Google Analytics UTM Tracking: Setup Guide for GA4

UTM Parameter Basics

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags added to URLs that tell Google Analytics where traffic came from. When someone clicks a UTM-tagged link, GA4 captures these parameters and associates them with that user's session.

The Five UTM Parameters

Example UTM-Tagged URL

Here's what a complete UTM-tagged URL looks like:

When a user clicks this link, GA4 records: Source = facebook, Medium = cpc, Campaign = spring_sale, Content = video_ad. This data flows into your reports automatically.

GA4 Setup Verification

Before creating UTM links, confirm your GA4 property is correctly capturing UTM data. GA4 handles this automatically, but verification prevents wasted effort on broken tracking.

Step 1: Test with Realtime Report

The fastest way to verify UTM tracking:

1. Create a test URL with UTM parameters (use Campaign URL Builder)
2. Open the link in an incognito/private browser window
3. In GA4, go to Reports → Realtime
4. Look for your visit in the traffic source breakdown
5. Verify source, medium, and campaign display correctly

Step 2: Check Data Collection Settings

Ensure your GA4 data stream is configured properly:

• Go to Admin → Data Streams → Select your web stream
• Verify "Enhanced measurement" is enabled
• Check that page views are being collected
• Review any exclusion filters that might affect UTM data

Building UTM URLs

Creating UTM-tagged URLs requires precision. Typos and inconsistencies fragment your data, making analysis difficult. Use tools instead of manual construction.

Google Campaign URL Builder

Google provides a free tool for creating UTM URLs. Find it by searching "Google Campaign URL Builder" or at Google's developer documentation. Enter your destination URL and parameter values, and it generates the tagged URL.

URL Building Best Practices

• Use lowercase only: UTM parameters are case-sensitive
• Avoid spaces: Use underscores or hyphens instead
• Keep values concise: "fb" works as well as "facebook"
• Be consistent: "facebook" everywhere, not "fb" sometimes
• URL-encode special characters: Tools handle this automatically

Example: Building a Facebook Ad URL

Result: ?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=q1_2025_promo&utm_content=video_testimonial

UTM Naming Conventions

Consistent naming is critical. Without it, "facebook", "Facebook", and "fb" appear as three different sources in GA4, fragmenting your data and complicating analysis.

Recommended Source Values

• google - Google Ads, Google organic
• facebook - Facebook ads and posts
• instagram - Instagram ads and posts
• linkedin - LinkedIn ads and posts
• twitter - X/Twitter content
• email - Email newsletter campaigns
• partner - Affiliate or partner links

Recommended Medium Values

Campaign Naming Structure

Use a consistent structure that's both human-readable and filterable. A common pattern:

Examples: q1_2025_smb_free_trial, jan_enterprise_demo_request

GA4 Campaign Reports

GA4 displays UTM data in several standard reports. Understanding where to find this data helps you monitor campaign performance without building custom reports.

Traffic Acquisition Report

Navigate to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition. This report shows sessions by source/medium combination, which directly reflects your UTM tags.

• Default dimension: Session default channel grouping
• Change to "Session source/medium" for UTM-specific view
• Add secondary dimension "Session campaign" for campaign breakdown
• Filter to specific sources or mediums to isolate campaign data

User Acquisition Report

Reports → Acquisition → User Acquisition shows first-touch attribution. This tells you what campaign initially brought users to your site, even if they convert on a later visit.

Channel Groupings

GA4 categorizes traffic into channel groups (Paid Search, Paid Social, Email, etc.) based on source and medium values. Your UTM tags must follow GA4's expected patterns for correct channel classification:

Building Custom Explorations

GA4 Explorations let you create custom reports combining UTM dimensions with any metrics. This is where you get campaign-specific insights beyond standard reports.

Creating a Campaign Performance Exploration

1. Go to Explore → Create new exploration
2. Choose "Free form" template
3. Add dimensions: Session campaign, Session source/medium
4. Add metrics: Sessions, Conversions, Revenue
5. Drag dimensions to Rows, metrics to Values
6. Apply filters to focus on specific campaigns

Useful UTM-Based Explorations

• Campaign comparison: Side-by-side performance of different campaigns
• Content analysis: Which utm_content values drive best results
• Channel efficiency: Cost per conversion by source/medium
• Time-based trends: Campaign performance over weeks or months

Understanding GA4 Attribution

GA4 uses data-driven attribution by default, which distributes conversion credit across touchpoints based on their actual influence. This affects how your UTM-tagged campaigns receive credit.

Attribution Settings

Configure attribution in Admin → Attribution Settings:

• Reporting attribution model: Choose data-driven, last click, or others
• Lookback windows: How far back to credit touchpoints
• Acquisition vs behavior: Different reports use different attribution

Conversion Paths Report

Go to Advertising → Attribution → Conversion paths to see how UTM-tagged campaigns contribute to conversions across the customer journey. This shows:

• Which campaigns appear early in the path (awareness)
• Which campaigns close conversions (last touch)
• How many touchpoints typically precede conversion
• Time lag between first touch and conversion

Troubleshooting UTM Issues

Common UTM tracking problems and their solutions:

Problem: Traffic Showing as (not set)

Causes and fixes:

• Missing parameters: Ensure all links have utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign
• Typos in parameter names: Check for "campain" instead of "campaign"
• Redirects stripping parameters: Test final destination URLs
• URL shorteners: Some remove parameters; test before deploying

Problem: Duplicate Sources

Seeing "Facebook", "facebook", and "fb" as separate sources? This is a naming consistency issue:

• Create and enforce a naming convention document
• Use UTM management tools that validate inputs
• Audit existing links and update to standard values
• Consider regex filters in GA4 to consolidate (advanced)

Problem: Self-Referrals

Your own domain appearing as a traffic source usually indicates:

• UTM parameters on internal links (remove them)
• Missing referral exclusions for payment processors
• Cross-domain tracking not configured properly
• Subdomain to subdomain navigation issues

Problem: Data Discrepancies

Numbers don't match ad platform reports? Normal causes:

• Click vs session: GA4 counts sessions, platforms count clicks
• Bot filtering: GA4 filters invalid traffic
• Timing differences: GA4 uses user timezone, platforms use account timezone
• Sampling: Large datasets may be sampled in GA4

Frequently Asked Questions