The same newsletter can end up split between newsletter, Newsletter and october_email when everyone labels links differently. Even a successful campaign then becomes hard to evaluate. A UTM convention does not need a lengthy policy document. It needs a few rules, examples people can copy and someone responsible for checking the actual links before they are published in each channel your team uses.
Agree what each field means
Google recommends including utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign when manually tagging a URL. Explain your convention in everyday language: source identifies the origin, medium classifies the route and campaign groups an initiative. A newsletter might use source=customer_newsletter, medium=email and campaign=autumn_collection. These are illustrative names, not compulsory values or a universal setup for every advertising platform. Make sure the people preparing links understand the purpose of each field rather than memorising a string.
Maintain a small shared dictionary
Choose lower case, one separator and a stable structure. Decide who can introduce a new source or medium name. Keep one row per link with destination, owner, date, campaign and placement. Two links in one email can share a campaign and differ through utm_content. That lets you distinguish a header link from a product block without turning every button into a separate campaign. Never put customer names, email addresses or other personal information into the labels.
Build and test the complete link
An example destination is https://example.com/collection?utm_source=customer_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=autumn_collection&utm_content=hero. Open it in a browser and confirm that it reaches the intended page. Check any link shortener or intermediate redirect too. Parameters on the first link are not enough if they disappear before the destination loads. Test the exact URL the audience will receive, including the mobile journey where relevant. A working spreadsheet formula does not replace this practical check.
Keep campaign tags out of internal navigation
Use this convention for arrivals from external campaigns. To understand which internal button someone selects, discuss a dedicated interaction event with your technical team. Adding campaign labels to every store link can complicate acquisition analysis. If an advertising platform already supplies automatic identifiers, inspect its documentation before mixing methods. Write these exceptions into the team convention so nobody adds parameters simply because another campaign used them successfully last week.
Check the report after publication
Confirm that the expected name appears once reporting data is available. An error discovered early can be corrected in future links, but do not promise that changing the URL automatically reconstructs historical data. Keep a note explaining the discrepancy. At campaign close, compare results with the original objective and a coherent reporting period. ClawStud can support a shared view of traffic; reliable labels still depend on the way your team prepares, tests and distributes links.
Official reference: Google Analytics: URL builders and campaign parameters.
Read next: How to compare Analytics periods fairly.
