How to build UTM links for GA4 campaign tracking

Know what each UTM field means

• utm_source: The platform or source that sent the visit, such as instagram or newsletter.
• utm_medium: The traffic type, such as organic_social, email, or paid_social.
• utm_campaign: A campaign name you can recognize, such as october_product_launch.
• utm_content: An optional label to tell apart links or creatives within the same campaign.
• utm_term: An optional field often used to label a paid-search keyword.

Example: an Instagram campaign link

For an October product post in your Instagram profile, you might use instagram as the source, organic_social as the medium, october_product_launch as the campaign, and story_link as the content label. The builder appends these values to the destination URL.

If you want to compare a post, a story, and a paid ad separately, choose consistent source and medium values for each. Writing the same source as Instagram, instagram, and insta can split the values across reports.

1. 1

   Enter the destination page

   Use the full https:// URL you want visitors to open.

2. 2

   Add source, medium, and campaign

   Choose short, consistent values you can find in Analytics. These three fields are required in the UTM builder.

3. 3

   Fill in optional fields

   Use utm_content to distinguish ad creatives or links, and utm_term to label a paid-search keyword.

4. 4

   Create the URL and check the destination

   Open the finished URL and confirm it reaches the right page and that redirects do not remove its parameters.

What you need to see UTM data in GA4

UTM parameters label a campaign link. To see visits in Google Analytics, the destination site also needs a correctly configured GA4 measurement. Creating a UTM link does not install analytics code or generate clicks and conversions.

When data arrives, review session source, medium, and campaign in the Traffic acquisition report under Reports in GA4. New data may take time to appear.

Avoid inconsistent names and privacy problems

• Use lowercase values and one naming pattern, such as instagram, organic_social, and october_product_launch.
• Use hyphens or underscores instead of spaces, and keep the same pattern across similar campaigns.
• Never put a name, email address, phone number, or other personal information in a UTM value. The parameters are visible in the URL and may be sent to analytics systems.
• Use campaign tags on links that bring visitors to your site from outside sources. Adding them to internal navigation can confuse acquisition reporting.

LentoCircle’s UTM Builder lowercases values and saves link history to your account. It does not collect Google Analytics data; measurement depends on the GA4 setup on the destination site.