Three colleagues promote the same campaign, but the report shows “AutumnLaunch,” “autumn_launch” and “autumn-launch” as separate entries. The campaign did not split itself. Its links were named differently before anyone clicked them.
UTM parameters attach campaign information to a destination URL. Google Analytics’ URL-builder guidance explains the roles of source, medium and campaign, and notes that parameter values are case-sensitive. A naming agreement therefore belongs in the campaign brief, not in the reporting clean-up afterwards.
Choose names before distributing links
Use a small shared register with the destination, source, medium, campaign name, owner and the place where the link will appear. Decide how to represent spaces, capital letters and dates. The particular convention matters less than applying the same meaning consistently.
For an illustrative newsletter link, the agreed values might be source “customer_newsletter,” medium “email” and campaign “autumn_demo.” Another placement can use a different source while retaining the same campaign name. These are invented examples, not measured traffic or a recommendation to copy those exact names.
Keep personal information out of the parameters. URLs can be copied, logged and exposed in several places; a customer’s email address does not belong in a campaign label. Use campaign-level identifiers that make sense to the reporting team.
Test what the audience will actually open
Click the final link in the draft message or advertisement, including any shortener or redirect in the path. Confirm that it reaches the intended page and retains the information the analytics setup requires. Test on the relevant device rather than approving only the raw URL in a spreadsheet.
After launch, inspect the acquisition report for unexpected spelling variants or missing values. A tag helps classify traffic; it does not guarantee that every click will be measured, nor does it prove that the campaign caused a sale. Consent settings, blockers, attribution rules and the site’s implementation affect the data.
Keep the register for the next campaign. Reusing a clear convention is easier than repeatedly deciding whether two nearly identical rows describe the same activity.