In this article, you will learn:

  • What UTM parameters are
  • How to create a UTM tracking URL

 

UTMs and Tracking URLs

Short for “Urchin Tracking Module”, UTM parameters added to tracking URLs are crucial tools for understanding your website traffic. After all, it's important to know where your audience is coming from, and how your marketing campaigns perform.

Tracking URLs, which are normal URLs with parameters attached, helps you measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.  URL links with UTM allow you to track performance data about specific online campaigns like Facebook, Google Ads, etc. With UTMs, you can also analyze traffic from referrals and SEO backlinks.

You gain valuable insights into your traffic sources by integrating UTM tracking into the Leads Module. With every form submission, the UTM parameters are logged and included in the Reports section in the UTM parameter widget. You can then analyze which sources and campaigns are driving the most leads and use this data to:

  • Optimize marketing strategies for the highest-converting platforms.
  • Identify trends in customer behavior and tailor your messaging.
  • Project target audience growth and refine campaign efforts to increase the number of leads.

This functionality lets you decide where to allocate your marketing resources for the best return on investment.

 

Using the BookingKoala UTM Builder

To access the UTM Builder, please click here or open the Settings section of a Leads form by going to:

Leads > Forms > Options > Edit > Settings tab > Build UTM parameters button

To build a UTM tracking URL, enter a website URL into the topmost field. If you click on the Build UTM parameters button from a specific form, that form's URL will automatically be copied into the box.

Then, specify your UTM parameters. These parameters include six pieces of information:

  • UTM source
  • UTM medium
  • UTM campaign
  • UTM ID
  • UTM term
  • UTM content

The UTM source parameter is a parameter in UTM tracking used to identify the traffic source to your website.  For example, if you run a Google campaign, you might use “Google” as the utm_source.

The UTM medium parameter is used to identify the medium that sends the traffic to your website.  For example, you might use “email” or “CPC” as your utm_medium.

The UTM campaign parameter identifies a specific campaign and allows you to track the campaign's performance as a whole and compare it to other campaigns you are running. For example, if you are running a Spring sale campaign, you might add "?⁠utm_campaign=spring_promo” to the end of the landing page URL for the campaign.

The UTM ID parameter is used to add a unique identifier for your campaign.  For example, your utm_id may be "42".  

The UTM term parameter is used to identify keywords that trigger a paid search ad. For example, if you run a marketing campaign with the keyword “bathing suit” you might add "?⁠utm_term=bathing+suit” to the end of the landing page URL for the ad.

The UTM content parameter can be used to identify specific content variations within a marketing campaign. For example, if you have multiple ads running on a page, you can add utm_content like “Winter1” and “Winter2” to differentiate between them.

Generally, it is suggested to keep your UTM parameters as concise as possible so they are easy to understand and do not get cut off by certain web browsers. 

Once you’ve entered content into each field, click the “Generate” button at the bottom of the page.  A tracking URL with your UTM parameters will be generated in the box on the right side of the page.  

From here, you can copy and use this tracking URL across various promotional channels to accurately track their performance.  You can use this link in:

  • Email campaigns
  • SMS campaigns
  • Google Ads
  • Facebook Ads
  • Twitter (X)
  • Etc.