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What is the utm_id field in a campaign link builder, and when do I need to fill it in?

utm_id is an optional campaign identifier: a fixed code such as c-1042 that ties the link to your record of the campaign. You need it when your analytics tool matches campaigns by ID, for instance when you import campaign costs from a file or another system. If you do none of that, leave it empty; the tool only adds it to the link when you fill it in.

Published · 3 min read

Campaign name versus campaign ID

The campaign name, utm_campaign, is written for people: eid_2026 or ramadan_sale. It sometimes changes, and two people may spell it differently. An ID is a code that means nothing outside your sheet, like c-1042, and stays the same however you rename the campaign. Systems like IDs because a typo or a capital letter cannot make two of them differ.

Picture a sheet listing every campaign with its number and budget. Put that same number in the link, and visits can later be joined to the right row without depending on names matching.

Example: a paid search campaign with a number in your sheet

The eid_2026 search campaign is c-1042 in the cost sheet. We entered source google, medium cpc, the campaign and the ID in the UTM campaign link builder, and utm_id appeared at the end of the link:

https://example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=eid_2026&utm_id=c-1042

The parameter table gains a fifth row for utm_id with the status Added. Leave the field empty and the same link comes out without that part, with no warning, because leaving it out is not a mistake.

When to fill it and when to leave it

  • Fill it if your analytics tool lets you import campaign data or costs and asks for a key to match them. Check your tool's help pages to see whether it uses utm_id for that.
  • Fill it if an internal system gives every campaign a number and you want that number to travel with each link.
  • Leave it if you read your reports by campaign name only. It adds nothing for you and makes the link longer.
  • Never put anything about a person in it, such as a customer or phone number. The ID describes the campaign, not the recipient.

An orderly way to work with IDs

  1. Add an ID column to your sheet and give each new campaign a number that is never reused.
  2. When building the link, copy the ID from the sheet into the Campaign ID field rather than typing it from memory.
  3. Fill in the campaign name as well; the ID does not replace the name for day-to-day reading.
  4. After the campaign, take cost, clicks and orders from the same row and enter them in the Campaign performance calculator to work out cost per order.

The builder itself does not send the ID to any platform or check that it exists in your sheet. It writes it into the link exactly as you entered it.

Common questions

Is utm_id the campaign ID from my ads platform?

It can be, or it can be a number from your own sheet. What matters is that it stays fixed and you know where you will match it later.

Can utm_id replace utm_campaign?

Better not. The name is what you read in reports and the ID is a key for matching; the tool also warns you if the campaign is left empty.