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Setting Up WordPress UTM Tracking In 5 Easy Steps

Published on
December 23, 2024
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Picture this: you've created an excellent digital marketing campaign, but you need to know which parts matter. This is where the SEO Conversion Funnel comes into play, guiding you from attracting visitors to converting them into customers. A big piece of that puzzle is UTM tracking, which can help you figure out where your traffic is coming from. By the end of this article, you can use WordPress UTM tracking to understand your marketing efforts better and adjust your strategy accordingly.

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What is a UTM Code?

man with a laptop - WordPress UTM Tracking

A UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) code is a little text you add to the end of a URL. It helps you track how well your digital marketing campaign is doing. 

UTM codes come with five possible parameters: 

  • Campaign
  • Source
  • Medium
  • Content
  • Term

These tags appear in Google analytics and other analytics tools, giving you a clearer view of your campaign's success.

The Origins of UTM Codes: A Quick History

Have you ever wondered where UTM codes came from? Urchin Software created them for its web stats program. Google bought the company in 2005 and launched Google Analytics later that year. By 2012, Google had folded Urchin into its software, making UTM codes a staple for campaign tracking. 

The Core UTM Parameters You Need to Know

Regarding UTM codes, you’ll use the main parameters: 

  • Source
  • Medium
  • Campaign

These tags help you see where your traffic is coming from and how it's getting to your site.

Source

The source tells you where the traffic is coming from. It could be: 

  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Organic search

The code looks like this: `utm_source=facebook`. 

You can get specific with this one. If you want to know which Facebook group sent the traffic, just add a unique value for the source.

Medium

The medium shows you the channel or type of traffic. This could be social media, email, or organic. Here's how it looks: `utm_medium=social.` This helps you see what kind of marketing is working.

Campaign

The campaign tag is about tracking the campaign itself. You'll see all the traffic from a specific campaign, which helps you test things like ad copy. It looks like this: `utm_campaign=sale.` This way, you can figure out what works best.

More UTM Parameters: Getting Specific

You can use other UTM parameters if you want to go deeper. These are great for studying specific data, like which keywords drive traffic. For example: `utm_term=SEO.` Just be careful to add only a few UTMs, or you might slow down your site.

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Why Use UTM Codes To Track Traffic & Conversions?

laptop - WordPress UTM Tracking

Using UTM codes for tracking traffic and conversions is like having a map for your digital marketing. You see: 

  • Where do your visitors come from
  • What campaign brought them in
  • How they behave on your site

This isn’t just about knowing your numbers; it’s about understanding what works and doesn’t.

Driving More Conversions and Revenue

Want to drive more conversions and revenue? UTM codes help you do just that. They give you the power to test different elements of your campaigns, like: 

  • Ad copy
  • Keywords
  • Images

This means you can continuously improve your traffic and conversions. You’re not just guessing; you’re making data-driven decisions that boost your bottom line.

Diving Deeper into Traffic Analysis

With UTM codes, you’re not stuck with generic analytics. You get a detailed view of where your traffic comes from and how it gets there. You see the specific domain, page, ad, or campaign that sent visitors to your site. This level of detail helps you understand your audience and tailor your marketing efforts to meet their needs.

Multichannel Campaigns Need UTM Codes

If you’re running multichannel marketing campaigns, UTM codes aren’t optional but essential. Without them, you might know your campaign is working but won’t know which parts are doing the heavy lifting. UTM codes show you where to focus your efforts and where to make adjustments. This way, you’re not wasting money on tactics that don’t work.

UTM Codes Enhance Your Marketing Tools

UTM codes work hand-in-hand with tools like Google Analytics. They provide the extra data these tools need to make accurate suggestions and recommendations. This means you can optimize your campaigns and make data-driven decisions that improve your results.

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Setting Up WordPress UTM Tracking

man with a laptop - WordPress UTM Tracking

1. Choose Your UTM Code Generator

Decide how you'll generate your UTM codes. You can do it manually or with a plugin. Google Campaign URL Builder is a solid choice for manual entry, but if you prefer automation, opt for WordPress plugins like MonsterInsights, BetterLinks, or utm.codes. These plugins allow you to create UTM parameters directly from your WordPress dashboard, streamlining the process.

2. Install and Activate Your Chosen Plugin

If you use a plugin, it's time to install and activate it. Head to your WordPress dashboard, then navigate to Plugins > Add New. Search for your selected plugin—whether it’s MonsterInsights or BetterLinks—and hit Install, followed by Activate. This gets the tool ready for UTM code creation right from your site.

3. Create Your UTM Code

Now for the fun part: creating your UTM code. 

If you're using MonsterInsights, 

  • Go to Insights > Tools. 
  • Enter the URL you want to track and fill out the UTM parameters like: some text
    • Source (where the traffic's coming from, such as newsletter or Facebook)
    • Medium (like email or social media)
    • Campaign (name it something like spring_sale)
  • Optional parameters include Terms and Content for more granular tracking. 

