What are UTM parameters?
UTM parameters are labels added to a URL so analytics can identify the source, medium and campaign associated with a link click.
They provide information about the tagged link. They do not reveal everything the visitor read or did before clicking it.
A newsletter link with three fields
| Parameter | Meaning | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | The named source | newsletter |
| utm_medium | The traffic medium | |
| utm_campaign | The campaign name | summer-sale |
The query string can be written as ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer-sale. These values are an example, not an observed campaign.
A source label is different from a channel classification
Channel groups apply rules to source information and other fields. Typing a platform name into a parameter does not guarantee that the visit will enter the category you intended.
Use consistent campaign definitions, then inspect the resulting report. A tagged AI referral still cannot reconstruct the earlier prompt or prove that a citation caused the click.
Sources and scope
Source-language entry records a source check on 2026-09-28. This adaptation preserves that provenance and does not represent a new audit of the cited pages.