UTM links to see where every order comes from
You post the same offer on Instagram, Snapchat and your email list, and orders go up. But where did they come from? Without tagged links, every visit shows up in reports as “social” or “direct”, and you cannot tell which channel deserves a bigger budget.
What are UTM parameters?
Words you add to the end of a link, which analytics tools read to record where the visit came from. The link opens the same page, but the report knows where the visitor came from.
- utm_source, the source, like instagram or newsletter. It is the only required one.
- utm_medium, the medium, like social, email or cpc.
- utm_campaign, the campaign name, like a Ramadan 2026 offer.
- utm_content and utm_term, to tell two ads in the same campaign apart. Both are optional.
The link https://example.com/products/oud?ref=home#reviews, with source instagram, medium social, campaign «عروض رمضان 2026» and content story-1.
The ref=home parameter stays in place, the UTM parameters are added after it, and #reviews stays at the end.
The space in the campaign name is written as +, and each Arabic letter as two bytes such as %D8%B9. Analytics tools turn the name back into «عروض رمضان 2026» when they read it.
How to do it
- Open the UTM campaign link builder and paste your page link.
- Enter the source, medium and campaign name.
- Add content if you have more than one ad in the same campaign.
- Copy the finished link and use it in your post or ad.
Rules that keep your reports clean
- Values are case-sensitive in most analytics tools: Email and email are two different campaigns. Pick one style and stick with it.
- Do not use UTM links inside your own site, between your pages, because they start a new session and distort the original source of the visit.
- Keep the names you use in one sheet, so nobody on your team spells a name differently.
After the campaign, compare each source by working out cost per acquisition with the Campaign performance calculator. For print and stickers, turn the UTM link into a QR code with the QR code generator, so you know how many visits came from paper.
Common questions
Do UTM parameters change the page that opens?
No, the same page opens. The parameters are only read by analytics tools.
Can I write the campaign name in Arabic?
Yes. The tool encodes it safely, and analytics tools show it in Arabic.
Does the tool shorten the link?
No. It only builds the link text; it does not shorten it or check that the page works.