What is UTM Content and how do I use it?
UTM Content is a small bit of code appended to the end of marketing links, designed to track what creative or asset the user clicked on and share it with Google Analytics / Ads. UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, Urchin was acquired by Google in 2005. Query String Parameters (like utm_content) are added to the end of marketing URLs help track conversions and calculate marketing ROI (Return on Investment).
Who uses UTM Content?
Marketeers and advertisers who want to understand which marketing content bring engaged, converting audiences to their website. By understanding what marketing converts and what doesn’t, they can adjust their marketing spend and strategy to get the best ROI. Although utm_content was designed to be used with Google platforms, it can also be read and used by other marketing platforms. You don’t have to use Google Analytics or run Google Ads to use UTMs.
How to use UTM Content?
The best way to understand UTM Content is to spot links with it on social media or in your email inbox. If you hover over a social media ad link on Facebook and click on it, you might see the utm_content describing the content of the ad you clicked on: www.cutedogs.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=funny_dog_video
By creating separate links for different content, analytics platforms know where use came from and can categorise engagement and conversions into those categories in analytics platforms. This is great for A/B testing content to see which images, videos and text ads are the most engaging and generate the most conversions.
After your landing page URL, add a question mark to indicate you are appending query string parameters. Then the parameter name and parameter value, separated by an equal sign. You can add multiple query string parameters by adding ampersands in between.
We recommend using a UTM builder like Uplifter to create uniform, error-free links quickly.
Once your links are applied to your ads, you can login to Google Analytics and segment your marketing activity by the campaign dimension.
Examples of UTM Content naming
Content names often identify a specific ad, creative or message. For emails it can be used to A/B test different email subject lines and/or content. It should be clear to your organisation and/or agency what marketing ads you are referring too, so i recommend using the creative/ad name (if it doesnt contain acronymns).
Good utm_content examples: woman_playing_with_dog_image, funny_dog_jasper_video, learn_how_to_look_after_dog_subject
It can be benefital to add the content format after the name, so you can seperate images, from videos and text content. With uplifter.ai we recommend creating a custom parameter for content format and appending it to the end.
If your marketing activity doesn't have multiple ads or creatives, (for channels like paid search). You could choose not to add utm_content parameter to those marketing links.
Different types of UTMs
Most campaign links have more than one query string parameter. utm_content is one of five common Google query string parameters, along with utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign and utm_term. Each parameter is a different way to categorise, filter and report on your marketing activity. We recommend using at least three parameters: Source, Medium and Campaign.
UTM parameterDefinitionExampleutm_sourceWhere the user came from. This is often a publisher, social network, partner or email.google, facebook, newsletter, tradeshowutm_mediumHow the user got to your website. What type of marketing did they click on to get to your website?paid search, display, email, cpc, posterutm_campaignIdentifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign.spring_sale, blackfriday, dog_foodutm_term (optional)Used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords, phrases or type of PPC for this ad.dog+leads, brandtermsutm_content (optional)Used for A/B testing and content-targeted ads. Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links that point to the same URL.cute_dog_video, cute_dog_picture
UTM Content best practice
Follow best practice to make sure your UTM tracking works and future colleagues can understand reports:
Name content clearly. Your names should be simple and use recognisable terms, avoiding acronyms. This enables users to understand what data they are looking at without having to use a lookup table to decipher meaning.
Always use lower case letters. This will make your reports easier to read, UTMs are case sensitive.
Spaces in a code should be replaced by underscores _ or pipe symbols |. Otherwise, spaces could either break the code or represented as a messy %20.
No long parameter names. Keep any names under 40 characters, some MarTech Platforms have character limits.
Don't use inappropriate or discriminatory language. End users can see utm_content in their browser.
Be careful if your landing page has redirects. If your landing page has a redirect, you need to implement campaign links on both the original landing page and the redirect page. Otherwise, the original landing page could be picked up as the referrer of traffic.
Don't use utm_content on links between internal website pages. If you do, your campaign data will be overwritten, and you will lose the original tracking source. You can use internal promotion code parameters for tracking internal links.
