How to Set Up UTM Parameters in Google Ads?

Understand What You’re Really “Setting Up” When You Add UTMs in Google Ads

UTM parameters aren’t a special Google Ads feature; they’re simply extra query parameters you append to your landing page URL so your analytics platform (or CRM) can classify sessions the way you want. In Google Ads, the clean way to do that is through URL options, because you can standardize tracking without editing every ad.

Before you touch UTMs, decide how you want Google Ads attribution and analytics attribution to work together. In most mature setups, you’ll run auto-tagging for full-fidelity Google Ads measurement and add UTMs for consistent cross-channel reporting and easier data handoffs to non-native tools.

Auto-tagging vs. UTMs (and why “both” is often the best answer)

Auto-tagging appends click identifiers to your landing page URL so ad platform data can be joined to on-site behavior and conversions. This is the foundation for seeing richer Google Ads reporting in analytics and for avoiding “(not set)” gaps when you want campaign/ad group level detail.

Manual tagging (UTMs) is still valuable when you need consistent naming across channels, when stakeholders live in UTM-based dashboards, or when you want a fallback classification method if click identifiers get lost due to redirects or URL rewriting.

One important nuance: when auto-tagging and UTMs are used together, many analytics setups will prioritize the auto-tagged values for traffic-source classification. However, if the click identifier can’t be used as intended and any UTM is present, analytics may rely on UTMs exclusively for traffic-source dimensions. Practically, that means partial UTM tagging (only setting one or two fields) can create messy reporting—so if you add UTMs, add them thoughtfully and completely.

Build a UTM Framework That Won’t Turn Into a Reporting Mess

UTMs are deceptively simple. The real “expert move” is making them consistent, scalable, and future-proof so you don’t have to redo them when you launch new campaign types, restructure accounts, or change landing page routing.

Start with the three UTMs you should treat as non-negotiable

At minimum, use utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign. Those three fields typically form the backbone of how traffic is grouped in acquisition reporting. From there, add utm_content when you want creative/ad-level differentiation, and utm_term when you want keyword/search intent context.

If your analytics environment supports additional manual campaign fields (for example, a campaign ID field and a source platform field), adding those can dramatically reduce ambiguity—especially if campaign names change over time or if multiple platforms use the same “source/medium” conventions.

Decide where UTMs should live: Final URL, Final URL suffix, or Tracking template

Final URL is your actual landing page. Hardcoding UTMs directly into every Final URL works, but it’s painful to maintain and easy to break during landing page tests and URL migrations.

Final URL suffix is the most practical place for UTMs in most accounts. It appends your parameters to the end of the landing page URL without forcing you to rewrite every ad URL. It can also be applied at multiple levels (account, campaign, ad group, keyword, ad, and certain other entities), which gives you control without chaos.

Tracking template is primarily for third-party click measurement and redirect-based trackers. If your only goal is “append UTMs to my landing page,” you generally want the Final URL suffix. Keep tracking templates for situations where clicks must pass through a measurement endpoint, and keep anything that must reach the landing page (like UTMs) in the Final URL suffix whenever possible.

Make UTMs dynamic (without making them unreadable)

You have two scalable tools for dynamic tagging in Google Ads: ValueTrack parameters (which insert things like campaign ID, device, match type, keyword, and more) and custom parameters (your own variables you define once and then reuse).

My preferred “enterprise-safe” pattern is: keep the account-level Final URL suffix stable (source/medium plus a few consistently useful dynamic fields), and use campaign-level custom parameters to control human-readable campaign naming. This approach stays clean during restructures, reduces approval/review churn, and keeps naming conventions in one place.

Step-by-Step: How to Set Up UTM Parameters in Google Ads (Recommended Method)

1) Turn on auto-tagging first (even if you plan to use UTMs)

If your analytics and Google Ads are meant to work together, auto-tagging should typically be enabled. This helps preserve the richest possible measurement and reduces the chances of losing Google Ads attribution details.

• Go to Admin in Google Ads, open Account settings, find Auto-tagging, and enable the option to tag the URL people click through from your ad.

If you use any third-party ad serving technology that doesn’t support auto-tagging, validate compatibility before enabling it at scale.

2) Choose your control level (account-level first, then override only when needed)

In most accounts, start at the account level so every new campaign you launch inherits the same baseline UTMs. Then override at the campaign level only when you truly need different values (for example, different campaign naming, special segmentation, or separate reporting requirements).

