If you share the same link everywhere, your analytics can tell you that visits arrived, but not which post or platform sent them. A few short tags on the end of the link fix that, and they cost nothing. The only real work is naming things consistently.
What the tags are
UTM tags are labels added to the end of a web address. Analytics tools read them and group visits accordingly. Three do most of the job:
- utm_source: where the link was shared, such as instagram, linkedin or newsletter.
- utm_medium: the kind of placement, such as bio, story, post, email or paid.
- utm_campaign: the specific push it belongs to, such as october-launch.
A finished link looks like this: your-site.com/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=october-launch. Visitors land on the same page as always. The tags simply travel with them.
Five naming rules that keep it clean
- Use lowercase only. "Instagram" and "instagram" are counted as two different sources.
- Use hyphens, not spaces or underscores, inside a name: october-launch.
- Keep a fixed list for source and medium, and only add to it deliberately.
- Name campaigns by what and when: october-launch, spring-sale, podcast-guest-jane.
- Never put personal information in a tag, such as a name or email address. The tags are visible in the link.
A small starting list
- Instagram profile link: source instagram, medium bio.
- Instagram story link: source instagram, medium story.
- LinkedIn post: source linkedin, medium post.
- Email newsletter: source newsletter, medium email.
- Paid ad: source the platform name, medium paid.
- A partner or sponsor: source their name, medium sponsor.
Keep one shared list
A simple spreadsheet with one row per link is enough: the date, where it was used, the full tagged link, and the campaign name. Anyone who helps you with content should use the same sheet, so the names never drift apart.
What not to tag
Do not add these tags to links between pages of your own site. They are for links you share outside it. Tagging internal links can overwrite where a visitor really came from and make your numbers worse, not better.
Where this fits
Tracked links are the simplest way to be honest about attribution, and they feed directly into the kind of report we describe in what belongs at the top of a social media report. They also make paid social tests far easier to judge.