How to Find and Set Up UTM Parameters in Google Ads

Purpose

This guide explains how to locate existing UTM parameters in your Google Ads account and set up new ones if they don't exist. UTM parameters are essential for tracking campaign performance across different marketing channels and making data-driven decisions to optimize your advertising efforts.

Understanding Key Concepts

Before you start, it's helpful to understand a few concepts:

UTM Parameters

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags added to URLs to track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. The five main UTM parameters are:

• utm_source: Identifies where the traffic comes from (e.g., google, newsletter)
• utm_medium: Identifies the marketing medium (e.g., cpc, banner, email)
• utm_campaign: Identifies your specific campaign (e.g., spring_sale)
• utm_term: Identifies paid search keywords
• utm_content: Differentiates similar content within ads (e.g., text_ad, image_ad)

Auto-tagging vs Manual UTM Tracking

• Auto-tagging: Google's feature that automatically appends a GCLID (Google Click Identifier) parameter to track performance in Google Analytics
• Manual UTM Tracking: Manually defined parameters useful for tracking in third-party analytics tools or when you need custom tracking parameters

Tracking Template

The primary location where you define your UTM parameters using ValueTrack parameters (like {lpurl}) and your desired tracking parameters.

Finding Existing UTM Parameters

Follow these steps to locate existing UTM parameters in your Google Ads account:

Step 1: Check Account Level Settings

1. Navigate to Settings > Account settings
2. Look for the Tracking section
3. Check the Tracking template field for any existing UTM parameters
4. Note whether auto-tagging is enabled in the Auto-tagging section

Step 2: Check Campaign Level Settings

1. Go to the Campaigns tab
2. Select your campaign
3. Click the Settings tab
4. Expand the Campaign URL options section
5. Look for UTM parameters in the Tracking template field

Step 3: Check Ad Group and Ad Level Settings

1. Navigate to Ad groups or Ads & assets
2. Add the Tracking template column to your view
3. Check for any UTM parameters set at these levels

Setting Up New UTM Parameters

If you don't find existing UTM parameters or need to set up new ones, follow these steps:

Step 1: Accessing Campaign Settings

1. Log into your Google Ads account
2. Navigate to the campaign you want to set up UTM parameters for
3. Click on Settings in the left sidebar

Step 2: Configuring Campaign URL Options

1. Scroll to find the Campaign URL options section
2. Click the arrow to expand the options
3. Locate the Tracking template field

Step 3: Setting Up the Tracking Template

1. In the Tracking template field, enter your UTM parameters using this format:

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaign}&utm_term={keyword}&utm_content={creative}

2. Customize the parameters based on your needs:

• {lpurl}: Your landing page URL
• {campaign}: Campaign name
• {keyword}: Search keyword
• {creative}: Ad creative ID

Example with custom values:

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_term={keyword}&utm_content=text_ad

Step 4: Applying and Verifying UTM Parameters

1. Click Save to apply your changes
2. Use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool to verify your UTM parameters
3. Check that the final URL includes all your specified parameters

Best Practices for UTM Parameters

1. Consistent Naming: Use consistent naming conventions across all campaigns
2. Case Sensitivity: Keep parameters lowercase to avoid tracking discrepancies
3. No Spaces: Use underscores or hyphens instead of spaces
4. Campaign Specificity: Make campaign names descriptive and specific
5. Regular Audits: Periodically review and update your UTM parameters

Using Auto-Tagging with UTM Parameters

You can use both auto-tagging and manual UTM parameters together:

1. Enable auto-tagging in your account settings
2. Set up your UTM parameters as described above
3. Your final URL will include both the GCLID and UTM parameters:

https://www.example.com/?gclid=abc123def456ghi789&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale

This combination allows you to track campaign performance in both Google Analytics (via GCLID) and other analytics platforms (via UTM parameters).

Summary

• Check for existing UTM parameters at Account, Campaign, and Ad Group levels
• Set up new UTM parameters using the tracking template
• Follow consistent naming conventions
• Consider using both auto-tagging and UTM parameters for comprehensive tracking
• Regularly review and update your UTM parameters to ensure accurate tracking

Remember that accurate campaign tracking is essential for making data-driven decisions and optimizing your advertising efforts. By properly implementing UTM parameters, you can better understand which campaigns, keywords, and ads are driving the most value for your business.