UTM Builder for Generating Google Tracking Codes

Let’s keep it real: you just want clean tracking without babysitting spreadsheets. With Plerdy’s UTM Builder, you build a correct UTM URL fast—auto-build handles encoding, and one-click copy drops the link into your campaign. You can build links for campaign tests across Google Analytics, Mailchimp, or LinkedIn Ads. Fewer typos, more signal: same UTM rules, same campaign names, same URL format—so your reports don’t lie.

What A UTM Builder Does And Why It Matters

When referrer breaks, your reports break. A simple UTM on a URL lets you build clear paths from campaign to result, so data makes sense and your team moves faster. You build once, paste once, and the campaign story stays solid.

The Attribution Gap A Builder Solves

You push a campaign, traffic lands, and GA4 throws a chunk into Direct because the URL has no UTM or has messy casing. A builder fixes that by forcing one clean way to build every URL for every campaign.

• add UTM to each URL, each campaign, every time
• auto-encode characters; build with lowercase for consistency
• one place to build and copy in Plerdy
• shared naming so the same campaign reads the same everywhere

Outcomes: Cleaner Reports, Consistent ROAS Decisions

With a builder, you build a repeatable URL pattern—same UTM keys, same values—then reuse across Mailchimp, Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads. Now campaign vs campaign is apples-to-apples. You stop guessing, you compare. When every URL carries the same UTM set, you trace a campaign fast, fix weak parts faster, and ship the next build with less drama. It’s simple: standard UTM, standard URL, standard campaign reading—better ROAS decisions.

How Plerdy’s UTM Builder Works (Fields, Flow, And Output)

You want fast control, not magic. This tool helps you build a clean URL for every campaign, then move on. Two minutes, zero drama. You fill fields, the builder encodes stuff, the URL appears, and you copy. Done.

Step-By-Step: From Fields To Final URL

You and me keep it simple. You build once and ship the campaign.

1. Open the form and enter the base URL for your page.
2. Add UTM source, medium, campaign; then add content or term if you need.
3. Hit Create UTM code — the builder will build a correct URL with encoding.
4. Check the Built UTM Tracking URL block; confirm parameters.
5. Press Copy URL and paste into Mailchimp, Meta Ads, Google Ads, or LinkedIn.
6. Save your pattern so the next campaign uses the same UTM scheme.

Required Vs. Optional Inputs In The Form

There are four required inputs to build a stable URL: Website URL, UTM Source, UTM Medium, UTM Campaign. Two optional fields help when your campaign needs more detail: UTM Content (A/B ad label) and UTM Term (paid keyword). Validation is strict: empty required fields show error boxes near inputs; wrong URLs trigger a message such as “The website URL provided is not a valid URL.” Use lowercase for every UTM, no spaces, use hyphens. Your campaign stays consistent, your URL stays readable, your build stays fast.

Output & Copy: Result Block, Clipboard Button, Encoding

After you build, the result appears in the Built UTM Tracking URL area. The final URL starts with ? then each UTM joins with &. Spaces convert to %20 by percent-encoding; that is normal. Order of parameters does not change tracking in GA4, but keep one order for QA. Hit the Copy URL button to send the URL to clipboard and drop it into the campaign. Simple flow: build, check, copy, launch. Works across Google Analytics, HubSpot, and ad platforms without extra setup.

URL Anatomy, Encoding, And Parameter Order In GA4

You want a URL that tells the full story of your campaign, not half of it. So we break the parts, then we build clean UTM, so GA4 reads it without drama.

The Five Parts Of A URL & Where UTMs Live

A URL is not random text. It has parts, and UTM sits in the query. When you build a campaign link, this order keeps your head calm: base first, then UTM after the question mark.

• Protocol: https:// — how the browser connects.
• Host: www.example.com — your domain or subdomain.
• Path: /landing — page path for the campaign.
• Query: ?utm_source=...&utm_medium=... — this is where UTM parameters live; first param after ?, others join with &.
• Fragment: #section — browser-only; never before UTM.
  Rule of thumb: one base URL, then you build the UTM chain. Every campaign gets the same structure, so your URL stays stable across email, Meta Ads, or LinkedIn.

Encoding, Case, And Safe Characters For Reliable Logs

UTM must be machine-clean. Spaces in a URL turn into %20 by percent-encoding; better to build with hyphens and avoid spaces from start. GA4 does not depend on parameter order, so utm_source before or after utm_medium still parses; however, keep one order for QA so you compare campaign to campaign fast. Use lowercase for every UTM value: email, not Email. Safe characters: letters, numbers, hyphen, underscore, period. Avoid # in the query; it ends the URL for the browser. Final rule: build one URL format and reuse—your campaign tracking stays consistent, your UTM mistakes drop to near 0%.

