How to track UTM links in Google Analytics

That only works if the link was tagged properly in the first place. Here's the full routine, from building the link to finding the result.

1. Tag the link

Every link needs at least utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. Google says to always use those three, and any you leave out show as (not set). Values are case-sensitive, so linkedin and LinkedIn become two rows.

The builder below starts with a LinkedIn post for an autumn webinar. Replace the address with your page, check the campaign name, and copy the link.

2. Check that it records

Open the tagged link yourself, in a private window if you can, then look at Reports > Realtime in Google Analytics. Google says Realtime shows activity from the last 30 minutes, usually within a few minutes.

Realtime reports how users were first acquired. If your browser has visited the site before, your test may show your old source rather than the new tag. A private window starts fresh, which makes the check clearer.

3. Find the campaign in Traffic acquisition

Standard reports take longer. For a Standard property, Google lists 2–6 hours for intraday data and about 12 hours for the complete day.

1. Sign in to Google Analytics and choose Reports in the left menu.
2. Open Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
3. Click the drop-down above the first column. It shows Session default channel group at first.
4. Choose Session source / medium to see rows like linkedin / social, or Session campaign to see rows like autumn_webinar.
5. Type a value in the search box above the table, such as linkedin / social, to show only that row.

To compare two campaigns side by side, add a comparison at the top of the report. To see source and campaign together, click the plus next to the first column and add Session campaign as a second dimension.

If you can't find Traffic acquisition, it may have been removed from your property's menu. Google says an editor can add it back.

4. Use Explorations for utm_content and utm_term

The standard report covers source, medium and campaign. For the other two tags, build a free-form exploration:

1. Go to Explore and start a Free form exploration.
2. Under Dimensions, import Session manual ad content (that's utm_content) and Session manual term (utm_term). Add Session campaign too.
3. Under Metrics, import Sessions and any key event you care about.
4. Drag the dimensions to Rows and the metrics to Values.

Now you can see which of two links in the same email, or which of several posts in one LinkedIn campaign, sent the most people.

Why tagged visits land in the wrong place

Unassigned channel. GA4 sorts visits into channels using the medium. email, social, cpc, referral and affiliate all match a channel. A medium it doesn't know, like print, still records, but goes to Unassigned in the channel view. Look at Session source / medium instead, or pick a listed medium.

Split rows. Newsletter and newsletter are two rows. Pick lowercase names and write them down so everyone uses the same ones.

Google Ads tags ignored. If Google Ads auto-tagging is on, it adds a gclid to the link, and Google says GA4 gives that priority over manual UTM tags. Use the Google Ads data, or switch auto-tagging off for those links.

Tags missing from the landing page report. Google Analytics strips UTM tags from the Landing page + query string and Page path + query string dimensions. They're still in Page location.

Tags lost in a redirect. If your link goes through a redirect or a short link that drops the query string, the tags never reach the page. Open the link and check the address bar on the final page. If the tags are gone, fix the redirect or tag the final address.

Tags on internal links. Don't tag links between your own pages. A new UTM code starts a new campaign, so a tagged link on your home page would overwrite the real source of the visit.

Next steps

For naming rules and ready-made tags for each platform, read UTM parameters explained. If you're not sure what each part of a tagged link means, start with UTM code meaning. There's also a Google Analytics UTM builder set up for GA4's channels.