How to Set up UTM to Maximize Visibility into High Intent Traffic

What are UTM parameters and why do they matter?

UTM parameters are specific tags added to the end of a URL so that Bread and Butter can identify the source of your high intent traffic. When a visitor clicks a link with these tags, Bread and Butter reads the information to tell you exactly which campaign, keyword, or platform drove that individual to your site. This is the only way to distinguish between general organic traffic and specific high intent traffic from your paid advertisements and emails.


Understanding Your UTM Parameters

  • Source: This identifies the specific site or platform where the click originated. Think of this as the "where" of your traffic. Examples include Google, LinkedIn, or your company newsletter.
  • Medium: This describes the delivery vehicle or the high level marketing channel used. It tells you the "how" of the visit. Common examples include CPC for paid ads, email for direct outreach, or social for organic posts.
  • Campaign: This allows you to group various assets and ads under a single marketing initiative. Use this to track specific goals such as a seasonal promotion, a webinar series, or a new product launch.
  • Keyword: Primarily used for search engine advertisements, this captures the specific term or phrase the user searched for before clicking your ad. This is one of the strongest indicators of visitor intent in your reports.
  • Content: This is used to differentiate similar links or ads within the same campaign. If you are testing two different images or two different call to action buttons, this parameter tells you exactly which version successfully caught the visitor's eye.

Universal UTM Parameter Table

Parameter Function Example Value
Source Origin of the visitor google, linkedin, mailchimp
Medium Marketing channel cpc, social, email, referral
Campaign Specific marketing push spring_sale, v3_launch
Keyword Search term used lead_generation_software
Content Specific ad or link version blue_button, video_ad_v2

Platform Configuration Guide


Google Ads

Google Ads uses a system called auto tagging, but for the most granular data in Bread and Butter, we recommend using the Final URL Suffix.

  1. Log into your Google Ads account.
  2. Navigate to Account Settings and then select Settings.
  3. Expand the Account Settings group and look for Final URL Suffix.
  4. Enter your parameters: utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_term={keyword} .

Meta and Facebook Ads

Meta allows you to define parameters at the individual Ad level, which is perfect for tracking specific creative performance.

  1. Open your Meta Ads Manager and navigate to the Ad level.
  2. Scroll down to the Tracking section at the very bottom.
  3. Find the field labeled URL Parameters.
  4. Enter your string: utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{ad.name}} .

LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn requires you to add the parameters directly to your destination URL when creating your ad.

  1. Find the Destination URL field.
  2. Add a question mark followed by your UTM string.
  3. Example: https://yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=q1_prospecting .

Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers an auto tagging feature that simplifies the process for your newsletters.

  1. Log into your Mailchimp account and navigate to the Campaigns section.
  2. Within your email settings, locate the Tracking options.
  3. Check the box for Google Analytics tracking. This will automatically append the necessary parameters to every link in your email.

HubSpot

HubSpot handles most of the work through its global marketing settings.

  1. Go to the Settings menu and navigate to Marketing followed by Email.
  2. Under the Tracking tab, make sure the toggle for Source tracking is turned on.
  3. This ensures that every click from your email is identified in Bread and Butter with the correct campaign and source labels.

The Universal UTM Deployment Checklist

Use this checklist before launching any campaign or email to ensure your high intent traffic is captured perfectly:

  • Lowercase Consistency: Ensure all tags use lowercase letters only. Systems often treat Social and social as different sources.
  • No Special Characters: Verify that no spaces, hyphens, or dashes are used within your UTM values. Use underscores if you need to separate words.
  • Dynamic Variable Check: If using Google or Meta, ensure your curly brackets or double brackets are closed correctly so the platform can inject the correct data.
  • Destination URL Accuracy: Check that your base URL still works after the UTM string is appended. A broken link means a lost lead.
  • Email Link Integrity: Always click the links in your test emails to ensure the UTM tags are appended correctly and do not result in an error page.
  • Incognito Verification: Paste your full tagged link into an Incognito window and visit your site. Check your Bread and Butter dashboard under Recent Visits to confirm the source and campaign appear as expected.

Strategic Naming Conventions for Better Data

To keep your dashboard organized as your marketing team grows, follow these professional naming standards:

  • Stick to Lowercase: Always use lowercase letters. Analytics systems are case sensitive and will treat Email and email as two separate channels.
  • Use Underscores for Spaces: Since you cannot use spaces or dashes in a URL, use underscores to separate words. For example, use product_launch instead of product launch.
  • Be Descriptive but Brief: Keep your campaign names short enough to read in a table but descriptive enough to recognize. Use webinar_march_2026 rather than just webinar.
  • Avoid Redundant Information: If your source is already set to google, you do not need to repeat the word google in your campaign name.
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