Start with a shared naming rule, not a new link
Decide how your team will spell sources, mediums, campaigns, and content labels before publishing. A clean-looking URL with inconsistent labels fragments reports just as surely as a missing parameter.
1. Use one vocabulary for each parameter
Write down a small convention that is easy to apply. For example, use the same lowercase source name for the same platform and reserve a campaign label for the initiative rather than the individual recipient. The exact words matter less than using them consistently.
- Use a source to describe where the click came from and a medium to describe the broad channel your team has defined.
- Use a campaign name that remains meaningful when you read it months later.
- Use a content label only when you need to distinguish versions, placements, or creative variants within the same campaign.
2. Keep personal and sensitive data out of the URL
Query parameters may appear in browser history, analytics logs, referral data, screenshots, copied messages, and support tickets. Do not put an email address, customer name, account number, access token, internal incident name, or any other sensitive identifier in a UTM field.
A UTM value is a label, not a secure tracking mechanism. If a campaign needs recipient-specific measurement, use a system approved for that purpose instead of placing identity data in a public URL.
3. Build one reviewed link or a batch with the same rules
For a single destination, make each parameter an explicit choice. For a campaign sheet, validate the base URLs and keep every row visible for review before you generate final links.
One campaign link
Choose the destination and each parameter deliberately, then copy the completed URL.
Build one UTM linkMany campaign links
Review a CSV of base URLs and labels, then generate the valid links together without silently changing source rows.
Build UTM links from CSVOpen the final URL before you publish it
Check that the link reaches the intended page, that existing query parameters still behave as expected, and that the visible URL contains only information you are prepared to share. Keep a simple campaign record so later reports have context.
Common questions
Should I add UTM parameters to links between my own site pages?
Usually no. Internal campaign tagging can change how analytics attributes a session. Follow your analytics platform's documented internal-link guidance rather than adding UTM parameters by default.
Can two campaigns use the same UTM campaign value?
They can, but then reporting may combine them. Use the same value only when that combined view is intentional and documented for your team.
Do UTM parameters make a link private?
No. They are ordinary URL query parameters and may be visible in many places. Do not use them for secrets or personal information.