How UTM Tracking Works

This article explains the basic concepts behind UTM Tracking so the rest of the documentation makes sense.

What is a UTM parameter?

UTM parameters are small tags you add to the end of a link so analytics tools can tell where a visitor came from. For example:

https://yourstore.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer-sale

The standard parameters are utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, and utm_term. You can build links like this with the built-in UTM Link Builder.

How the plugin records a source

1. A visitor lands on your store. The plugin reads any UTM parameters in the URL.
2. If there are no UTM parameters, it works out the source automatically from the referring website (for example a Google search or a Facebook post). See How Traffic Sources Are Detected.
3. The source is stored in a cookie in the visitor’s browser, so it survives while they browse your site.
4. When the visitor places an order, the source from the cookie is saved permanently on that order.

First touch and last touch

The plugin remembers two things: the very first way a customer found you (First Touch) and the most recent way they arrived before buying (Last Touch). This shows you both what introduced a customer to your brand and what closed the sale. Read more in First Touch vs Last Touch.

Privacy

All tracking data stays on your own site. The plugin uses a first-party cookie and stores the result in your WordPress database, it does not send visitor data to any third party.