UTM Attribution

Understand how Tandem Beam captures UTM parameters and uses them for campaign attribution. Learn best practices for UTM tagging across your advertising platforms.

Implementation Guide
Attribution

What are UTM Parameters?

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags added to URLs that tell analytics tools where traffic originated. Tandem Beam automatically captures these parameters for attribution.

utm_source

Where the traffic came from (e.g., google, facebook, linkedin, newsletter)

utm_medium

The marketing medium (e.g., cpc, cpm, email, social, organic)

utm_campaign

The campaign name (e.g., summer_sale, brand_awareness, product_launch)

utm_term

Search keywords (for paid search campaigns)

utm_content

Differentiate ad variations or links (e.g., cta_button, header_link)

Example URL

https://example.com/landing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale

How Beam Captures UTM Parameters

Tandem Beam automatically extracts UTM parameters from the URL when a visitor lands on your site:

1

URL Parsing

When a visitor lands on your site, ClickBeam parses the URL and extracts all utm_* parameters.

2

Session Attribution

UTM parameters are stored with the session and applied to all events during that visit. The attribution_source field is set based on the detected platform.

3

Persisted Attribution

UTM data is saved directly to events in the database for fast querying. No need for expensive joins or real-time calculation.

Attribution Priority Hierarchy

Beam uses a priority system to determine attribution when multiple signals are present:

1

Platform Click IDs (Highest Priority)

gclid (Google Ads), fbclid (Meta), li_fat_id (LinkedIn), ttclid (TikTok), etc.

Priority 1
2

UTM Parameters

utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign - Platform inferred from source

Priority 2
3

Referrer Domain

Parsed from HTTP referer header when no UTM or click IDs present

Priority 3
4

Organic/Direct (Fallback)

When no attribution signals are found, traffic is marked as organic or direct

Priority 4
Why Click IDs beat UTMs: Platform click IDs are automatically appended by ad platforms and are tamper-proof. UTMs can be manually edited or forgotten, so click IDs provide higher confidence attribution.

Platform Detection from UTM Source

When click IDs aren't present, Beam infers the platform from utm_source:

utm_source Values Detected Platform
google, adwords
Google Ads
facebook, fb, instagram, meta
Meta
linkedin
LinkedIn
tiktok
TikTok
pinterest
Pinterest
bing, microsoft
Bing Ads
twitter, x
Twitter/X
reddit
Reddit

UTM Tagging Best Practices

Use Consistent Naming Conventions

Stick to lowercase, use underscores instead of spaces, and be consistent across all campaigns.

Good: utm_campaign=summer_sale_2025
Bad: utm_campaign=Summer Sale 2025

Always Use utm_source and utm_medium

These are the minimum required parameters. utm_campaign is strongly recommended.

Good: utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=retargeting
Bad: utm_campaign=retargeting (missing source and medium)

Match Platform Names Exactly

Use the exact platform names Beam recognizes for accurate attribution.

Good: utm_source=facebook
Bad: utm_source=FB_Ads (won't be recognized as Meta)

Use Descriptive Campaign Names

Include date, offer, or audience segment in campaign names for easy reporting.

Good: utm_campaign=blackfriday_2025_remarketing
Bad: utm_campaign=campaign1

Platform-Specific UTM Templates

Use these templates when setting up campaigns in each platform:

Google Ads

?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={'{'}campaignid{'}'}&utm_content={'{'}adgroupid{'}'}&utm_term={'{'}keyword{'}'}

Google Ads also auto-appends gclid (highest priority).

Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={'{'}campaign.name{'}'}&utm_content={'{'}ad.name{'}'}

Meta also auto-appends fbclid (highest priority).

LinkedIn

?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={'{'}CAMPAIGN_NAME{'}'}&utm_content={'{'}CREATIVE_NAME{'}'}

LinkedIn auto-appends li_fat_id when enabled.

TikTok

?utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={'{'}campaign_name{'}'}&utm_content={'{'}ad_name{'}'}

TikTok auto-appends ttclid when enabled.

Viewing UTM Attribution Data

UTM data is available in multiple places:

Value Dashboard

Top Campaigns table shows UTM campaign, source, and medium alongside revenue and conversions.

Value Dashboard Guide ->

Intelligence Reports

Event-level data includes UTM parameters. Filter and export by campaign.

API: UTM Breakdown

GET /api/reports/attribution/utm-breakdown returns UTM data grouped by source/medium/campaign.

CSV/JSON Export

Bulk exports include UTM fields: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign.

Next Steps

Set up consistent UTM tagging across your campaigns, then explore the Value Dashboard to see campaign performance.

Value Dashboard -> API Reference