UTM tags: how to create and why they are needed
UTM tags are a tool that makes it possible to analyze traffic sources as well as user behavior on a website. With their help it is possible to determine that a visitor came using a mailing-email, viewed several pages and made a purchase. More about this tool - further in the article.
Explanation of the term UTM tags
UTM tags are special parameters added to the URLs of links for the process of monitoring traffic on a website. They allow you to more accurately determine where visitors are coming from.
UTM tags can be used to track traffic from social networks, advertising campaigns, affiliate programs and other sources. This makes it possible to evaluate marketing channels more effectively and focus on those with the best performance. UTM tags are useful for website owners, analytics specialists and marketers.
Why and when to use UTM tags?
UTM tags make it possible to more accurately analyze traffic sources, as well as to determine which advertising channels bring results and which ones need improvement.
Through data, it is possible to track conversions and also make an assessment of the effectiveness of ad campaigns based on real data. This enables marketers to focus on productive traffic channels, which in turn helps increase profits. Read about conversions in advertising in this article.
It should be remembered that the use of tags is not appropriate in all cases. For example, if you place a link on a web resource using UTM tags, it can distort the indicators, as analytics services will register each transition as a visit of a new user.
There may also be a situation when a user has arrived at the site via a UTM tag from a social network advertisement, but when moving further around the site, the tag has changed. In this case, the system will start tracking the user by the new tag, not the original one. Therefore, when using UTM tags, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of a particular site and advertising campaign.
What do UTM tags consist of?
UTM tags include predefined parameters as well as their designations that can be customized. Often companies develop their own instructions on how to use the values for each parameter.
The link can be supplemented with five different parameters, of which only three are mandatory. If the mandatory data is omitted, the additional parameters will also not be taken into account in the analytics.
Mandatory parameters for these types include utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign:
- utm_source. Informs about the source of the transition. This parameter defines the site or platform for advertising. It can be: social networks, search engines or a blog. When a user clicks on a web link, analytics captures the source of the click;
- utm_mеdium. Indicates the type of traffic and how it is received. Examples include contextual advertising, banners, email or social networks;
Standardized designations are used for each traffic subspecies:
- cpc - search engine advertising.
- еmаіl - electronic mail.
- ѕосiаl - social networks.
- rеfеrrаl or partner - referral links or affiliate traffic.
- оrganіc - free traffic.
- dіѕрlау, срm, bаnner - media advertising.
- utm_campaign. Indicates the name of an advertising campaign or a specific ad. This parameter allows you to identify a certain page, post or email that contributed to the user's transfer. Values utm_campaign can be set independently, the main thing is that they were clear and distinguishable in the statistics. For example, if a company promotes an event through a newsletter, you can specify utm_campaign=online_event.
Conclusion
UTM tags are tags added to the URL of a website or web page to get detailed information about traffic sources. They are needed when a business places links to its site on external resources. There are three mandatory parameters: utm_source, utm_mеdium and utm_campaign, and two optional parameters: utm_term and utm_content. UTM tags can be created manually or through special services. But it is not recommended to use UTM tags for internal links on the website.