Also note the operational benefit: updating URL options at broader levels (like account/campaign/ad group) is typically much easier to maintain long-term than editing at the ad or keyword level, where changes can trigger more friction and reviews.

3) Add UTMs using Final URL suffix (the cleanest place for most UTM tagging)

In URL options, place your UTMs in Final URL suffix as a query-string style list of key/value pairs. You’ll normally format it like:

utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=YOUR_CAMPAIGN_NAMING

Then layer in optional fields when they serve a real reporting purpose:

utm_content for creative/ad differentiation, and utm_term for keyword-level context (keeping in mind some campaign types may not populate keyword-based fields consistently).

4) Use ValueTrack to automate what should be automated

Instead of manually maintaining dozens of UTM variants, use ValueTrack fields where it makes sense. A practical example is using a stable identifier for campaign or ad group context, plus fields like device or match type when those dimensions matter in your downstream reporting.

One key rule: if you ever use a tracking template (for example, with a third-party click tracker), ensure it contains a final URL insertion ValueTrack parameter (commonly the landing page insertion field). Without that, the landing page can break because the system doesn’t know where to send the user after measurement.

5) Use custom parameters for readable naming (and to avoid constant rewrites)

Campaign naming is where most UTM setups fall apart. If you rely on names that change, you’ll get fragmented reporting. If you rely only on numeric IDs, reports become hard for humans to interpret.

Custom parameters let you define a stable internal label once (for example, a campaign taxonomy string) and then reference it inside your UTM structure. This keeps the logic consistent while still producing readable reporting dimensions.

6) Test your final landing page output before you scale it

Google Ads provides a built-in way to test URL options so you can see the combined result of your Final URL plus your tracking configuration. Use this every time you adjust UTMs, tracking templates, or redirect logic—especially if you’re running parallel tracking with third-party measurement.

Troubleshooting: When UTMs “Work” but Tracking Still Breaks

Most UTM issues aren’t caused by the UTMs themselves. They’re caused by redirects, URL rewrites, fragments, or inconsistent tagging rules between auto-tagging and manual tagging. When something looks off, use this checklist to diagnose quickly without guesswork.

Critical QA checklist (fix these first)

• Don’t strip query parameters through redirects. If your site (or any middleware) drops parameters, you’ll lose UTMs and/or click identifiers.
• Preserve click identifiers and aggregate identifiers. If identifiers are added to the URL, don’t remove or block them, and make sure any redirect flow keeps them intact.
• Tag the true final landing page. Avoid relying on a “clean” ad URL that redirects to a second URL where the UTMs are added later; this commonly breaks measurement handoffs.
• Place parameters before fragments. If your landing pages use “#” fragments for routing or on-page anchors, parameters must be appended before the fragment to be consistently readable.
• Keep tracking templates HTTPS and redirect-safe. If you use third-party measurement, confirm redirects are server-side and compatible with parallel tracking expectations.
• If you set any UTMs, set them completely. Partial UTM tagging often creates “(not set)” fields in analytics when the system falls back to manual tagging rules.

Two advanced scenarios that catch experienced advertisers off guard

Performance-focused campaign types and keyword UTMs: Some campaign types don’t behave like classic keyword campaigns. If you build a UTM strategy that assumes keyword-level values will always populate, you’ll end up with blanks. In those cases, prioritize stable identifiers and campaign taxonomy, and treat keyword UTMs as “nice to have” rather than mandatory.

Feed-based destinations (shopping and feed-driven formats): If you hardcode UTMs into product URLs in a feed, you can create conflicts when those same product URLs are reused across multiple campaign types. A more durable approach is keeping product URLs clean and applying your campaign-specific tracking logic in Google Ads URL options, so the same product can be promoted in multiple ways without muddy attribution.

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Once you’ve set up a clean UTM framework in Google Ads—using auto-tagging alongside consistent UTMs, placing them in a Final URL suffix at the right level, and leaning on ValueTrack or custom parameters for dynamic details—the next challenge is keeping everything consistent as campaigns evolve. That’s where Blobr can fit naturally into your workflow: it connects to your Google Ads account and runs specialized AI agents that continuously analyze what’s changing across campaigns and landing pages, then surfaces clear, practical actions you can review and apply—helpful when you want tracking, naming conventions, and overall account hygiene to stay reliable without manually auditing every new campaign or edit.