Educational Guide
UTM Parameters Naming Conventions & Taxonomy Guide
Establish clean analytics hygiene across your team. Learn how to structure `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, and `utm_campaign` values for accurate reporting.
Published by LinkForge Product Team•Updated August 2026
1. The 5 Core UTM Parameters Explained
utm_source — Identifies the platform or referrer (e.g. `newsletter`, `google`, `facebook`).
utm_medium — Identifies the marketing channel (e.g. `cpc`, `email`, `social`, `qr`).
utm_campaign — Identifies the specific product promotion or launch (e.g. `q3-launch-2026`).
utm_term — Used in paid search to record ad keywords (e.g. `branded-shortener`).
utm_content — Used to differentiate links pointing to the same URL (e.g. `cta-button-blue` vs `text-link`).
2. Rules for Clean Campaign Taxonomy
- Enforce Lowercase: Always use lowercase characters. `email` and `Email` create separate channels.
- Avoid Spaces: Use hyphens (`cpc-ad-group`) rather than URL-encoded `%20` spaces.
- Use Preset Templates: Store default UTM templates in LinkForge to enforce consistency across team members.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about UTM parameters and campaign tracking.
Are UTM parameters case sensitive?
Yes. Analytics platforms treat `Google`, `google`, and `GOOGLE` as three separate traffic sources. Always use lowercase letters in your UTM tagging rules.
Should I use hyphens or underscores in UTM parameter values?
Hyphens (`summer-sale-2026`) are recommended over underscores or spaces to maintain clean URL readability across analytics platforms.
Can I hide long UTM parameters from public view?
Yes. By wrapping long destination URLs with UTM parameters inside a LinkForge short link, your public link stays short while preserving internal tracking parameters.