A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your First UTM Link - UTM Manager

Want to finally know which posts, ads, or emails drive results—without digging through guessy reports? That’s what UTM links are for. In this quick guide, you’ll create your first UTM link the right way and learn how to avoid the classic mistakes that wreck attribution.

What’s a UTM link (in 10 seconds)?

A normal URL with five optional tags added as query parameters:

utm_source — where the traffic comes from (e.g., facebook, newsletter)
utm_medium — the channel type (e.g., cpc, email, social)
utm_campaign — the initiative (e.g., spring_sale_2025)
utm_term (optional) — keyword or audience (often used for search)
utm_content (optional) — creative or placement label (e.g., video_a, cta_bottom)

Example skeleton:

https://yourdomain.com/landing-page
  ?utm_source=facebook
  &utm_medium=cpc
  &utm_campaign=spring_sale_2025
  &utm_content=video_a
  &utm_term=running_shoes

Step 1: Define the question your UTM should answer

Pick one, simple goal:

“Which channel drove signups for the webinar?”
“Which ad creative converted better?”
“Which newsletter section got more clicks?”

Your goal determines which parameters you must fill and which are optional.

Step 2: Choose consistent values (and stick to them)

Use lowercase, no spaces, and clear words. Prefer - or _ instead of spaces.

Good

utm_source=facebook
utm_medium=cpc
utm_campaign=webinar_launch_jan2026
utm_content=video30s_hook_a

Avoid

utm_source=FB (inconsistent)
utm_medium=Paid (casing + vague)
utm_campaign=Webinar (too generic)
utm_content=Ad 1 (space + not descriptive)

Tip: Make a tiny team glossary (one line per parameter) so everyone uses the same words.

Step 3: Fill in the “must-haves”

For most teams, these three are non-negotiable:

utm_source (e.g., facebook, linkedin, newsletter)
utm_medium (e.g., cpc, email, social, influencer)
utm_campaign (e.g., spring_sale_2025, product_launch_q2)

Then add the optionals utm_content (creative/placement) and utm_term (keyword or audience) if they help answer your goal from Step 1.

Step 4: Build the link

Option A — Use UTM Manager (fast & clean)

Go to UTMManager.com and open the builder.
Paste your destination URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/pricing).
Enter source, medium, campaign, and (optionally) content/term.
Copy the generated URL. That’s your trackable link.

Bonus if you’re on UTM Manager: enforce lowercase, auto-replace spaces, store templates, generate in bulk, and make a QR code for print/offline.

Option B — Build manually (good for a quick test)

Start with your base URL and add parameters:

If the URL has no existing ?, start with ? then join parameters with &.
If the URL already has a ?, just append &utm_....

Example (paid social ad)
Base:
https://yourdomain.com/pricing
Final:

https://yourdomain.com/pricing
?utm_source=facebook
&utm_medium=cpc
&utm_campaign=spring_sale_2025
&utm_content=video30s_hook_a

Step 5: Test your link

Click it in an incognito/private window.
Does the page load correctly?
Do you see your UTM parameters in the address bar?
If your site redirects, confirm the UTMs survive the redirect (they should).

Step 6: Publish in the right place

Use the UTM link exactly where the click originates:

Social ads, post CTAs, bio links
Email buttons and text links
QR codes on flyers, booths, packaging
Influencer link portals and partner referrals

If a platform shortens links (or you use a shortener), verify the short link still resolves with UTMs intact.

Step 7: Read your results

In GA4, you’ll typically look under Acquisition reports. UTMs populate Source, Medium, and Campaign dimensions. Use secondary dimensions (e.g., Session campaign, Session source/medium) and comparisons to analyze creative labels from utm_content.

Using BigQuery? You’ll find UTM values in session-scoped traffic fields and/or page_view event parameters depending on your setup.

Three real-world recipes (copy-ready)

1) Facebook CPC ad (two creatives)

utm_source=facebook
utm_medium=cpc
utm_campaign=summer_sale_2025
utm_content=carousel_a (vs carousel_b to A/B test)
Final:

https://yourdomain.com/sale
?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale_2025&utm_content=carousel_a

2) Newsletter CTA (top vs bottom)

utm_source=newsletter
utm_medium=email
utm_campaign=weekly_update_sept
utm_content=cta_top (vs cta_bottom)
Final:

https://yourdomain.com/blog/feature
?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_update_sept&utm_content=cta_top

3) QR code for an event flyer

utm_source=event_flyer
utm_medium=qr
utm_campaign=product_demo_day
utm_content=booth_handout
Final:

https://yourdomain.com/demo
?utm_source=event_flyer&utm_medium=qr&utm_campaign=product_demo_day&utm_content=booth_handout

Common mistakes to avoid

Spaces & Caps: Facebook Ads → use facebook_ads or facebook-ads.
Random mediums: Stick to a short list (cpc, email, social, affiliate, qr, display).
Too-generic campaigns: spring_sale is better than sale. Add timeframe: spring_sale_2026.
Inconsistency: fb one day and facebook the next splits your data. Pick one.
Dropping UTMs during redirects: Test final URLs after any redirect or link shortener.
Tagging internal links: Don’t use UTMs inside your own site navigation; it resets attribution.

Quick naming mini-guide (steal this)

source: platform or property (e.g., facebook, linkedin, newsletter, influencer_jane)
medium: channel bucket (e.g., cpc, email, social, affiliate, qr, display)
campaign: initiative + time (e.g., launch_q4_2025, webinar_ai_oct2025)
content: creative label/placement (e.g., video30s_hook_a, cta_bottom, image_blue)
term: keyword/audience (e.g., running_shoes, remarketing_30d)

Pre-publish checklist

All lowercase, no spaces (use - or _)
utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign present
utm_content/utm_term added if they help answer your question
Link tested in incognito; parameters persist after redirect
Documented in your team’s UTM glossary or saved as a template

Next step: build it in seconds

Instead of hand-typing links (and risking inconsistencies), use UTM Manager to:

enforce naming rules automatically
save reusable templates
generate bulk links for big campaigns
create QR codes for print/offline
prevent duplicates and bad tags

👉 Try it free at UTMManager.com