Which UTM parameters do I need?

Source, medium and campaign. Content and term are optional; utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic are for ads and cost imports — Google notes the last two aren't reported in GA4 yet.

What medium should I use for social posts?

"social" for unpaid posts — it's on Google's Organic Social list (social, social-network, social-media, sm, social network, social media). For ads, a medium like "paid_social" or "cpc" with a social source lands in Paid Social.

Do UTM links hurt SEO or reach?

No — they don't change the page. Some platforms show the full link, so a short or tidy one reads better in a caption.

Is my link stored anywhere?

No. It's built on this page and only leaves it if you copy it.

UTM Link Builder

Add campaign tags to a link so Google Analytics knows which post, platform and campaign each visit came from. The link is built on this page — nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Page address

Any page on your site. https:// is added if you leave it out.

Quick source

Source (utm_source) — always use

Where the click comes from: the platform, newsletter or site.

Medium (utm_medium) — always use

The kind of traffic. "social" (or "paid_social" for ads) puts it in GA4's Organic or Paid Social channel.

Campaign (utm_campaign) — always use

The campaign, launch or post series.

Content (utm_content)

Tells two links in one campaign apart — two posts, a bio link and a story.

Term (utm_term)

The paid keyword, for search ads.

More Google Analytics 4 fields

Campaign ID (utm_id)

An ID for the campaign, used for importing cost data.

Source platform (utm_source_platform)

The ad platform buying the traffic.

Creative format (utm_creative_format)

The ad's format (display, native, video). Not reported in GA4 yet.

Marketing tactic (utm_marketing_tactic)

The targeting (remarketing, prospecting). Not reported in GA4 yet.

Make everything lower-case

Spaces become

Your link

Add the page address first.

Google Analytics channel: Organic Social — the medium is on Google's list of social mediums.

The link is put together on this page. Nothing you type is saved or sent to CAPTD.

Turn this into a whole campaign

Got the links? Spotlight's Campaign mode writes the posts that carry them — a caption, hashtags and a version for each platform from one brief.

Campaign mode is part of the Spotlight workspace on CAPTD's paid plans — see pricing.

Open Campaign mode

How to use this

What it does

Adds Google Analytics campaign parameters (UTM tags) to a link: where the click came from (source), what kind of traffic it is (medium) and which campaign it belongs to. Anything already on the address is kept; old UTM tags are replaced.

What you'll need

The page you're linking to
Source, medium and campaign — Google says to always use all three
Optionally, content to tell two links in one campaign apart

Steps

Paste the page address.
Pick the platform, or type the source.
Name the campaign, then copy the link — or tick several platforms for one link each.

Reading the result

The finished link is the page address with ?utm_source=…&utm_medium=…&utm_campaign=… on the end. The channel line says whether Google Analytics 4 will file it under Organic Social or Paid Social by Google's own published rules.

Tips

Keep everything lower-case: GA4 treats Instagram and instagram as two sources.
Use utm_content to tell a bio link from a story link in the same campaign.
Use a short link (your own domain) if the long one looks messy in a caption.

Learn more

What is a UTM link?

A UTM link is an ordinary link with campaign tags added after a question mark. When someone clicks it, analytics tools such as Google Analytics read the tags and record where the visit came from.

Google's help says to always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign; a missing one shows as (not set) in reports.

Why creators use them

Without tags, a click from an Instagram bio, a story and a DM can all look the same — or not show as Instagram at all, because apps often hide where a visit came from. Tagged links tell you which posts actually send people to your site.

Common mistakes

Mixed capitals. Instagram, instagram and IG become three different sources.
Tagging links inside your own site. UTM tags are for links from outside; on your own pages they overwrite where the visit really came from.
A medium GA4 doesn't recognise. "insta-post" won't land in a social channel — "social" will.

FAQ

Which UTM parameters do I need?: Source, medium and campaign. Content and term are optional; utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_creative_format and utm_marketing_tactic are for ads and cost imports — Google notes the last two aren't reported in GA4 yet.
What medium should I use for social posts?: "social" for unpaid posts — it's on Google's Organic Social list (social, social-network, social-media, sm, social network, social media). For ads, a medium like "paid_social" or "cpc" with a social source lands in Paid Social.
Do UTM links hurt SEO or reach?: No — they don't change the page. Some platforms show the full link, so a short or tidy one reads better in a caption.
Is my link stored anywhere?: No. It's built on this page and only leaves it if you copy it.