UTMReader
FastUTM · UTM Reader
Paste a campaign link. Understand what it is really tracking.
Free UTM reader and campaign URL breakdown tool
Source · Medium · Campaign · Content · Term · ID · Plain English summary
Use it when someone sends you a link and you want to know whether it is tracking LinkedIn, email, paid ads, QR codes, creative tests or campaign IDs properly.
Need to create a link instead? Use the UTM Builder. Need the full explanation? Read the UTM Reader Guide.
Paste Your Campaign URL
Paste a tracked campaign URL to see what each part means.
Google Ads query values with curly brackets
Google Ads can add dynamic values into a URL using curly brackets. These are often called ValueTrack parameters. For example, {keyword} can be replaced by the search term Google Ads matched, and {creative} can identify the advert creative. The UTM Reader keeps these visible so you can understand what Google Ads will fill in.
{campaignid}The Google Ads campaign ID.{adgroupid}The ad group ID inside the campaign.{creative}The advert creative ID.{keyword}The keyword or matched search term.{device}The device type, such as mobile, tablet or desktop.{network}The network where the click came from.What does the UTM Reader show?
A tracked campaign URL is usually made from a normal destination URL plus campaign parameters. The UTM Reader separates those parts so you can see what the link is telling Google Analytics, dashboards and reporting tools.
| Field | What it usually means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Destination URL | The page visitors land on before campaign tracking is added. | https://example.com/join |
| utm_source | Where the visitor came from, such as a platform, partner, newsletter or QR placement. | linkedin |
| utm_medium | The type of channel, such as social, email, cpc, qr or referral. | social |
| utm_campaign | The campaign name used to group results in analytics. | april-recruitment |
| utm_content | The creative, post, button, QR placement or test variation. | video-post |
| utm_term | Usually used for paid search keywords. | engineering-support |
| utm_id | A campaign ID used by some ad platforms and GA4 setups. | 123456 |
Why this is useful
UTM links are easy to create but also easy to make messy. A link might use LinkedIn instead of linkedin, mix up source and medium, or forget the campaign name entirely. The UTM Reader helps you spot those issues before a campaign goes live.
What to check before sharing a campaign link
- Make sure
utm_source,utm_mediumandutm_campaignare present. - Use lowercase names where possible for cleaner reporting.
- Use hyphens or underscores instead of spaces.
- Add
utm_contentif you are testing different posts, adverts, buttons or QR placements. - Use
utm_termmainly for paid search keywords.
How the UTM Reader works
The UTM Reader takes a tagged link and lays it out in plain English: the destination page, then each UTM value with a note on what it is for. It reads the link in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere. It also recognises Google Ads ValueTrack placeholders in curly brackets and explains what they will become when someone clicks.
Seeing each value on its own line makes small mistakes easy to spot: a capital letter, a space, a misspelt parameter name that analytics would simply ignore, a missing campaign, or tags placed after a # where they will not be read.
When to use it
Use it before you send a newsletter, schedule a post or approve print artwork, to check the final link is right. Use it when someone sends you a link and you want to know what it will record. And use it when a report looks odd, to check the link people actually clicked rather than the one in your notes.
A worked example
A colleague sends a link for this month's newsletter:
https://example.org/events?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medim=email&utm_campaign=spring-events
The Reader shows the source as Newsletter with a capital N, which would split from earlier lower case rows, and shows no medium at all, because utm_medim is not a real parameter. They rebuild the link in the UTM Builder, which also has a Check button that opens this page with the new link already read, and confirm everything is correct before the send.
Read the UTM Reader Guide and Common UTM mistakes for what to look out for.