How to See UTM Links in Google Analytics 4

You’ve meticulously crafted your marketing campaigns, generated unique UTM-tagged URLs for every ad and social post, and now you’re ready to see the results. But when you log into Google Analytics 4, you’re faced with a common question: where did all that valuable UTM data go? This guide will show you exactly where to find your UTM campaign data in GA4, from standard reports to custom explorations, so you can finally connect your marketing efforts to tangible results.

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A Quick UTM & GA4 Refresher

Before jumping into the reports, let's quickly clarify what we're looking for. UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are simple tags you add to the end of a URL to tell Google Analytics exactly how a user arrived at your site. When a user clicks a UTM-tagged link, GA4 automatically collects and categorizes that information.

There are five standard UTM parameters:

• utm_source: Identifies the source of your traffic, like 'google', 'facebook', or 'newsletter'.
• utm_medium: Specifies the marketing medium, such as 'cpc', 'social', or 'email'.
• utm_campaign: Names the specific campaign, like 'summer-sale-2024' or 'q4-promo'.
• utm_term: Used for paid search to track specific keywords.
• utm_content: Differentiates ads or links that point to the same URL, useful for A/B testing ('blue-button' vs. 'red-button').

For example, if you're running a Facebook ad for a summer sale, your URL might look something like this:

www.yourstore.com?utm_source=facebook&amp,utm_medium=social&amp,utm_campaign=summer-sale-2024&amp,utm_content=video-ad-1

Using these parameters correctly is what allows you to move beyond generic traffic buckets and see precisely which ads, posts, and emails are driving traffic, engagement, and conversions.

The Go-To Reports for UTM Data in GA4

The fastest way to see your UTM performance is within GA4's standard acquisition reports. This is your first stop for quick checks and high-level analysis.

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The Traffic Acquisition Report

This is the most direct and useful report for viewing UTM data. Think of it as your new best friend for campaign analysis.

Here’s how to find and use it:

1. On the left-hand navigation menu, click Reports.
2. Under the Life cycle collection, expand the Acquisition section.
3. Click on Traffic acquisition.

By default, this report groups your traffic by Session default channel grouping. This gives you a broad overview (e.g., Organic Search, Paid Social, Direct), but you want to see your specific campaign tags.

To view your UTM data, simply change the primary dimension:

1. Click the downward-pointing arrow next to the primary dimension title (Session default channel grouping).
2. A list of dimensions will appear. To see your UTM-tagged efforts, select one of the following:

You can also add a secondary dimension for a more granular view. For example, you can set "Session campaign" as your primary dimension and then click the blue + icon next to the primary dimension dropdown to add "Session source / medium" as a secondary dimension. This will show you exactly which source/medium combinations are performing best within each campaign.

A Note on Naming: GA4 Dimensions vs. UTM Parameters

One confusing part of GA4 is that the dimension names don't always match the UTM parameter names one-for-one. It’s slightly different from how it worked in Universal Analytics.

Here’s a quick-reference guide to help translate:

• utm_source maps to Session source
• utm_medium maps to Session medium
• utm_campaign maps to Session campaign
• utm_term maps to Session manual term
• utm_content maps to Session manual ad content

You may also see dimensions starting with "First user" (e.g., First user campaign). This refers to the attribution of the user’s very first visit to your site, whereas "Session" attributes the source of their current visit. For analyzing specific, time-bound campaigns, the "Session" dimensions are usually what you want.

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Creating a Custom UTM Report in GA4 Explorations

The standard reports are great for quick insights, but what if you want to build a comprehensive view of all five of your UTM parameters and save it for later use? That’s where the Explore section comes in handy.

Follow these steps to build a reusable, detailed UTM performance report:

1. Click Explore in the left-hand navigation menu.
2. Start a new exploration by clicking on the Blank template.
3. Give your exploration a name, such as "UTM Campaign Performance Details."
4. Import your Dimensions: In the 'Variables' column on the left, click the + icon next to the Dimensions header. Search for and import each of the session-level UTM dimensions we just discussed:
5. Import your Metrics: Now, click the + icon next to the Metrics header. Search for and import the key performance indicators that matter most to you. Good metrics to start with include:
6. Build the Report: Now comes the easy part. Simply drag and drop your selected Dimensions and Metrics from the 'Variables' panel into the 'Tab Settings' panel:

As you add fields, the report canvas on the right will instantly populate with your data. You now have a custom, detailed dashboard showing exactly how your targeted campaigns are performing across the metrics you care about most. This report is automatically saved in your Explorations hub, ready whenever you need it.

Tips for Effective UTM Analysis in GA4

Finding the data is only half the battle. Here are a few tips to ensure your analysis is clean, accurate, and actionable.

1. Consistency is Everything

Google Analytics is case-sensitive and treats every unique value as a separate line item. 'facebook', 'Facebook', and 'FB' will appear as three different sources in your reports. Establish a clear naming convention for your company (e.g., always lowercase, use hyphens instead of spaces) and stick to it. Use a shared spreadsheet or UTM builder to maintain consistency across all team members and campaigns.

2. Don't Neglect Conversions

Traffic and session numbers show that your links are working, but the Conversions and Total revenue columns tell you if your marketing is actually driving the business forward. Sort your campaign reports by these metrics to quickly identify which campaigns are generating the most value, not just the most clicks.

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3. Look Beyond the Click

Analyze engagement metrics alongside your session and conversion data. A campaign might drive thousands of sessions but have a very low Average engagement time, signaling that the traffic might be low-quality or irrelevant. Conversely, a campaign with fewer sessions but high engagement and conversion rates deserves more investment.

4. Use Filters to Focus Your View

In both the standard reports and Explorations, you can apply filters to zero in on specific data. For instance, in an Exploration, you can drag the 'Session Campaign' dimension into the Filters section and configure it to "contain" a specific keyword, like 'summer-sale', to see the performance of all related campaign activities in one view.

Final Thoughts

Finding your UTM data in Google Analytics 4 is straightforward once you know where to look. By using the Traffic Acquisition report for quick checks and building custom reports in Explorations, you can get a clear picture of what marketing efforts are truly driving results and make more data-driven decisions that grow your business.

While GA4 definitely holds all the raw data, clicking through reports, adding dimensions, and trying to connect the dots can still be a heavy manual lift. At Graphed, we built our platform to eliminate this exact frustration. You can connect your Google Analytics account in seconds and simply ask a question like, "Show me my top 5 campaigns by conversions from Facebook last month," to get an instant, real-time dashboard. We turn hours of clicking through report builders into a simple conversation, freeing you up to spend less time finding data and more time acting on it.