How to Find UTM Parameters in Google Analytics 4

Building URLs with UTM tags is a core part of any good marketing strategy, but those tags are useless if you can't find the data on the other side. Unlike Universal Analytics, finding and analyzing campaign data in Google Analytics 4 isn’t always obvious. This guide will show you exactly where to find your UTM analysis in GA4's standard reports and how to build a custom report to see all your campaign data in one place.

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A Quick Refresher: What Are UTM Parameters?

Think of UTM parameters as little labels or tags you add to the end of a URL. When someone clicks a link with these tags, Google Analytics reads them and uses that information to tell you precisely where that visitor came from. They are the key to knowing which emails, social media posts, or ads are actually driving traffic and conversions.

There are five standard UTM parameters:

• utm_source: The specific platform that sent the traffic (e.g., facebook, google, monthly_newsletter).
• utm_medium: The marketing channel or medium (e.g., cpc, social, email).
• utm_campaign: The name of your specific campaign, promotion, or content effort (e.g., summer_sale_2024, product_launch).
• utm_term: Used primarily for paid search to identify the specific keywords you bid on. It can also be used for things like an ad set name (e.g., data_analysis_tools).
• utm_content: Used to differentiate between links that point to the same URL within a single campaign, like two different CTAs in an email (e.g., header_link, footer_button).

For example, a link from a Facebook ad for a summer sale might look like this:

www.yourstore.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale_2024

When someone clicks it, GA4 knows that this session originated from paid advertising on Facebook as part of the Summer Sale 2024 campaign.

How to Find UTM Data in Standard GA4 Reports

The primary location for checking your UTM data in GA4 is within the Acquisition reports. There are two very similar reports, but they tell slightly different stories.

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1. The Traffic Acquisition Report (For Session-Level Data)

This report tells you where individual sessions came from. It's the best report for answering the question, "Which marketing channels are driving visits to my site right now?"

Here’s how to access and modify it to see your UTM data:

1. In the left-hand navigation of GA4, click on Reports.
2. Under the "Life cycle" collection, navigate to Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
3. By default, this report displays data grouped by the Session default channel group. To see your UTM parameters, you need to change this primary dimension.
4. Click the dropdown arrow above the first column of the table (it will say "Session default channel group").

From here, you can select dimensions that correspond directly to your UTM tags:

• Select Session source / medium to see data from your utm_source and utm_medium tags combined (e.g., "facebook / cpc").
• Select Session campaign to see data from your utm_campaign tag. This is your go-to view for comparing the performance of different campaigns.
• Select Session manual term to see data from your utm_term tag.
• Select Session manual ad content to see data from your utm_content tag.

You can also use the plus sign (+) next to the primary dimension to add a secondary dimension for a more granular view. For example, you could set your primary dimension to Session campaign and add a secondary dimension of Session source / medium to see which channels are driving the most traffic for each campaign.

2. The User Acquisition Report (For User-Level Data)

This report looks almost identical to the Traffic Acquisition report, but it focuses on how a user first found you. It attributes all of a user's subsequent actions to their very first point of contact, answering the question, "Which channels are best at bringing new, long-term users to my brand?"

The steps to find UTM data are the same, but the dimensions have slightly different names:

1. Navigate to Reports > Acquisition > User acquisition.
2. Click the dropdown on the primary dimension.
3. Select dimensions like First user source / medium or First user campaign to see how new users were acquired.

Most of the time, marketers managing active campaigns will find the Traffic acquisition report more useful for day-to-day analysis, but the User acquisition report is invaluable for understanding which campaigns generate the most valuable customers over the long term.

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Building a Custom Campaign Report in GA4 Explore

Standard reports are useful for quick checks, but they can feel a bit restrictive. If you want to see all your key campaign dimensions and metrics in one place without constant clicking, a custom report in the GA4 "Explore" section is the way to go.

It sounds more intimidating than it is. Simply follow these steps.

Step 1: Create a New Exploration

In the left-hand navigation, click Explore and then choose the Free form report template.

Step 2: Import Your Dimensions

An exploration starts as a blank canvas. The first step is to tell GA4 which dimensions (the "what") you want to analyze. In the "Variables" column on the left, click the plus sign (+) next to DIMENSIONS.

Search for, select, and import each of the following dimensions:

• Session campaign
• Session source / medium
• Session manual term
• Session manual ad content
• Landing page + query string

Once you’ve checked them all, click the blue Import button.

Step 3: Import Your Metrics

Next, you’ll import your metrics (the "how many"). In the "Variables" column, click the plus sign (+) next to METRICS.

Search for, select, and import the metrics that matter most to you, such as:

• Sessions
• Engaged sessions
• New users
• Conversions (you can also select specific conversion events)
• Total revenue
• Engagement rate

Click the blue Import button.

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Step 4: Assemble Your Report

Now you have all the ingredients. The last step is to drag and drop them from the "Variables" column to the "Tab Settings" column on the right.

• Drag Dimensions to Rows: Start by dragging Session campaign from your Variables list and dropping it into the ROWS box. You will immediately see your table populate with campaign names.
• Drag Metrics to Values: Drag all the metrics you imported (Sessions, Conversions, Total revenue, etc.) from the Variables list and drop them into the VALUES box. Your report will now fill out with all the performance data.

That's it! You now have a reusable, custom campaign report. You can name your exploration at the top left (e.g., "Main Campaign UTM Report") and it will be saved in your Explore hub for future use, always populated with real-time data.

Best Practices for Flawless UTM Tracking

Finding the data is only half the battle. To get clean, reliable insights, follow these simple rules when creating your UTM-tagged links.

• Consistency is Everything: GA4 is case-sensitive. facebook, Facebook, and FB will show up as three separate sources in your reports. Establish a clear naming convention (e.g., always lowercase) and stick to it religiously.
• Use a URL Builder: Don’t try to type a tagged URL from scratch. You’ll make mistakes. Use Google’s Campaign URL Builder . It keeps everything formatted correctly and minimizes errors.
• Document Your Campaigns: Keep a shared spreadsheet or document that lists all the campaign names, sources, and mediums you use. This helps your whole team stay consistent and serves as a record of your marketing efforts.
• Never Use UTMs for Internal Links: Do not add UTM parameters to links on your own website (e.g., a link from your homepage to your pricing page). If a user clicks one, it will start a new session in GA4 and overwrite their original traffic source, completely messing up your attribution data.

Final Thoughts

Pinpointing your UTM data in GA4 might seem tricky at first, but it becomes second nature once you know where to look. By toggling the primary dimensions in the acquisition reports and building out a tailored campaign view in Explore, you can cut through the noise and get clear, actionable insights into what's driving your growth.

While mastering GA4 for campaign analysis is a great skill, we know it can become overwhelming when you also need to incorporate data from HubSpot, Facebook Ads, Shopify, and more. With Graphed, you can securely connect all your sources in just a few clicks. Then, simply ask questions like, "Show me a dashboard of my Shopify revenue versus my Facebook ad spend by campaign" and get an interactive, real-time dashboard instantly. This approach automates the manual report-building and platform-hopping, freeing you up to act on your insights instead of just gathering them.