UTM Parameters & Keyword Analysis

Master the correct use of UTM parameters, learn to analyze Google Ads keyword performance in GA4, and optimize marketing campaign tracking.

中级

25 minutes

Lesson 4 of 7

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This tutorial will take you deep into GA4, mastering how to precisely track custom marketing campaigns beyond Google Ads (such as social media ads, EDM, influencer marketing, etc.), and how to analyze keyword performance in Google Ads.

Part 1: UTM Parameters - Foundation of Precise Tracking

What are UTM Parameters?

Simple codes added to the end of links (URLs) to tell GA4 about traffic source information. When users click a link with UTM parameters, GA4 records this information.

Core UTM Parameters Explained

Parameter	Name	Description	Examples
utm_source	Source	Marks where the traffic comes from	facebook, bing, newsletter_dec
utm_medium	Medium	Marks the type of traffic	cpc, social_post, email
utm_campaign	Campaign	Marks specific marketing campaign name	winter_sale, new_product_launch
utm_term	Term	Mainly for paid search, records specific keywords that brought clicks	running_shoes, best_laptop
utm_content	Content	Used to distinguish different materials or links in the same campaign	blue_banner, video_ad

UTM Link Example

Original Link:

https://www.example.com/product

After Adding UTM Parameters:

https://www.example.com/product?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_post&utm_campaign=winter_sale&utm_content=blue_banner

UTM Parameters Best Practices

Unified Standards

Teams must establish unified naming conventions

Use all lowercase letters
Use underscores instead of spaces
Avoid special characters

Use Tools Wisely

Use Google official tools to generate standardized links

Use Campaign URL Builder tool
Ensure parameters are correct
Maintain consistency when generating in batches

Never Use for Internal Links

Never use UTM parameters on internal website links

Will pollute data sources
Causes session sources to be incorrectly overwritten
Affects attribution analysis accuracy

Important Warning

Facebook_Post and facebook_post will be recorded as two different sources in GA4. Maintaining naming consistency is crucial!

Part 2: View Google Ads Paid Keywords Report

This section is for analyzing keyword performance in Google Ads accounts already linked with GA4.

Operation Steps

Navigate to Acquisition Overview

In the left navigation, expand "Life Cycle" > "Acquisition" > click "Traffic acquisition".

Enter Google Ads Dedicated Report

Below the chart on the report page, find and click the blue "View Google Ads campaigns" link.

Switch Dimension to Keywords

The report shows "Session campaign" data by default. Click this blue dimension name, search and select "Session Google Ads keyword text" in the dropdown menu.

Deep Analysis Tips

Click the "+" in the top right of the table to add secondary dimensions for deep analysis. For example, add "Device category" to compare the same keyword's performance on desktop vs mobile.

Analysis & Insights

Now, the report clearly shows key metrics for each paid keyword: users, sessions, ad clicks, cost, cost per click, and conversions. By adding secondary dimensions (like device category), you can compare the same keyword's performance across different devices to guide bidding strategies.

Part 3: Create Custom Campaign Reports

This section is the core of this tutorial, used to view the effectiveness of all non-Google Ads marketing campaigns marked with UTM parameters. Standard reports cannot directly meet this need, so we need to use the "Explore" feature.

Detailed Operation Steps

Enter Explore Module

In the left navigation, click "Explore" at the top.

Create Free Form Report

Select a "Blank" or "Free form" template to start creating.

Configure Dimensions and Metrics

Import dimensions: Session campaign, Session source/medium, Session manual ad content, Session manual term. Import metrics: Sessions, Engaged sessions, Conversions, Total revenue.

Build Report Chart

Drag "Session campaign" to "Rows" area, drag metrics to "Values" area.

Filter Data, Focus on Custom Traffic

Add filters: Session campaign "does not contain" (not set), Session source/medium "does not contain" google / cpc, to exclude Google Ads auto-tagged traffic.

Analysis & Insights

After filtering, this exploration report now clearly shows the performance of all custom marketing campaigns you've marked with UTM. You can evaluate the ROI of various channels (like Facebook, Bing, EDM) by comparing different campaigns' sessions, conversion rates, and revenue, thereby optimizing marketing budget allocation.

Practical Tips & Advanced Applications

Keyword Optimization Strategy

Regularly check search terms report to discover new high-converting keywords
Analyze device dimensions and adjust bids for different devices
Monitor performance differences between brand and competitor keywords
Use negative keywords to filter ineffective traffic

UTM Tracking Optimization

Establish UTM parameter naming convention documentation
Use spreadsheets to manage all UTM links
Regularly review and clean up invalid UTM tags
Assign UTM creation permissions to different team members

Chapter Summary

Through this chapter, you have mastered the correct use of UTM parameters and the complete process of Google Ads keyword analysis. UTM parameters are the foundation for precisely tracking marketing campaign effectiveness, while keyword analysis helps you optimize the ROI of paid search.

Key Points Review:

UTM parameters must maintain naming consistency
Explore feature is a powerful tool for custom analysis
Keyword analysis requires combining multiple dimensions
Regular optimization is key to improving ROI

In the next chapter, we will learn about GA4 landing page analysis and understand how to evaluate the first impression effectiveness of website pages.