UTM Parameters

UTM Parameters

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags you add to URLs to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns across different traffic sources. They're essential for affiliate marketing attribution and understanding which promotional efforts drive the best results.

The 5 UTM Parameters

Required Parameters

utm_source

Identifies the source of your traffic

• Purpose: Where the traffic originates
• Examples: google, facebook, newsletter, affiliate-blog
• Best practice: Use consistent, lowercase naming

utm_medium

Identifies the medium or channel type

• Purpose: The general category of the source
• Examples: organic, cpc, email, social, referral, affiliate
• Standard values: Follow Google's recommended conventions

utm_campaign

Identifies the specific campaign

• Purpose: The specific promotion or campaign name
• Examples: summer-sale, product-launch, affiliate-recruitment
• Best practice: Use descriptive, memorable names

Optional Parameters

utm_content

Differentiates similar content or links

• Purpose: A/B testing and content differentiation
• Examples: header-link, sidebar-banner, text-link
• Use case: Multiple links in the same campaign

utm_term

Identifies paid search keywords

• Purpose: Track which keywords drove traffic
• Examples: saas-affiliate, marketing-automation
• Primary use: Paid search campaigns

UTM Parameters in Affiliate Marketing

Standard Affiliate UTM Structure

utm_source=affiliate-name
utm_medium=affiliate
utm_campaign=campaign-name
utm_content=placement-type

Example Affiliate URLs

# Blog review link
https://yoursite.com?utm_source=tech-blogger&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=spring-promo&utm_content=review-article

# Email newsletter link  
https://yoursite.com?utm_source=newsletter-sponsor&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=april-newsletter&utm_content=email-footer

Integration with LinkJolt

Automatic UTM Generation

LinkJolt automatically adds UTM parameters to affiliate links:

• utm_source: Set to affiliate's identifier
• utm_medium: Automatically set to "affiliate"
• utm_campaign: Matches your campaign name
• Custom parameters: Add additional tracking as needed

Ready to start tracking your affiliate campaigns with proper UTM parameters? Our Referral Link Generator makes it easy to create properly formatted tracking URLs.

Generate Your First Tracking Link →