Campaign Tracking in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Using UTMs

Here’s your guide to correctly tagging and tracking your marketing campaigns using UTMs in Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Proper campaign tracking in GA4 gives you a clear understanding of which channels, ads, and strategies drive real results.

When combined with key events (which include conversions like form submissions, ecommerce transactions, or other important events), UTM-based campaign tracking in Google Analytics 4 helps identify what’s working – and what’s not. This lets you refine your strategy and invest your marketing budget where it matters most.

The more inbound campaigns you tag with UTMs, the better your GA4 campaign tracking becomes. Without correct tagging, your data will be incomplete and misleading, reducing the effectiveness of your reports.

Why Use UTMs for Campaign Tracking in GA4?

To track custom marketing campaigns in Google Analytics 4, you need to use UTM parameters. These tags are crucial for campaign tracking in GA4, allowing you to segment traffic sources and measure performance accurately.

Remember: UTMs should only be used for inbound links – links that bring visitors to your site from external channels. Tagging internal links with UTMs will override session-level data like source, medium, and campaign – leading to false attribution in GA4.

If you want to track internal activity (like clicks on homepage banners), use events in GA4 instead.

What Are UTMs?

UTMs (Urchin Tracking Monitor) are custom parameters added to the end of URLs. When someone clicks a link with UTM tags, Google Analytics 4 captures the campaign details automatically – enabling robust campaign tracking in GA4.

Example of an untagged URL:

https://www.lovesdata.com/courses/

Example of a tagged URL with UTMs:

https://www.lovesdata.com/courses/?utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=linkedin+ads&utm_id=linkedin092025

UTM parameters in this example:

• utm_source: linkedin.com (the platform or referrer)
• utm_medium: paid (type of marketing, e.g. paid, organic, email, etc.)
• utm_campaign: linkedin+ads (your marketing campaign name)
• utm_id: linkedin092025 (optional campaign ID for data import)

Google Analytics 4 reads these tags and populates your reports, giving you detailed campaign tracking in GA4.

Where UTMs Appear in Google Analytics 4

When you use UTMs, GA4 will report the data in:

• In the standard 'User Acquisition' report under 'Acquisition'
• In the standard 'Traffic Acquisition' report under 'Acquisition'
• Exploration reports using dimensions like 'Session Source', 'Session Medium', and 'Session Campaign'

These dimensions directly map to campaign tracking in GA4, enabling deeper insight into how your tagged campaigns perform.

How to Add Campaign Tags (UTMs) to URLs

1. Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder

Use the official Campaign URL Builder to generate tagged URLs. It ensures your UTMs are formatted correctly for campaign tracking in Google Analytics 4.

2. Manual Tagging

Once you’re familiar with the UTM structure, you can manually add parameters to your inbound links, like:
?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=summer+sale

3. Track UTMs in a Spreadsheet

Keep a consistent naming convention across campaigns to avoid data fragmentation in GA4. A spreadsheet is a great way to manage all your campaign tags.

Best Practices for UTM Tagging and Campaign Tracking in GA4

• Only tag inbound links with UTMs
• Use lowercase, consistent naming (e.g. facebook, not Facebook)
• Never use UTMs on internal links
• Use readable names (e.g. email newsletter 092025)
• Use plus signs (+) which are automatically converted to spaces in your report (e.g. email+newsletter, not email%20newsletter)
• Avoid tagging Google Ads manually – use Google Ads auto-tagging instead

UTM Tagging Examples by Campaign Type

Email Campaigns

Track editions:

Track audience segments:

Combine editions and segments:

Using UTMs for email campaigns allows precise campaign tracking in GA4, giving you insights into open rates, clicks, and conversions by email version or audience segment.

Non-Google Ads CPC Campaigns

Use utm_term and utm_content for granular campaign tracking in GA4 when working with platforms like Bing Ads.

Social Media Campaigns (Paid)

Using UTMs where the utm_medium is set to paid ensures that traffic is properly grouped under Paid Social in GA4’s Default Channel Grouping, enabling detailed campaign tracking in Google Analytics 4.

Offline Campaigns

To track print, TV, or radio campaigns:

Redirect a vanity URL like:

www.example.com/print

To the full UTM version:

http://www.example.com/content/promotion?utm_source=newspaper&utm_medium=offline&utm_campaign=print+ad

This allows you to capture and analyze offline efforts with campaign tracking in GA4.

What You Shouldn’t Tag

• Google Ads – Use Google Ads auto-tagging and link GA4 directly to Google Ads. You can do this by navigating to 'Admin', and selecting 'Google Ads Links' under 'Product Links'
• Internal Links – Using UTMs internally can lead to sessions with multiple values for source, medium, and other dimensions which can impact attribution in GA4.
• Inconsistent Names – While not strictly something you shouldn't tag, you should avoid using mixed capitalization or abbreviations (e.g., FB, Facebook, facebook.com).

Final Thoughts on Campaign Tracking in GA4

UTMs are the backbone of accurate campaign tracking in Google Analytics 4. By tagging all inbound links correctly, you give GA4 the context it needs to attribute sessions, key events for conversion tracking, and ecommerce revenue to the right source.