New format
UTM tags: what they are and why to tag links
UTM tags are URL parameters that pass source, channel, and campaign into analytics. Without them it’s hard to see which ad, email, or post brought the lead — not just “/cpc.”
Below: tag structure, required and optional fields, naming rules, and common mistakes. Link builders speed typing; you still own the value convention.
Why tag links
Budget in Yandex Direct, Google Ads, social, and email without tagging becomes a “paid traffic” report with no detail: which ad, keyword, banner, or letter brought the lead.
UTM helps compare search vs network, campaigns, creatives, and landings — and turn off what burns money without leads.
Typical questions tags answer:
- which campaign has the best CR
- whether premium placement pays off
- which email banner brought a sale
- which social post drove clicks
What UTM looks like in a URL
Add a query to the landing URL: `?utm_source=yandex&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=windows-voronezh`. Parameters are `name=value` pairs joined by `&`. No spaces in the finished link.
Ad templates often use ads account substitutions (dynamic parameters) that insert campaign/ad IDs on click. Keep the static part (source/medium/names) in one style anyway.
Mini string rules:
- Latin, lowercase
- words with `-` or `_`
- no spaces or fancy capitals
- one dictionary for the whole team
Required parameters
**utm_source** — source: yandex, google, vk, newsletter, partner_x.
**utm_medium** — channel type: cpc, cpm, email, social, banner, referral.
**utm_campaign** — campaign/offer name: `windows-spring-2026`, `brand-search`. Build modularly, but short and readable in reports.
Required UTM examples
| Parameter | Example value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | yandex | Ad system / placement |
| utm_medium | cpc | Pay per click |
| utm_campaign | plastic-windows | Campaign / theme |
Optional parameters
**utm_term** — usually the keyword or targeting audience. Useful in search if the ads account doesn’t pass the keyword otherwise.
**utm_content** — distinguish ads, banners, email buttons (`banner-a`, `cta-green`). A/B creatives show up in analytics, not only in the ads account.
When secondary helps:
- many ads in one campaign
- several buttons in one email
- need to match keyword ↔ query in reports
Metrica, GA, and auto-tagging
Yandex Metrica builds reports by tags (source tree). Google Analytics splits UTM by Source/Medium/Campaign. Both expect the full required set — otherwise the visit may lose tagging.
Direct and Google Ads have auto-tagging / tracking templates. You can combine them with UTM, but don’t spawn conflicting schemes: lock one standard in the playbook.
Rollout practice:
- source/medium convention table
- link template in the generator
- click check in a clean window
- visit check in Metrica/GA on launch day
How to create tags without chaos
Online builders and sheets speed assembly: paste the landing URL and field values — get a finished link. For hundreds of ads you need a template with ads account auto-substitutions.
Don’t tag internal site links with UTM “for looks”: you’ll pollute paths and attribution. UTM belongs on external campaign entry points.
Quality checklist:
- source + medium + campaign present
- values from the team dictionary
- landing opens with tags
- visit visible in analytics
- no UTM on internal menus
FAQ
What is UTM?
Parameters like utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign in the link query string. The counter reads them and splits the visit by sources and campaigns.
Which tags are required?
Usually source, medium, and campaign. Without the required set the rest often isn’t attributed correctly.
Do I need UTM for organic traffic?
No: search passes the channel itself. UTM is for ads, emails, posts, partners — where the source would otherwise blur.
Do Metrica and GA read UTM the same way?
Both understand the standard. Reports and groupings differ — compare trends inside one system.
Can UTM values use Cyrillic?
Prefer Latin and transliteration: fewer encoding surprises and duplicates like “Yandex” vs “yandex.”
How does medium=cpc differ from cpm?
cpc means pay per click (search/context); cpm means pay per impressions (display). email, social, referral are other channel types.
Do UTM tags hurt SEO?
Keep a clean URL in the index on canonical landings; UTM belongs on ad and email links. Canonical and consistency matter.
Do I need my own UTM generator?
Useful at volume. The key is one value dictionary in the campaign table — not every manager inventing anew.
Ads spend grows — and analytics still shows only “/cpc” without campaigns?
We’ll lock a UTM dictionary and templates — source, medium, campaign readable in one report, not manager chaos.
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