Performance

UTM parameters

Also known as: UTM tags · UTM codes · campaign tagging

Definition

UTM parameters are tags added to a link's address, such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, that tell analytics where a visit came from. They only work if the naming is consistent, because analytics can read each spelling as a different source.

There are five. Source says where the click came from, medium says what kind of channel, campaign names the push, and the optional term and content fields identify a keyword or an ad variant. Write them in lower case with no spaces, keep the allowed values in one shared sheet, and never tag links inside your own site, because that can overwrite the original source of the visit.

UTMs matter most where there's no automatic referrer. A link shared in a WhatsApp chat often arrives as direct traffic, and in GWI's Q2 2026 survey, published by DataReportal, 84.1 per cent of UAE internet users aged 16 and over said they had used WhatsApp in the past month, a self-reported figure. Tag every link you control in broadcasts, email, SMS, QR codes, bios and partner posts, and the invisible share of your traffic gets a name.

Worked example

utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=broadcast&utm_campaign=white-friday-2026

More in Performance

A/B testing

A/B testing compares two versions of one element, such as a headline, an offer or a page, by showing each to a randomly split share of traffic at the same time and measuring which produces more conversions. It needs enough traffic and one change at a time.

Ad fatigue

Ad fatigue is the decline in an ad's performance as the same people see it repeatedly, usually visible as rising frequency and falling click-through rate before cost per result climbs. The remedy is fresh creative or a wider audience, not a bigger budget.

Ad Rank

Ad Rank is the value Google Ads calculates in each auction to decide whether an ad is eligible to show and where it sits against others. It combines the bid with ad and landing page quality, minimum thresholds, competition, search context and the expected impact of assets.