Track campaign links with a consistent UTM convention

Choose a small convention

Google describes utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign for campaign identification. A team might use lowercase names such as newsletter, email and autumn_release, with utm_content for the creative variant. Keep an agreed dictionary instead of letting every person invent another spelling.

Keep a link register

Record the destination, tag values, placement, owner and dates. An illustrative path can use ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=autumn_release. Use the actual approved destination when publishing and test that it still opens the right product. Do not tag internal navigation as a new external campaign without understanding the reporting consequences.

Exclude private information

Google prohibits sending personally identifiable information to Analytics, including through URLs. Do not place names, email addresses, account identifiers, verification codes or private agreement details in UTM values. Use non-personal campaign labels and review any existing link before sharing it.

Verify the actual measurement setup

Tags only help where compatible measurement is configured and permitted. Confirm consent and privacy handling, then check the relevant source report. Do not assume every redirect preserves tags or that a tagged click becomes a stream. No tracking script, provider account or automated UTM generator is activated here.

Sources and review

Reviewed 4 November 2026. Platform requirements and plan terms can change. Examples are planning aids, not a promise of account access, release acceptance or earnings.

• Google campaign URL guidance
• Google Analytics privacy restrictions

Continue your release planning

• Prepare a music advertising brief before spending money
• Smartlink clicks are not streams: measure the difference

Ask the DistroBolt team about your release. Send a concise question and release reference; never send account passwords or verification codes.