Short tags added to the end of a link that tell your analytics tool where a visit came from, such as the source, medium and campaign name.
Example
Meera's link in her Diwali WhatsApp broadcast ends with ?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=broadcast&utm_campaign=diwali_2026. In GA4 she can then see how many of her sales came from that one message.
How you'll hear it
“Tag every WhatsApp and email link with UTMs, or GA4 will dump them in direct.”
Don't confuse it with
- Pixel: tracks what people do on your site; UTMs label where they came from.
In India: Links shared on WhatsApp often arrive in analytics as direct traffic with no source. Tagging WhatsApp links with UTMs is the simple way to see what that channel brings.
Related terms
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Sources
- URL builders: Collect campaign data with custom URLs, Google Analytics Help
- UTM Parameters: How to Use Them, Shopify, 2026