How to Tag Campaigns for GA4 Tracking

If you want Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to tell you exactly where your traffic is coming from, you need to tag your links with UTM parameters.

Many marketers skip this step and then wonder why their reports are full of “Direct” traffic or mislabeled sources. The truth is, GA4 is only as smart as the data you feed it — and UTMs are the key to giving it the right information.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to add UTM parameters for GA4, the recommended formats, and how to check that they’re working.

For a deeper look at the strategy behind GA4 campaign tracking, see The Complete Guide to Tracking Campaigns in GA4.

Why UTMs Matter in GA4

GA4 uses UTM tags to determine where a visit came from and which campaign drove it. Without them, GA4 either guesses (and often gets it wrong) or groups the visit under “Direct,” which tells you nothing about how that person actually found you.

Adding UTMs to your links gives you complete control over how GA4 classifies your traffic.

The Required UTMs for GA4

For accurate tracking, you should always include these three:

• utm_source – The platform or referrer (e.g., google, facebook)
• utm_medium – The marketing medium (e.g., cpc, email)
• utm_campaign – The campaign name or identifier (e.g., black_friday_sale)

Optional UTMs You Can Add

While the three above are required for solid reporting, you can also add:

• utm_term – The paid search keyword (helpful for PPC campaigns)
• utm_content – The ad or link variation (great for A/B testing)

Step-by-Step: How to Add UTM Parameters in GA4

Option 1: Manually

1. Start with your base URL:
   https://example.com/pricing
2. Add your parameters using ? for the first one and & for each that follows:
   https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale
3. Make sure everything is lowercase and use underscores _ or hyphens - instead of spaces.

Option 2: Using UTM Manager

1. Open the UTM Manager Builder.
2. Enter your website URL and fill in the source, medium, campaign, and any optional fields.
3. Copy the generated URL and use it in your ads, emails, or social posts.

Example UTM Setups for GA4

Google Ads:
?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=product_launch

Facebook Ads:
?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

Email Campaign:
?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=q3_updates

How to Test Your UTMs in GA4

1. Click on the tagged link yourself.
2. Open GA4 and go to Reports → Realtime.
3. Scroll to the Traffic source table.
4. Check that the Source, Medium, and Campaign match the values you added.
5. For deeper troubleshooting, open DebugView in GA4 (under “Configure”).

Best Practices for Clean Data

• Use lowercase for all UTM values.
• Avoid spaces — replace them with _ or -.
• Keep campaign names short but descriptive.
• Stay consistent across your team — decide on naming rules and stick to them.

Final Thoughts

Tagging your campaigns is the fastest way to improve the quality of your GA4 reports. Once you start, you’ll never have to guess where your traffic came from again.

If you want to build GA4-ready UTMs without spreadsheets or manual typing:

• Build them now: Launch UTM Manager
• Need full setup help? Talk to Optizent