UTM Naming Convention Rules

Why this matters

As a Marketing Analyst, you rely on clean, consistent UTM tags to attribute traffic, conversions, and ROI. Inconsistent UTM naming leads to broken reports, duplicated channels, and wasted time cleaning data. Good rules make campaign performance comparable across teams, tools, and time.

• Real tasks you’ll face: auditing messy UTMs, designing a standard, training teammates, and enforcing rules in briefs and tag builders.
• Impact: faster reporting, reliable cohort analysis, accurate channel attribution, and fewer one-off fixes.

Who this is for

• Marketing Analysts and Growth Marketers who manage campaign tracking.
• Performance marketers and media buyers who generate UTMs.
• Product/Analytics folks aligning channels and sources with GA4 or other analytics tools.

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of what UTM parameters are (source, medium, campaign, term, content).
• Know your primary analytics tool’s default channel grouping (e.g., GA4 concepts).
• Access to historical campaign names to map legacy values.

Concept explained simply

UTM naming convention rules are your team’s “grammar” for campaign tags. They define what each UTM parameter means and the allowed words and format for each.

The rules (practical and strict)

Formatting rules

• Case: use lowercase only.
• Separators: use hyphens (-) for multi-word values. Avoid spaces and underscores.
• Allowed characters: a–z, 0–9, and hyphens. Avoid other special characters.
• No PII: never include emails, names, phone numbers.
• Language: use English unless your entire taxonomy is localized.
• Dates: if needed, use yyyymm (e.g., 202410). Avoid day-level unless essential.
• Length: keep values concise (ideally under 40 characters).

Parameter meaning (do not mix)

• utm_source: the platform/vendor sending traffic (e.g., google, meta, linkedin, newsletter-name).
• utm_medium: the channel type (e.g., cpc, paid-social, display, email, referral, organic-social). Choose a small, controlled list.
• utm_campaign: the marketing initiative (e.g., brand-awareness-202410, summer-sale-2024).
• utm_term: keyword or targeting detail (search keyword, audience name). Use only when it adds analytical value.
• utm_content: creative/placement variant (ad A/B, size, CTA). Helps distinguish ads within a campaign.

Controlled vocabulary (sample)

Campaign naming pattern

Use a consistent pattern so you can filter and group efficiently.

• Pattern: objective-segment-theme-yyyymm
• Example: leads-smb-crm-migration-202410
• If too long, drop segment or theme, not the date or objective.

Do/do-not examples

• Do: utm_source=google, utm_medium=cpc, utm_campaign=brand-awareness-202410
• Don’t: utm_source=GoogleAds, utm_medium=Paid, utm_campaign=Brand Awareness Oct

Worked examples

Implementation steps

1. Decide the vocabulary
   List approved values for utm_medium and common utm_source mappings.
2. Define the campaign pattern
   Pick a naming pattern and 2–3 examples teams can copy.
3. Create a one-page rule sheet
   Include meaning of each parameter, approved values, and do/do-not examples.
4. Adopt a tag builder template
   Provide a simple form that enforces lowercase and hyphens.
5. Audit and map legacy tags
   Create a mapping table from old values to your new standard.
6. QA before launch
   Review sample URLs, click-through, and confirm data appears as expected.

Quality checklist

• All parameters lowercase
• No spaces or underscores; hyphens used
• utm_source is the platform/vendor, not the channel
• utm_medium is from the approved list
• Campaign follows the agreed pattern
• No PII present
• Test click lands in analytics with expected source/medium/campaign

Exercises

Complete the exercises below. The quick test is available to everyone; only logged-in users will have their progress saved.

Common mistakes and how to self-check

• Mixing source and medium: If you can “buy” it, it’s likely a source (meta, google, dv360). The delivery type is medium (paid-social, cpc, display).
• Using spaces/uppercase: Causes duplicates in reports (Paid Social vs paid-social). Self-check: search for value variants in analytics.
• Campaign names too long: Hard to read and filter. Self-check: can you recognize objective and month at a glance?
• Overusing utm_term/content: If you never segment by it, drop it. Self-check: does this field change reporting decisions?
• Including PII: Never include emails or names. Self-check: scan values for @ or numbers that look like phone numbers.

Practical projects

• Build a UTM rule sheet: one page with meanings, approved values, and examples.
• Legacy mapping: export last 6 months of UTMs and map to your standard.
• Tag builder template: create a simple spreadsheet form that outputs standardized URLs.
• QA playbook: a 5-step pre-launch check your team runs for every campaign.

Mini challenge

In one sentence each, define your utm_medium list and explain why each one exists. If a value doesn’t change reporting decisions, remove it.

Learning path

1. Understand parameter meanings (this lesson).
2. Design your vocabulary and patterns.
3. Audit and map legacy tags.
4. Automate via a tag builder.
5. Monitor and revise monthly.

Next steps

• Finish the exercises.
• Take the quick test to confirm you can spot errors fast.
• Share your one-page UTM policy draft with your team.

Progress and test note

The quick test is available to everyone. Only logged-in users will see saved progress and completion status.