Campaign links are easy to create and surprisingly easy to mislabel. One person writes LinkedIn , another writes linkedin , and a third writes li . Those visits can appear as separate sources in a report even when they came from the same place.
UTM parameters are short labels appended to a URL. They tell your analytics tool how a visit arrived. The key is to choose labels your team can keep using.
The three fields to start with
Source names the platform, publisher or list sending the visitor. Examples: linkedin , newsletter , partner_blog .
Medium describes the type of traffic. Examples: email , paid_social , organic_social .
Campaign identifies the shared initiative. Examples: spring_launch_2026 or webinar_q2 .
Write a naming convention people will follow
Keep it short enough to remember. Choose lowercase names, use underscores between words, and avoid changing the name of a campaign halfway through its run. Share a short approved list of sources and mediums with anyone building links.
When you run the same campaign in email and paid social, keep the campaign label the same. Change the source and medium to identify the placement. That makes it easier to compare the placements later.
When to use content and term
Content can distinguish two buttons, creatives or placements in one campaign. Term is often used for a keyword or audience segment. Leave optional fields blank when they do not answer a real reporting question.
Check before publishing
- Open the complete URL and confirm it reaches the intended page.
- Check that the page already has a question mark before appending another one.
- Use the same labels in your campaign brief and reporting notes.
- Review the first visits in your analytics tool after launch.
Keep the link close to the work
A good workflow starts with a campaign brief, produces a labeled URL, and then carries that URL into emails, QR codes and landing page calls to action. The UTM Builder overview shows the fields in context, and the QR Code Generator turns the finished link into a code for print.