UTM Link Builder: Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, in most analytics platforms. utm_source=Google and utm_source=google are treated as two different sources. Always use lowercase and establish a consistent naming convention across your team.

Source (utm_source) and medium (utm_medium) are strongly recommended for every tagged URL. Campaign (utm_campaign) is also highly recommended. Term (utm_term) and content (utm_content) are optional and used for more granular tracking.

UTM parameters in URLs can cause duplicate content issues if Google indexes both the tagged and untagged version of the same page. Use canonical tags pointing to the untagged URL on your landing pages to tell Google which version is the canonical source.

Spaces are not allowed in URLs and are percent-encoded as %20. Use hyphens instead of spaces in UTM parameter values to avoid this. Enable the URL-encode option in the tool to automatically encode any special characters.

In GA4: go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition. The default channel grouping uses UTM data. For campaign-level detail: Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition, then change the primary dimension to 'Session campaign'. For source/medium: change primary dimension to 'Session source / medium'.

No. Tagging internal links with UTM parameters overwrites the original traffic source attribution, making it appear that users arrived from the internal campaign rather than from their actual external source. Only tag links on external platforms — email, ads, social media, partner sites.

Yes. Build your full UTM-tagged URL first, then shorten it with bit.ly, short.io, or your preferred shortener. The shortener redirects to the full URL including the UTM parameters, which are recorded when the redirect happens.