UTM Builder (Free Google Sheets Template) + Best Practices

Bydelmich

Generate clean UTM links your analytics can trust. Includes naming conventions and a QA checklist.

Download the UTM Builder

Copy the Sheet and set your team’s naming convention once.

Set Your Naming Convention

  • Use lowercase; hyphens for spaces; avoid emojis and special chars.
  • Recommended fields: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term (optional).

Suggested taxonomy

  • source: google, facebook, linkedin, newsletter
  • medium: cpc, email, social, referral
  • campaign: yyyy-mm_channel_goal (e.g., 2025-10_launch_black-friday)
  • content: ad1-image, ad2-video-15s, cta-primary

Build Links (Formulas)

Assuming base URL in A2 and parameters in B2:F2:

=LOWER(A2&"?utm_source="&ENCODEURL(B2)&"&utm_medium="&ENCODEURL(C2)&"&utm_campaign="&ENCODEURL(D2)&IF(E2<>"","&utm_content="&ENCODEURL(E2),"")&IF(F2<>"","&utm_term="&ENCODEURL(F2),"") )

Auto‑validate required fields (Data → Data validation): require source, medium, campaign.

QA Checklist

  • Encoding: ensure spaces become %20 (handled via ENCODEURL).
  • Dupes: avoid multiple ? in the URL.
  • Case: everything lowercase for consistent reporting.

Where to See UTM Data

  • GA4: Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition; add Session source/medium/campaign.
  • Ad platforms & CRM: ensure final URLs include the UTM query string.

FAQ

Do UTMs affect SEO? No, they’re ignored for ranking; use canonical URLs.

Long campaign names? Keep them human‑readable; ≤60–80 chars works well.

Email vs newsletter? Use medium=email and source=newsletter for owned sends.

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