BetterLinks users can navigate to BetterLinks > Manage Links and click Add New Link to set up their parameters.

4. Put Your UTM Code to Use

With your UTM code ready, it's time to use it. Use it in emails, social media posts, or any promotional material. Just make sure that the links are correctly formatted and functioning—check this before launching your campaigns.

5. Track Your Campaign Performance in Google Analytics

Once you're live, head to Google Analytics to see how your campaigns perform. Log in, go to Acquisition > Campaigns > All Campaigns, and find traffic data segmented by the UTM parameters. This insight helps you evaluate what's driving traffic and conversions to your site.

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3 UTM Tracking Best Practices To Follow

woman on a laptop - WordPress UTM Tracking

1. Keep Your UTM Links Organized

Picture this: you're in the middle of a campaign and need a specific UTM link pronto. But wait, where is it? Avoid this panic by keeping a running list of your UTM links in a shared location. A spreadsheet might sound old-school, but it beats scavenger hunts every time. 

This way, your team can easily find existing links and avoid creating duplicates that could mess up your analytics. Plus, it's a straightforward way to keep everyone on the same page and ensure consistency in your UTM tracking efforts.

2. Stick to Lowercase Letters

Did you know that UTM codes are case-sensitive? That means "email" and "Email" would be treated as separate things, which could lead to messy data. Lowercase letters for all your UTM codes can help you avoid this pitfall. It's a simple tweak, but it does wonders for keeping your analytics clean and consistent. So, whether it's the campaign name or the medium, lowercase letters are your best friend here.

3. Be Short and Sweet with Descriptions

When it comes to UTM codes, less is more. Short and descriptive identifiers make it easier to understand what you're tracking at a glance. You don’t need to write a novel; just a few words will do. Skip the proper grammar and focus on clarity. This makes it simpler to scan your analytics and quickly grasp what each code represents, saving you time and reducing the chance of errors.

How To Use UTM Codes For Your Campaigns

google search console - WordPress UTM Tracking

Boosting Campaign Success with UTM Codes

UTM codes are invaluable for tracking the success of promotional campaigns. They offer a way to see if users are reaching your site from your marketing efforts. Consider a product launch: you’d want to know if your Facebook ads drive traffic. You can achieve this with a UTM code like this:

`mywebsite.com/new-product?utm_campaign=product_launch&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=facebook`

Running a discount campaign through Instagram influencers? Use a link like:

`mywebsite.com/sale?utm_campaign=20_off&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=instagram&utm_content=bio`

Compare Social Strategies Easily

Curious how your brand's social media performance stacks up against content shared by your followers? UTM codes can help distinguish between the two. Share your own post with a link like this:

`mywebsite.com?utm_campaign=inhouse_social&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=post`

Ask your followers to share this link:

`mywebsite.com?utm_campaign=followers&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=post`

Guest Posting with Purpose

When guest posting, it’s crucial to know if those posts actually drive traffic back to your site. Ensure all links in your guest post have UTM parameters. For example:

`mywebsite.com?utm_campaign=guest_post&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=guest_post_site&utm_content=body`

Tracking Content Across Channels

Using UTM tracking codes allows you to track the same piece of content across multiple marketing channels. This is probably one of the best uses for UTM tracking codes. You can drop the campaign parameter for this use case and simply track the medium, source, and content.

LinkedIn: `mywebsite.com/my-content?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&utm_content=caption`

YouTube: `mywebsite.com/my-content?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_content=description`

Facebook: `mywebsite.com/my-content?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=caption

Enhance Your Internal Link Strategy

Knowing if the internal linking strategy is working as intended is very important as an SEO content writer. Adding UTM parameters helps me track where my content gets the most clicks. Here are three examples:

Image: `mywebsite.com/my-content?utm_source=blog&utm_content=image`

Above the Fold: `mywebsite.com/my-content?utm_source=blog&utm_content=above_the_fold`

Bottom of the Post: `mywebsite.com/my-content?utm_source=blog&utm_content=bottom`

Note: It’s advisable to use this strategy with caution, as using too many UTM parameters in internal links can cause confusion to Google. You should use it on a small batch of internal links, collect the clicking patterns, delete the UTM links, and then act on those results for your future internal linking efforts.

As always, ensure you’ve set a canonical URL for each link to minimize confusion and prevent duplicate indexing.

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WordPress UTM Tracking: The Secret to Better Blog Performance

You've spent hours creating the perfect blog post, but how do you know if it's working? That's where WordPress UTM tracking comes in. By adding UTM parameters to your links, you can see exactly where your traffic is coming from and how visitors interact with your content. 

This information is essential for understanding what’s working and what’s not, so you can make data-driven decisions and improve your blog’s performance. Plus, UTM tracking is easy to set up and use, even for beginners. So why not start using it today and see the results for yourself?

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