Understanding UTM Codes and Examples for Each Parameter when Building

UTM Campaign Parameter	Example	Description
Source utm_source	tiktok	Identifies the source of the traffic, such as the TikTok, Facebook Ads, or the website that referred the visitor.
Medium utm_medium	cpc	Identifies the medium used to refer to the visitor, such as "CPC" for a paid search campaign or "email" for an email marketing campaign.
Name utm_campaign	summer_sale	Identifies the specific campaign or promotion from which the visitor was referred.
Term utm_term	shoes	Identify the specific keywords used in a paid search campaign.
Content utm_content	video2	Used to differentiate similar content, such as different versions of an ad or different landing pages.

UTM codes, also known as UTM parameters, are tags that can be added to a URL to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. They allow marketers to track the source, medium, campaign, term, and content of a visitor's referral to a website. Each parameter is separated by a "?" and "&".

UTM Builder Example:
https://nike.com?utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_term=shoes&utm_content=banner

You can use these UTM parameters by adding it to the end of your URL, and then use it in your marketing campaigns.

The Five UTM Parameters With Naming Examples

You want one clean system to build a URL for every campaign. We use the same five UTM keys each time, so your build stays tidy, your campaign reads clear, and your URL works in GA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and LinkedIn. Keep lowercase. No spaces. Hyphens win. One UTM standard = faster campaign reports.

utm_source

This UTM tells where your campaign traffic starts. Keep it human and stable, so any teammate scans the URL and knows the source in one second. If you change UTM names each campaign, reports split and your build turns messy. Use platform or partner names you actually see in tools. Two or three tokens max, hyphenated. Clean UTM source gives clean campaign pivot across quarters.
Examples (good/better/avoid):

• google
• linkedin-ads
• LiNkEdIn

utm_medium

This UTM describes the channel type. It helps you group campaign results across tools and weeks. Use the same medium for the same tactic, so cross-campaign math stays honest. Email stays email. Paid social stays paid-social. Do not invent ten versions. When you build the URL with one medium UTM per tactic, GA4 default channel grouping stays predictable, and your campaign comparison is fast.
Examples (good/better/avoid):

• email
• paid-social
• Paid Social

utm_campaign

This UTM is the campaign family name. You want quick scan power: what promo, what period, maybe region. Keep it short but precise. Add date in yyyy-mm when you compare growth. When you build the same URL pattern for every campaign, you get stable pivots in reports and fewer “other” buckets. Simple rule: one campaign UTM for the same promo across all channels.
Examples (good/better/avoid):

• summer-sale-2025
• product-launch-q3
• Sale!!!

utm_content & utm_term

Use these UTM fields to separate creative and paid keywords without breaking the campaign rollup. Content splits ad version or placement; term holds keyword or headline code. If your campaign runs A/B ads, content shows the winner fast. If your build includes search ads, term keeps query data clean. Keep both short (2–3 tokens) so the URL stays readable and the UTM audit stays easy across the whole campaign.
Examples (good/better/avoid):

• utm_content=ad-v2
• utm_term=running-shoes
• utm_content=Ad Version Two

Naming Conventions And Governance (Make Consistency Non-Negotiable)

You want one rulebook, not ten. We turn UTM into a hard habit, so you build the same URL for every campaign and your reports stop shouting. Small team or big crew — same UTM rules, same campaign win.

Controlled Vocabulary: Sources, Mediums, Campaign Families

Pick words once and reuse in every UTM. For source, use platform names you truly see in tools: google, linkedin, meta, mailchimp, hubspot. For medium, keep a short set: email, paid-social, cpc, referral. For campaign families, set buckets: product-launch, seasonal-sale, content-series. Then you build a URL that reads fast, and each UTM maps to the same campaign story across GA4, Google Ads, and CRM. Fewer options, fewer fights. Your campaign moves faster when the UTM build happens at 08:00 on Monday.

Separators, Dates, Regions, Versions

UTM values are case-sensitive in GA4, so go 100% lowercase. No spaces. Use hyphen for words, underscore only when two parts must stick (team_newsletter). Dates: yyyy-mm for clean sorting (2025-07). Regions: us, eu, uk, apac — short and steady. Versions: ad-v1, ad-v2, email-v3. You build one URL pattern and reuse it across every campaign, so filters stay tight and QA moves faster. If someone goes freestyle, reports can split by 20% or more — total mess. Lock the UTM pattern now, save hours later on each campaign.

Approval Flow: Who Creates, Reviews, And Audits

You need owners, not chaos. One place to build, one person to check, one calendar to audit. Then every UTM stays clean and each URL matches the campaign plan.

