builder fills in typical source and medium values and, for Yandex Direct and VK Ads, the dynamic parameters. Paste the page URL and add a campaign name. The link updates as you type.

The builder checks for the usual mistakes: spaces and capital letters in tags, parameters already in the URL, an anchor after #, empty required fields. If the URL already had UTM tags, the new values replace them and other parameters stay where they are.

For flyers and posters, press “Make a QR code”: the link opens in the QR code generator and you just download the image. Links you copy are saved in this browser so you don't have to build them again.

Dynamic parameters in ad platforms

Ad platforms can fill in values at the moment of the click. Yandex Direct uses single curly braces: {campaign_id}, {ad_id}, {keyword}. VK Ads uses double ones: {{campaign_id}}, {{banner_id}}. Google Ads has its own ValueTrack parameters, also in braces. The braces must not be encoded, or the platform won't recognise the parameter and your report will show the literal text. The builder leaves them as they are.

Agree on a naming convention

The most common UTM problem is inconsistency. One person writes Facebook, another facebook, a third fb, and one source splits into three lines in the report. The rules are simple:

• Latin letters, lowercase, no spaces: join words with an underscore or a hyphen;
• a shared list of source and medium values in a spreadsheet everyone who runs ads can open;
• the campaign name in the tag matches the name in the ad account, or maps to it unambiguously.

What not to do with UTM tags

• Don't tag internal links on your own site. Analytics will start a new visit with a new source, and the real one is lost.
• Don't put personal data in tags: email addresses, phone numbers, names. Tagged URLs end up in reports, logs and third-party systems.
• Make sure your site's redirects keep the query string. If http redirects to https without it, the tags disappear. Our 301 redirect generator builds rules that keep parameters.