{"id":4207,"date":"2025-04-25T09:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T16:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/blog\/%e6%9c%aa%e5%88%86%e9%a1%9e\/utm-parameters\/"},"modified":"2025-06-12T10:52:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T17:52:58","slug":"utm-parameters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/blog\/web-marketing-en\/utm-parameters\/","title":{"rendered":"UTM Parameters Explained: A Complete Guide for Marketers on Basics and Implementation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Index<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m1\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Introduction<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m2\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">What are UTM parameters?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m3\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Why should you use UTM parameters?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m4\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">UTM Parameter Types<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m5\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">How UTM parameters are generated<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m6\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">How to set UTM parameters<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m7\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">How to manage UTM parameters<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m8\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Things to keep in mind when using UTM parameters<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#m9\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p id=\"m1\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Introduction<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">In digital marketing, accurately understanding which measures are producing results is extremely important when considering your next move. <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">For companies that operate multiple channels (SNS ads, email campaigns, listing ads, etc.), it is essential to visualize the performance of each channel.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">This time, we will take a detailed look at &#8220;UTM parameters,&#8221; which are essential for such analysis <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">. In this article,<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> we will explain in an easy-to-understand manner for corporate marketing personnel everything from the basics of UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">parameters to how to actually set and manage them, and points to note when using them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"m2\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>What are<\/span> UTM parameters?<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">parameters are <\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>&#8220;tracking parameters&#8221; added to the end of<\/span> a URL and are used in access analysis tools such as Google <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Analytics to measure the source of website visitors and the effectiveness of campaigns.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">For example, have you ever seen a link like this:<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>https:\/\/www.example.com\/?utm_source=facebook&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=spring_sale<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">The string after<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> &#8220;?utm_ ~&#8221; is the UTM parameter. Google <span>Analytics can read <\/span><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">this information<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> and analyze &#8220;where<span>&#8220;, &#8220;how<\/span><span>&#8220;, and &#8220;what<\/span><span>&#8221; the visit came from.<\/span><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"m3\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>Why should you use<\/span> UTM parameters?<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">By using UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">parameters correctly, you can:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Visualize the effectiveness of each channel and campaign<span>. You can analyze the effectiveness by comparing multiple channels, such as<\/span><\/span><br \/><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> social medi , email, and advertising.<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Optimize your budget allocation<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">. This allows you to focus your resources on channels that produce better results.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Improve report creation accuracy. <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">By creating reports based on numerical values, you can make them more persuasive to both internal and external stakeholders.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">If there are many clicks that lead to identifying areas for improvement but <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">low conversions, it will be easier to lead to the next action, such as improving the landing page.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p id=\"m4\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Parameter Types<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">parameters mainly <\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">consist of<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> the following five parameters (three of them <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">are required parameters: &#8220;utm_source&#8221;, &#8220;utm_medium&#8221;, and &#8220;utm_campaign&#8221;).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">utm_source<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Example: google, facebook, newsletter<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">It tells you where your visitors are coming from.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ol start=\"2\">\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">utm_medium (medium)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Example: cpc <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">(pay per click)<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> , social, email<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Identify the means by which it arrived.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ol start=\"3\">\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">utm_campaign (campaign name)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>\u4f8b\uff1aspring_sale, holiday2025<\/li>\r\n<li><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">It is used to distinguish and measure the effectiveness of each measure or campaign.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ol start=\"4\">\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">utm_term (keyword)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Used to organize keyword information used in listing ads, etc.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ol start=\"5\">\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">utm_content (content identifier)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">This is used to distinguish between multiple links within the same advertisement or link.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p id=\"m5\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">How UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">parameters are generated<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Generating<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> UTM parameters <span>is easy using<\/span> the &#8220;Campaign URL Builder&#8221; <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">provided by<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> Google.<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">\u3010procedure\u3011<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Access Google&#8217;s &#8220;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ga-dev-tools.google\/campaign-url-builder\/\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Campaign URL Builder&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Enter each item (source, medium, campaign, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Copy and use the automatically generated URL<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>We also recommend creating<\/span> your own company&#8217;s UTM management template <span>using<\/span> Excel <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">or<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> Google Spreadsheets.