• owner: one marketer creates the UTM and builds the URL
• reviewer: second set of eyes before the campaign ships
• vocabulary: shared doc with allowed source/medium/campaign values
• pattern: fixed order in URL (source → medium → campaign → content → term)
• linter: pre-flight checklist for case, separators, encoding
• storage: central sheet/log so the next build reuses the same UTM
• audit: monthly 30-min review against the campaign calendar

Channel-Specific Recipes (Copy-Ready Patterns)

You want quick copy, not a theory book. So here are ready patterns. You build the same URL for each campaign and move on. Use UTM smart: content for creative split, term for keyword or headline code. Two or three tokens, lowercase, hyphen. Done.

Email: Newsletters, Drips, One-Off Blasts

Email is steady workhorse. You build one URL for each campaign send, then reuse the UTM pattern next week. In Mailchimp or Klaviyo you add the URL into buttons and banners. Use content to tag CTA or section; skip term unless you test subject-line codes. This cuts confusion when you report opens vs. clicks. You keep UTM short, you keep build fast, and the campaign reads clean in GA4 and HubSpot.

1. utm_source=mailchimp, utm_medium=email, utm_campaign=weekly-2025-11
2. utm_content=cta-hero or utm_content=footer-button

Social: Organic Vs. Paid, Creatives, Placements

Social gets messy fast. You build a URL for each campaign and split by organic vs paid. In Meta Ads, LinkedIn, or X, use content for creative version or placement (feed, story, reel). Keep term free unless you test headline codes. This way UTM shows which creative wins without digging into every platform UI. The URL stays short; the build stays easy; the campaign comparison is fair.

1. utm_source=linkedin, utm_medium=paid-social, utm_campaign=product-launch-q4
2. utm_content=ad-v3 or utm_content=story-placement

Ads: Search/Display/Video, Headlines Vs. Keywords

For Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising, you build a URL per campaign or ad group. Use term for keyword or headline token; use content for ad version or asset group. Search needs term the most; display and video need content more. Keep both tiny, 2–3 words. Your UTM now tells the story without long notes. One clean URL, one clean build, one honest campaign view in GA4.

1. utm_source=google, utm_medium=cpc, utm_campaign=brand-core
2. utm_term=running-shoes or utm_content=rs-ad-v2

PR/Backlinks/Influencers: Referral Hygiene

PR and partners touch many pages. You build a unique URL for each campaign mention, so UTM shows the site and placement. Use source for the publication or creator (Forbes, Medium, YouTube). Use medium as referral. Use content for link spot (bio, footer, in-article). Term is optional unless you track code names. This keeps your UTM tidy, your build predictable, and your campaign ROI clear in CRM.

1. utm_source=forbes, utm_medium=referral, utm_campaign=press-q4
2. utm_content=in-article or utm_content=author-bio

QA, Validation, And Bulk Creation

You want less drama when you build a URL for a campaign at scale. Cool. We set rules, we preview the URL, we run quick checks, then we ship the campaign without tears. Small tip: keep one sheet, one source of truth, and Plerdy’s builder for final copy.

Pre-Flight Checks: URL Validity, Duplicates, Encoding

Before you ship, run a tiny QA. You build the URL, you check it, then your campaign moves. Use GA4 later, but catch nonsense now.

• required fields present: URL, UTM source, UTM medium, UTM campaign
• URL starts with https:// and domain is real; no spaces; no # before query
• percent-encoding correct; spaces to %20; keep UTM lowercase
• only safe chars: letters, numbers, hyphen, underscore, period
• duplicates check: same URL + same UTM combo should be unique
• length guard: target under ~2000 chars for old browsers
• controlled vocab: source/medium match list (google, email, paid-social)
• final quick open: paste URL in a new tab to confirm landing

Bulk Ops: CSV Patterns, Templates, Guardrails

When you build many URL rows per day, a template saves you. Use Google Sheets or Excel to prefill UTM for each campaign, then push the final URL into Plerdy to copy. Keep columns: base_url, utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term. Add LOWER(), SUBSTITUTE(), and ENCODEURL() to clean. Add data validation lists for source and medium. Protect ranges so nobody breaks rules. COUNTIF prevents duplicate URL rows. UNIQUE helps audit. If the team grows past 3 editors or you push 20+ campaign URLs per week, set guardrails: shared vocab doc, monthly audit, and a simple script (Apps Script, Zapier) to flag bad build before go-live. At this point, consider tag management for naming at scale.

Reading UTM Data In GA4 And Other Analytics

GA4: User/Traffic Acquisition, Explorations, Filters

You want to see UTM doing its job, fast. Open GA4 and build a small view, then grow it. Your campaign should speak from the URL, clean and loud.

1. Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition → add Session source/medium/campaign; filter by your UTM.
2. Reports → Acquisition → User acquisition → check first-touch UTM for the campaign.
3. Explore → Free form → add Session campaign, Source, Medium; build segments by URL contains.
4. Reports → Advertising → Model comparison → sanity check the campaign with UTM rules.

Ad Platforms, BI, And CRM: Joining On UTMs

Your story does not end in GA4. Join Meta Ads, Google Ads, and LinkedIn Ads exports with your UTM table in BigQuery or Snowflake. In Looker Studio or Power BI, use URL fields to build blended charts across each campaign. For CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce), push first-touch UTM into Contact, last-touch into Deal. Then the team can build pipeline views and compare campaign cost vs. revenue. One URL pattern in, many correct dashboards out.

Attribution Notes: Touchpoints, Auto-Tagging, Overrides

Be careful with touchpoints. GA4 reports by session default; your CRM may show first-touch or last-touch. That is normal, not a bug. Keep UTM consistent, and the build will align across tools. Auto-tagging can add ids (gclid, fbclid). Do not fight them; your UTM and URL still work. If a platform rewrites the final URL, add a rule: never drop the campaign parameters. Write it once, ship it always, and your campaign comparisons stay fair.

Advanced Tracking (Custom Params, IDs, Shorteners, QR, Auto-Tagging)

Custom Parameters & Internal IDs

You want more truth in reports? Add custom params to the UTM so each campaign speaks with full detail. Use ref, creative_id, adgroup_id, partner_id to join ad data to your UTM and your campaign model. Keep the URL readable and build the same shape every time. Example: ref=affiliate-23, creative_id=vid-a2. Store one mapping sheet, then reuse across every campaign. When the team must build many URL per week, the UTM + IDs save QA time and cut rework by 20–30%. One pattern, one campaign truth.

Shorteners, Redirects, And QR Codes

Long URL kills clicks, so build a short hop—but never drop the UTM. Bitly, Rebrandly, or your own domain works, just pass all campaign parameters through. Test redirects so UTM reaches GA4; no loss. For QR at events, encode the final URL with UTM before print, then track the campaign scan-through rate. For A/B in YouTube or TikTok bios, build two short links: same campaign name, different content. Auto-tagging (gclid, fbclid) can travel with your UTM; let both ride for cleaner campaign merge.

Pitfalls: Internal UTMs, Mixed Case, Spaces, Duplicates

Do this to keep UTM calm and campaign clean:

• use lowercase for every token across the URL and build
• keep names short; hyphen for spaces; encode special chars
• store one table of approved campaign values for UTM fields
• test each build in a new tab; confirm landing + parameters

Don’t do this or your campaign data cries:

• don’t tag internal navigation with UTM (never on-site links)
• don’t mix case or put spaces in a URL
• don’t duplicate the same campaign URL across creatives
• don’t strip UTM during redirects; keep gclid/fbclid and your tags

Conclusion

Stick to a simple rule: disciplined UTM + Plerdy’s builder = clean attribution, faster insight, bigger ROI. You build once, you trust forever. Set one naming standard, reuse for every campaign, and the UTM in each URL stops fighting you. Hit Create to build your first URL, then copy it into the next campaign. Do two runs today. UTM tidy, campaign tidy, URL tidy — your team moves faster in Google Analytics.

UTM Builder – FAQ

Which Fields Are Required To Build A Valid UTM URL?

The form needs Website URL, UTM Source, UTM Medium, and UTM Campaign. UTM Content and UTM Term are optional and help split creatives or store paid keywords. Empty required fields trigger inline errors, and invalid base URLs are rejected.

How Should I Format UTM Values For Consistent Reporting?

Use lowercase only, no spaces, and prefer hyphens. Keep tokens short and human readable, for example linkedin-ads, paid-social, summer-sale-2025, ad-v2. Avoid the hash symbol in queries and rely on safe characters such as letters, numbers, hyphen, underscore, and period.

Does Parameter Order Matter In GA4 And Why Do I See %20?

GA4 reads UTM parameters regardless of order, but keeping one fixed order helps QA. Spaces are percent-encoded as %20 by browsers; this is normal. The builder automatically encodes characters so the final URL remains valid.

When Should I Use UTM Content And UTM Term?

Use UTM Content to mark creative variants or placements such as ad-v2 or story-placement. Use UTM Term for paid search keywords or headline tokens such as running-shoes. These fields keep rollups clean without changing the campaign family.

Can I Use Short Links, Redirects, Or Auto-Tagging With This URL?

Yes. Shorteners and redirects work if they pass the full query string without stripping parameters. Auto-tagging identifiers such as gclid or fbclid can coexist with your UTM set. Always test the final landing URL to verify all parameters are present.