Findings and Steps to Track and Review UTM Parameters in Analytics

Summary:

To review the existing UTM parameters (e.g., campaign names, sources, mediums), Google Analytics does not store the UTM URLs themselves but tracks the data derived from those UTM parameters. You can access this data in specific reports in Google Analytics (both GA4 and Universal Analytics). However, to view the actual UTM-tagged URLs, you need to reference your marketing platforms or campaign documents.

Steps to Review and Track Existing UTM Campaigns:

1. Check Campaign Data in Google Analytics:

• GA4:

1. Go to Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition.
2. Look for the Campaign dimension to filter or search for the specific campaign (e.g., wintersale).
3. This will show the data for campaigns, sources, and mediums.

• Universal Analytics (UA):

1. Navigate to Acquisition > Campaigns > All Campaigns.
2. Look for your campaign name (e.g., wintersale) under the Campaign column.
3. You can also use the Search bar or Secondary Dimension to filter by Campaign.
4. Check the Source of UTM Links:

• Email Marketing Platforms: Review the links in your email campaigns to find the UTM-tagged URLs.
• Google Ads / Facebook Ads: Check the Final URL in your paid ad campaigns to see if UTM parameters were applied.
• Social Media: Look at the URLs you used in posts and ads across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc.

1. Check Google Tag Manager (GTM) (if used for tracking):

• In GTM, check for custom Variables and Triggers that capture UTM parameters from the URL.
• Verify that UTM parameters are being passed correctly to Google Analytics via GTM.

1. Use Real-Time Reports to Test UTM Tracking:

• Open the UTM-tagged URL in an Incognito/Private Browsing window.
• Go to Google Analytics > Real-Time > Traffic Sources and ensure the campaign, source, and medium appear correctly in real-time.

Steps to Introduce a New Campaign (with UTM parameters):

1. Define UTM Parameters:

• Decide on the Source, Medium, and Campaign Name.
• Example:
• utm_source=facebook
• utm_medium=social
• utm_campaign=wintersale

1. Build the UTM Link:

• Use the Google Campaign URL Builder to generate the link.
• Example UTM link:
• https://www.yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wintersale

1. Implement the UTM Link:

• Add the UTM-tagged URL to your email campaigns, social media posts, paid ads, and any other promotional channels.

1. Monitor Campaign Performance:

• Use the Acquisition reports in Google Analytics to track the performance of the new campaign under Traffic Acquisition (GA4) or All Campaigns (UA).

1. Create Custom Reports or Dashboards (Optional):

• For more granular tracking, create custom reports or dashboards to monitor the performance of your campaign over time.

Conclusion:

• Google Analytics tracks UTM data (e.g., campaign, source, medium) but does not display the actual URLs. You can view this data in the Acquisition reports.
• Actual UTM URLs can be found in marketing platforms (e.g., email tools, ad platforms, social media).
• To introduce a new campaign, define UTM parameters, build the URL, and implement it across your marketing channels. Track performance in Google Analytics using Campaign and Traffic Source reports.