# UTM parameters

> What UTM parameters are, the five standard tags, how to name campaigns so reports stay clean, and how MIRA FIVE reads UTM tags on every visit.

URL: https://mirafive.io/glossary/utm-parameters  
Updated: 2026-09-26

UTM parameters are tags added to a link, such as utm\_source and utm\_campaign, that tell analytics where a visit came from.

UTM parameters are query-string tags on a URL. There are five standard ones: `utm_source` (the site or sender, such as newsletter or google), `utm_medium` (the kind of traffic, such as email or cpc), `utm_campaign` (the campaign name), `utm_term` (the keyword) and `utm_content` (the link or ad variant). A tagged link looks like `https://shop.example/sale?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=autumn_sale`.

They matter most where the referrer is missing or unhelpful: email clients, apps, PDFs and paid ads. Consistent naming matters more than completeness. Use lowercase, one spelling per campaign, and the same names across platforms.

## In MIRA FIVE

UTM parameters are recognised on every visit. Together with the referrer and any ad [click ID](https://mirafive.io/glossary/click-id), they decide the visit’s channel, and `utm_campaign` becomes the campaign inside that channel in Acquisition. With the Google Ads connection, campaigns are joined to visits by `utm_campaign` or gclid, and a diagnosis points out campaigns that are untagged.

## Example

The Acme Shop’s campaign `autumn_sale` is new in the last 30 days and brought 10 buyers.

## Read next

### Guides on this

### [How to see your Google Ads cost per buyer](https://mirafive.io/learn/google-ads-cost-per-buyer)

Google Ads cost per buyer divides spend by the people who paid, not by the conversions Google counts. How MIRA FIVE joins spend to visits and shows ROAS.

### [Why so much traffic shows up as Direct](https://mirafive.io/learn/why-traffic-shows-as-direct)

Why visits land under Direct when links from apps, newsletters, PDFs and WhatsApp lose their referrer, and how UTM tags and Google Ads auto-tagging fix it.

### [How to tag every campaign with UTM parameters](https://mirafive.io/learn/utm-parameters-for-every-campaign)

UTM parameters for every campaign, with the five tags, a naming convention, the utm\_medium value for each channel and ready tags for Google Ads, Meta and email.

### Related terms

- [Channel](https://mirafive.io/glossary/channel)
- [Click ID](https://mirafive.io/glossary/click-id)
- [Landing page](https://mirafive.io/glossary/landing-page)
- [ROAS](https://mirafive.io/glossary/roas)

[All terms](https://mirafive.io/glossary)

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