What It Means in Practice to “Create UTM Parameters”

When we talk about creating a URL with UTM parameters, we simply mean adding specific pieces of information to the end of a link. They do not change the page's content. Instead, they make it clearer where a user came from, which channel brought them and which activity the click belonged to.

To someone seeing them for the first time, UTMs can look technical or complicated. In practice, the logic is straightforward. You begin with the page's base URL and then add parameters such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign.

Creating a UTM link therefore does not require a special link format or a particular tool. It is an organised process for adding parameters to a URL. The difficult part is not the syntax. It is choosing the right values and applying them clearly and consistently.

Good UTM tagging is not merely about adding a parameter. It is about making sure the link can be interpreted correctly when you analyse the data later.

The Main Ways to Create UTM Parameters

In practice, UTM links can be created in several ways. The right choice depends on how often they are used, how many people are involved and how structured the project needs to be.

  • manually, by writing the parameters at the end of the URL
  • with URL builder tools that generate the finished link automatically
  • through a spreadsheet or naming template for greater consistency
  • inside marketing, CRM or email platforms that support tagged links
  • alongside auto-tagging and click identifiers from advertising platforms

Each method has its place. Manual tagging may be enough for a small website. For more frequent or collaborative use, however, a standard method is usually necessary so that every link follows the same logic.

Creating UTMs Manually: The Simplest Method

The most direct method is to take a page's base URL and add the appropriate parameters at the end. The first parameter follows a ? and every subsequent parameter is joined with &.

For example, if the base page is:

https://example.com/landing-page

a manually tagged UTM URL could be:

https://example.com/landing-page?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=april-offer

In this example:

  • utm_source is newsletter
  • utm_medium is email
  • utm_campaign is april-offer

The logic is simple, but accuracy matters. A small mistake in the syntax, naming or consistency of the values can produce confusing reports later. Even manual tagging therefore needs a stable internal convention.

How to Build a URL Correctly, Step by Step

Rather than adding parameters in a hurry, follow the same short process every time. This reduces mistakes and keeps the naming clear.

1. Choose the Right Destination Page

First, decide where the user should land. The destination might be a landing page, service page, contact form or article.

2. Define the Source

Next, decide where the click should be recorded as coming from. This value goes into utm_source.

3. Define the Channel

Then choose the medium or channel for utm_medium. This distinguishes email, social, CPC, referral or another method of distribution.

4. Define the Campaign

Use utm_campaign for the name of the activity, offer or promotional initiative to which the link belongs.

5. Check the Naming

Before using the finished URL, confirm that its terms follow the shared convention and do not introduce inconsistencies.

If every campaign follows a different naming style, the data becomes harder to interpret. Consistency matters more than inventing a new format each time.

Creating UTMs with URL Builder Tools

URL builders provide a convenient way to create tagged links. You complete fields for the destination URL, source, channel and campaign, and the tool generates the final link automatically.

This approach is especially helpful for people who do not want to write parameters manually or are concerned about syntax errors. It is also useful when one person needs to create several links quickly.

URL builders make link construction easier, but they cannot solve the most important issue on their own: consistent naming. If the values are entered without a shared convention, the tool will produce a technically valid URL while the reporting remains fragmented.

URL builders help with link syntax. Data quality still depends on choosing the right source, medium and campaign values.

Creating UTMs with a Spreadsheet or Naming Template

When a website or team uses UTMs regularly, creating links one at a time is rarely enough. A system is needed so that every URL follows the same logic. Spreadsheets, internal templates and naming conventions are particularly useful here.

A typical record includes:

  • the final destination page
  • the source
  • the medium
  • the campaign name
  • any additional notes or distinctions

This prevents the same channel from appearing once as facebook, elsewhere as Facebook and again as fb. Without a consistent system, reports fill up with variations that obscure the overall picture.

For organised projects, this is often the strongest approach. It supports not only URL creation, but also the long-term integrity of the data.

How Marketing, Email and CRM Platforms Help

UTMs are not always created entirely by hand. Tools that manage campaigns, newsletters or automations often allow users to define tagging fields or apply the same tagging logic across several links at once.

This is particularly useful when a business sends frequent emails, runs regular campaigns or uses CRM flows. Instead of building each URL from scratch, the team can follow a more predictable process with fewer opportunities for error.

The same principle still applies: however capable the platform may be, the value of the data depends on consistent structure and naming.

Manual UTMs and Auto-Tagging Can Coexist

Many URLs contain not only manually added UTMs, but also parameters inserted automatically by advertising platforms. A link may therefore include manual tagging alongside click identifiers such as gclid, msclkid or similar values.

At first glance, this can look excessive or confusing. It is not necessarily a problem. UTMs can describe the link's source and context, while auto-tagging can serve more technical attribution and measurement needs.

For an explanation of these parameters, read what gclid, gbraid, wbraid, msclkid, ttclid, dclid and fbclid mean.

Most problems do not arise because someone cannot write a valid URL. They occur because there is no consistent logic behind the values themselves. The result is a set of links that look correct but create noise in the data.

Inconsistent Capitalisation

If a source appears once as Google and elsewhere as google, it may be recorded as two different values.

Different Terms for the Same Channel

Using values such as social, social-media and instagram-social interchangeably for the same medium makes the data harder to interpret.

Mixing Languages Without a Consistent Pattern

Switching between languages is not inherently wrong, but without a shared convention it increases inconsistency and makes the data harder to group.

This is one of the most consequential mistakes. UTMs are intended for external traffic sources, not for navigation within the same website.

Unclear Campaign Names

Values that fail to describe the activity clearly are difficult to interpret later. The more precise the naming, the more useful the URL becomes.

Common mistake:

Having UTMs is not enough. Their values need a clear structure; otherwise, measurement becomes harder rather than easier.

An Example Workflow for Building a Tagged URL Correctly

A practical, reliable UTM workflow can follow these steps:

  • define the final destination page
  • choose the click source
  • define the medium using a consistent convention
  • give the campaign a clear name
  • check that the naming matches previous links
  • test the finished URL before using it

When this process is applied consistently, UTMs stop being an improvised addition to a URL and become a genuine organisational tool. This is particularly important when the site uses landing pages, forms, offers or campaigns that require clearer measurement and attribution.

This principle also connects with landing-page and campaign performance, as explained in the guides to what a landing page is and how it can generate more leads and what conversion rate is and how to improve it.

Conclusion

Creating UTM parameters is technically simple but strategically important. The aim is not merely to append a few words to a URL, but to produce a link that can be interpreted accurately and consistently later.

Whether tagging is done manually, through a URL builder, in a spreadsheet or inside a marketing platform, the requirements remain the same: clear logic, consistent naming and no rushed choices that compromise the data.

When handled correctly, UTMs become more than a technical detail. They provide a meaningful way to understand traffic and compare the performance of different activities.

The key point:

UTMs are easy to create. Their real value depends on whether they are built with clarity, consistency and a shared convention.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Simplest Way to Create UTMs?

The simplest method is to take the base URL and manually add the utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign parameters.

Do I Need a Special Tool to Create Tagged URLs?

Not necessarily. You can create them manually, although URL builders make the process easier and reduce the risk of syntax errors.

Can a URL Contain Both UTMs and gclid?

Yes. Manual UTM parameters and automatically generated click identifiers commonly coexist.

No. UTMs are mainly for external traffic sources, not internal links within the same website.

Which Matters More: the Tool or the Naming Convention?

The naming convention. A tool can build the URL easily, but only clear and consistent naming makes the resulting data genuinely useful.