Definition
UTM parameters are short tags added to the end of a URL that tell the destination website where a visit came from. There are five in common use: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content. Web analytics tools read them when the page loads and group visits by their values.
How they work
You add the tags after a question mark at the end of a link, for example ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring. When someone follows the link, the page loads as normal and the analytics script on it reads the tags and stores them with the visit.
| Tag | Answers |
|---|---|
| utm_source | Which site or sender the visit came from |
| utm_medium | What kind of traffic it is, such as email or paid social |
| utm_campaign | Which campaign it belongs to |
| utm_term | Which keyword, mostly for search ads |
| utm_content | Which ad or link variant was clicked |
The tags are plain text and anyone can write them. Their value depends on the team using one naming scheme every time.
When they matter
Use them on every link that brings outside traffic to a web page you own. Without them, visits from email, creators and many apps arrive with no stated source and are hard to tell apart.
How they relate to attribution
UTM parameters describe a visit to a web page and go no further. On their own they are not handed to the app after a store visit, so they cannot credit an install. For that, the link into the app has to be a tracking link, and the two are compared in UTM parameters versus tracking links.
They still feed app attribution in one way. A web SDK can read the tags on a landing page and pass their values to the click that leads to the app, where they are stored alongside the click ID. The page on the web SDK and the app SDK shows where that happens.
More terms
Glossary
Web-to-appWeb-to-app is a journey that starts on a web page and ends in a mobile app. What the term covers, when it matters and how attribution handles it.
Glossary
Cross-platform attributionCross-platform attribution credits conversions across web, mobile app and other screens to the marketing that caused them. What it needs to work.
Glossary
Web eventA web event is an action a visitor takes on a website, recorded by a script on the page. How it is collected and how it relates to app attribution.
Web and app
Best attribution platform when the journey starts on the webHow seven attribution platforms handle journeys that start on the web and end in an app, and which plan you need for it.
Cite this page
Airbridge. “UTM parameters.” bestattributionplatform.com. Reviewed 2026-11-10. https://bestattributionplatform.com/glossary/utm-parameters