Build a small campaign manifest, not one mystery link. Keep source naming consistent, distinguish each CTA, preserve destination state, and hand off clean data.
UTM values become part of a visible URL and may appear in browser history, analytics, web-server logs, support screenshots, and forwarded messages. Never place personal data or secrets in them.
Core fields are present, values follow the selected convention, and each placement has a distinct content key.
Google accepts utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic but currently documents them as not reported in Analytics properties.
https://example.com/summer-sale?plan=pro&utm_source=customer_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_launch_2026&utm_id=cmp_2026_07&utm_source_platform=email_bump&utm_content=hero_cta&utm_marketing_tactic=retention#pricinghttps://example.com/summer-sale?plan=pro&utm_source=customer_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_launch_2026&utm_id=cmp_2026_07&utm_source_platform=email_bump&utm_content=footer_cta&utm_marketing_tactic=retention#pricingutm_sourcecustomer_newsletterrequired · setutm_mediumemailrequired · setutm_campaignsummer_launch_2026required · setutm_idcmp_2026_07recommended · setutm_source_platformemail_bumprecommended · setutm_termnot setpaid keyword detailutm_contenthero_cta, footer_ctaper placementutm_creative_formatnot setnot currently reportedutm_marketing_tacticretentionnot currently reportedSave the exported manifest beside the campaign brief. The internal placement label explains where a link appeared; utm_content is the stable value analytics receives. Keep both unchanged when the same creative is resent.
Google Analytics recommends always setting utm_source,utm_medium, and utm_campaign. Source identifies the referring platform or publication, medium identifies the channel, and campaign identifies the marketing initiative. Campaign ID and source platform add durable keys for imports and governance.
customer_newsletter
summer_launch_2026
hero_cta
Campaign values are case sensitive. Newsletter,newsletter, and news_letter can fragment one source into separate report rows. Define allowed source and medium values, a campaign naming pattern, ownership, and a change process. Automation should apply those rules rather than inventing a new label for every send.
Use a human-readable campaign name and a durable campaign ID. Names can be corrected; stable IDs protect joins with briefs, costs, and downstream systems.
Two links to the same landing page in one email can use differentutm_content values such as hero_cta andfooter_cta. Keep the campaign, source, medium, and ID identical. Do not generate unique content values per recipient; that creates high-cardinality personal identifiers rather than useful creative categories.
Query parameters can be stored in browser history, copied into support tickets, logged by CDNs and web servers, ingested by analytics vendors, included in screenshots, and forwarded to other people. Never include an email address, name, phone number, account ID tied to a person, access token, session value, or confidential audience label.
UTMs classify campaign traffic; they are not an identity system, authorization mechanism, or source of truth for consent. If a destination needs state, use a short opaque server-side identifier with appropriate controls—not personal data disguised as a campaign parameter.
Use the channel vocabulary your organization has standardized and that matches its analytics channel rules. For ordinary email traffic, email is the clearest default; switching among email, newsletter, edm, and e-mail fragments reporting.
No. The builder preserves existing non-UTM parameters and the fragment. Existing UTM keys are deliberately replaced with the normalized campaign manifest so old attribution does not leak into a new campaign.
Usually not. Content works best as a stable creative or placement identifier. Subject lines can be long, contain personal data or punctuation, and change between sends. Keep the tested subject in the campaign brief and use a concise variant key when needed.
They provide campaign metadata on a tagged visit. Attribution still depends on collection, consent, session rules, identity, browser behavior, and the analytics model. Treat UTMs as inputs to attribution, not proof of causality.
A shortener adds redirects, another operational dependency, and often another data processor. Use one only when the channel requires it, and verify that it preserves the full query string and fragment behavior.
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