What UTM tags do
They add a few labels to the end of a link so your analytics can report the source, the platform, and the campaign behind every visit.
The fields that matter
- Source: where it came from, like instagram.
- Medium: the type, like social.
- Campaign: what it is for, like spring-launch.
Keep it consistent
Analytics treats Instagram and instagram as two different sources. Building links from set fields keeps your reports clean instead of a mess of typos.
Pick a naming convention and stick to it
UTM tracking only works if your labels are consistent. If one post says instagram and another says IG, your analytics splits them into two sources and the picture blurs. Decide your exact spellings once, write them down, and use them every time.
What UTM tags do
If you share plain links, your analytics lumps all the traffic together and you cannot tell which post drove a click. UTM tags add a few labels to the end of a link so your analytics can report the source, the platform, and the campaign behind every visit.
The fields that matter
- Source: where it came from, like instagram or newsletter.
- Medium: the type, like social or email.
- Campaign: what it is for, like spring-launch or black-friday.
Pick a naming convention and stick to it
Consistency is the whole game. Analytics treats "instagram" and "Instagram" as two different sources, so one typo splits your data and blurs the picture. Decide your exact spellings once, write them down, and build every link from the same fields so your reports stay clean and actually tell you what is working.
A quick example
Say you are promoting a spring sale across channels. Your Instagram bio link might end in ?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring-sale, while the same link in your newsletter uses utm_source=newsletter. Now, when the sales come in, your analytics shows exactly how many came from Instagram versus email, so you know where to spend your effort next time instead of guessing.
Track which posts drive clicks
Build clean UTM links from set fields, so your analytics shows what is working.
Open the Social Media Character Tracker →