Every link you share is a chance to learn where your customers come from, but only if it’s tagged. UTM parameters are small pieces of code added to the end of a URL that tell Google Analytics exactly which campaign, channel, and source sent each visitor to your website. Without them, traffic from your Facebook ad looks identical to traffic from your email newsletter. With them, you can see at a glance what’s working and what isn’t.

The Cheerful Media UTM Link Builder makes it easy to build perfectly formatted, trackable links in seconds, no spreadsheet or manual URL editing required.

Use the tool above to build your tagged URL, then follow the guide below to understand what each field means and how to use your links effectively.

What Are UTM Parameters?

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module — a standard originally developed by Urchin Software, which Google acquired in 2005. Today, UTM parameters are the universal standard for campaign tracking in Google Analytics (both Universal Analytics and GA4) as well as most third-party analytics platforms.

A tagged URL looks like this:

https://cheerfulmedia.ca/contact/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fall-promo-2026

Everything after the ? is invisible to your visitors — their browser renders your page normally — but Google Analytics reads it and records exactly how that person arrived.

The Five UTM Parameters — What Each Field Means

1. UTM Source (Required)

The source identifies who sent the traffic. Think of it as the name of the platform or publication.

Common values: google, facebook, instagram, linkedin, newsletter, brevo, bing, youtube, partner

If you’re running a Google Ads campaign, your source is google. If you’re sending a Brevo email, your source is brevo or newsletter.

2. UTM Medium (Required)

The medium identifies the marketing channel or type of traffic. While source tells you who sent it, medium tells you how.

Common values: cpc (paid search clicks), email, social, organic, referral, display, video, sms, print

For example, a Facebook ad would use source=facebook and medium=cpc (if paid) or medium=social (if organic). A newsletter would use source=newsletter and medium=email.

3. UTM Campaign (Required)

The campaign name lets you group links by promotion or initiative. This is how you compare performance across different campaigns pointing to the same page.

Examples: fall-promo-2026, gbp-audit-launch, holiday-sale, chamber-sponsorship

Use lowercase and hyphens instead of spaces. Consistent naming makes your analytics reports much easier to read.

4. UTM Term (Optional)

Used primarily for paid search campaigns to identify the keyword that triggered your ad.

Examples: local-seo-york-region, google-business-profile-setup

If you’re not running paid search ads, you can leave this blank. Some marketers also use it to tag organic content by topic.

5. UTM Content (Optional)

Used for A/B testing or when running multiple ads pointing to the same URL. It lets you distinguish which version of an ad or which specific link in an email generated the click.

Examples: blue-button, hero-image, footer-link, version-b

How to Use the UTM Link Builder — Step by Step

1. Enter your destination URL. Paste the full web address of the page you want to track, including https://. This is the page your campaign will send people to — your contact page, a landing page, a specific blog post, or your homepage.
2. Choose your Traffic Source. Use the dropdown to select a common source, or type a custom value. The dropdown will fill the field automatically — you can override it by typing directly in the text box.
3. Choose your Marketing Medium. Select or type the channel type. If you’re sharing on Facebook organically, use social. If it’s a paid Facebook ad, use cpc.
4. Enter a Campaign Name. Give this campaign a short, descriptive name you’ll recognize in your reports. Use lowercase and hyphens — no spaces or special characters.
5. Fill in optional fields if needed. Add a UTM Term if you’re tracking paid keywords, or UTM Content if you’re testing multiple ad variants.
6. Copy your tagged URL. Your finished link appears in the blue box and updates in real time. Click Copy Link to copy it to your clipboard.
7. Save it to History. Click Save to History to store the link for future reference. Your last 10 links are saved locally in your browser and available any time you return to this tool.

UTM Best Practices for York Region Businesses

Be consistent with your naming conventions

If you use facebook as your source in January and Facebook in February, Google Analytics treats them as two separate sources. Stick to lowercase and agree on your standard terms before you start — the presets in this tool are a good starting point.

Tag every off-site link

Any link you share outside your own website should be tagged: email newsletters, social media posts and ads, Google Ads, directory listings, chamber of commerce sponsorships, print materials with QR codes, and even links in your email signature.

Never tag internal links

Only tag links that point to your website from somewhere else. If you tag internal navigation links (links from one page on your site to another), you’ll reset the session source and corrupt your data.

Use descriptive campaign names

Six months from now, fall-promo-2026 will be much more useful in a report than campaign1. Include the season or date, the offer or initiative, and the year.

Check your results in GA4

In Google Analytics 4, find your UTM data under Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition. You can filter by source, medium, or campaign to compare how different channels are performing for you.

Common Use Cases for Local Businesses

Google Ads: utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer-ac-promo

Facebook organic post: utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbp-health-launch

Monthly email newsletter: utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=september-2026-newsletter

Print flyer with QR code: utm_source=print&utm_medium=flyer&utm_campaign=chamber-expo-2026

Chamber of Commerce website listing: utm_source=georgina-chamber&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=member-directory

Instagram bio link: utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bio-link

Need Help Setting Up Campaign Tracking?

UTM parameters are only useful if your Google Analytics is properly installed and configured. If you’re not sure your tracking is set up correctly — or you want someone to help you make sense of your analytics reports — Cheerful Media can help. We work with small businesses across York Region, Durham Region, and Simcoe County to build digital marketing systems that actually show you what’s working.

Book a free consultation with Cheerful Media and let’s talk about your marketing tracking setup.

Build properly formatted UTM tracking links in seconds. Tag your campaigns so Google Analytics shows you exactly which ads, emails, and posts are driving traffic to your website.