<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"m6\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>How to set<\/span> UTM parameters<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Once you have generated<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> a UTM URL<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">, place it in a location like these:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Link to<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> your social media post ( Instagram, Facebook <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">, etc.)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Links in the newsletter<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Banner Ad Links<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Links in the press release<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">For example, <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">if you were to run a spring promotion on Facebook:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>https:\/\/www.example.com\/special\/?utm_source=facebook&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=spring_sale<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">By setting this, <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">you will be able to track traffic from the &#8220;Spring Campaign via Facebook&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"m7\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>How to manage<\/span> UTM parameters<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">As operation continues for a long time and multiple channels are used, UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">management becomes complicated. Therefore, we recommend centralized management using the following methods:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Manage URL lists<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> in a spreadsheet <\/span><br \/><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">By recording who used which parameters and when, you can prevent duplication and misuse.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Standardize naming rules (naming conventions) <\/span><br \/><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Example: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>Establish consistent naming rules within the company, such as<\/span> utm_source=facebook <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">,<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> utm_medium=social.<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Parameter templating <\/span><br \/><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">It is efficient to create and reuse templates for frequently used campaigns and sources of traffic.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">* <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">If you refer to the table below showing the source names and default channel comparisons, your sources <\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">will be collected in the default channels provided by<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Google Analytics. <\/span><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/support-kms-prod\/qn1xhBu8MVcZPIZ2WZMNdI40FtZXFPGYxj2K\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Download a spreadsheet of GA4 default-channel-group sources and categories<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>* For information on how to name<\/span> utm_source <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">and<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> utm_medium to determine which default channel they will be aggregated on, please refer to the following page. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/9756891?hl=ja&amp;sjid=17958627502661071983-NC\">[GA4] <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/9756891?hl=ja&amp;sjid=17958627502661071983-NC\"><span>Default Channel Group<\/span><\/a><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p id=\"m8\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>Things to keep in mind when using<\/span> UTM parameters<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Stick to a consistent naming convention. <br \/><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>If you enter <\/span><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">the same<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> Facebook <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">ad in different ways, such as &#8220;<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> fb <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">&#8221; and &#8220;<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> Facebook ,&#8221; Google <span>Analytics will recognize them as different ads.<\/span><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Utilizing<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> shortened URLs Since long URLs <span>with<\/span> UTMs <span>can be hard to read <\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">on social media <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">or in print.<br \/><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>It is a good idea to use a<\/span> URL <span>shortening service such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bitly.com\/\">Bitly.<\/a><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bitly.com\/\"><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Conduct testing and verification.<\/span><br \/><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Before distribution, get into the habit of actually clicking on the link to check that it is being tracked correctly.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>As mentioned above, <\/span><span>there are default channels provided by Google Analytics. <br \/><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><span>Be sure to regularly check whether the UTM parameters you set<\/span> are <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">being<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> properly categorized <span>and <\/span><span>displayed on the<\/span> Google Analytics side.<\/span><br \/><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p id=\"m9\"><strong><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">parameters are a very powerful tool for measuring the effectiveness of digital marketing. However, if the settings and operation rules are insufficient, the reliability of the data may decrease and accurate judgments may not be possible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">For Japanese companies conducting marketing in the US market, <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">making effective use of UTM parameters will lead directly to building more accurate strategies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">If you want to make your company&#8217;s UTM <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">operations more efficient, or <\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">if you want to consult with us about tracking and report design in<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> GA4, please <\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">contact us at<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> Seeknet USA. <span>We will consistently support your marketing activities, <\/span><\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">from optimizing<\/span><\/span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"> UTM to designing and executing an overall web marketing strategy.<\/span><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">\u2192 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/contact\/contact-online-marketing\/\"><span><span style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Contact us here<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Index Introduction What are UTM parameters? Why should you use UTM parameters? UTM Parameter Types How UTM parameters are generated How to set UTM parameters How to manage UTM parameters Things to keep in mind when using UTM parameters Conclusion Introduction In digital marketing, accurately understanding which measures are producing results is extremely important when [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":4209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":140,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4207"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4207"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4212,"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4207\/revisions\/4212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seeknetusa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}