Guide1 min read
UTM parameters: a practical guide
utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign: three parameters are enough to know where your visitors come from in Google Analytics or Plausible. And a short link hides them.
By L'équipe Bref
UTM parameters are small labels added to a web address so your analytics tool knows where a visitor came from. Google Analytics, Plausible, Matomo and most tools on the market read them.
The three essentials
| Parameter | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
utm_source |
Who sends the visitor | newsletter, linkedin |
utm_medium |
Which kind of channel | email, social, print |
utm_campaign |
Which operation | back-to-school-2026 |
Two more exist, utm_content (to tell apart two links in the same message) and utm_term (mostly for paid ads). Start without them.
The problem: unreadable addresses
An address with its UTMs looks like this:
https://example.com/offer?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=back-to-school-2026
Nobody wants to click that, let alone type it from a flyer.
The fix: tuck them behind a short link
Create a Bref link whose destination already carries the UTMs. You share /back-to-school, the visitor lands on the right page with the right labels, and your analytics tool does the rest.
Even better: Bref passes on the parameters added to the short link. If you share /back-to-school?utm_source=instagram, the destination receives utm_source=instagram. One link, many channels.
A few rules to stay consistent
- Always lowercase.
Newsletterandnewsletterwould count as two sources. - A fixed vocabulary. Decide once and for all that paper is called
print, and stick to it. - No personal data. Never an email address or a name in a UTM.
What about QR codes?
For a QR code, put utm_medium=print in the destination. Bref already counts scans separately from clicks, so you get the same information in both tools and can compare them.
