---
title: "UTM Campaign Tracking in HitKeep | HitKeep"
description: "Capture UTM source, medium, campaign, content, and term in HitKeep, then build tagged URLs and connect campaigns to goals."
canonical: "https://hitkeep.com/guides/tracking/utm-parameters/"
---

# UTM Campaign Tracking in HitKeep

You run paid ads, newsletters, and social campaigns across multiple channels and need to attribute traffic correctly. HitKeep automatically captures all five standard UTM parameters from incoming requests — no plugin, no configuration, no extra code required.

## Supported Parameters

| Parameter | Example | What it tracks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| utm_source | google, newsletter | Where the traffic came from |
| utm_medium | cpc, email | The marketing channel |
| utm_campaign | spring-launch | The specific campaign name |
| utm_content | hero-cta, sidebar-link | Which ad or link was clicked |
| utm_term | web analytics | The paid keyword |

## How it Works

UTM parameters are read from the `?` query string of the page URL sent with each hit. The `hk.js` snippet automatically forwards the full URL including query string when a user lands on your site.

For single-page applications, the tracker also keeps the initial UTM values in JavaScript memory for the current page runtime. That preserves campaign attribution across client-side route changes without writing UTM values to cookies, `localStorage`, IndexedDB, or a persistent retry queue.

**No configuration is needed.** UTM capture is active by default.

```
https://your-site.com/pricing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring-launch
```

HitKeep stores each parameter on the hit record and makes them available in the **UTM** view of the dashboard.

Use stable lowercase values where possible. For example, prefer `newsletter` over a mix of `Newsletter`, `email-newsletter`, and `mailing_list`. HitKeep reports the values it receives, so naming discipline makes campaign comparison cleaner.

## Naming Examples

| Channel | Source | Medium | Campaign |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Google Ads | google | cpc | spring-launch |
| Newsletter | newsletter | email | product-update |
| LinkedIn organic | linkedin | social | founder-post |
| Partner link | partner-name | referral | integration-launch |
| QR code flyer | print | qr | conference-2026 |

## The UTM Dashboard

Traffic tagged with UTM parameters appears in the **UTM** section of your dashboard, broken down by source, medium, campaign, content, and term.

![UTM analytics dashboard showing traffic breakdown by source, medium, and campaign](https://hitkeep.com/_astro/analytics-utm.CTQD_liS_1iQX8v.webp)

Combine with **Goals** to measure which campaigns drive conversions, not just clicks.

For campaign reporting, pair the UTM dashboard with:

- [Goals](https://hitkeep.com/guides/analytics/goals/) for conversion counts and conversion rates
- [Funnels](https://hitkeep.com/guides/analytics/funnels/) for drop-off after campaign landing
- [QR Campaigns](https://hitkeep.com/guides/tracking/qr-campaigns/) when offline material needs a trackable redirect
- [Period-over-Period Comparison](https://hitkeep.com/guides/analytics/comparison/) when a campaign replaces or repeats an earlier campaign

## Built-in UTM Link Builder

HitKeep includes a UTM link builder directly in the dashboard — no need for external tools. Navigate to **UTM → UTM Builder** to generate tagged campaign URLs.

![HitKeep UTM link builder with fields for website URL, campaign source, medium, campaign name, term, and content](https://hitkeep.com/_astro/tools-utm-builder.CEb7uIlP_ggWxB.webp)

The builder:

- Pre-fills the website URL from any of your tracked sites
- Generates the tagged URL in real time as you type
- Copies the final URL to your clipboard with one click

## Dashboard Workflow

1. Open **UTM → UTM Builder** and fill in your campaign details.
2. Copy the generated URL and use it in your ad, email, or social post.
3. Traffic will appear in the **UTM** tab, broken down by source, medium, and campaign.
4. Combine with **Goals** to measure which campaigns drive conversions.

## API Access

UTM data is included in the raw hits endpoint:

```
curl "https://your-hitkeep.example/api/sites/{site_id}/hits?from=2025-01-01T00:00:00Z&to=2025-01-31T23:59:59Z" \
  -b "hk_token=YOUR_SESSION_COOKIE"
```

Each hit record includes `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, `utm_campaign`, `utm_content`, and `utm_term` fields when present.

## Related

- [Google Analytics Alternative for WordPress](https://hitkeep.com/use-cases/google-analytics-alternative-wordpress/)
- [Goals](https://hitkeep.com/guides/analytics/goals/)
- [Custom Events](https://hitkeep.com/guides/tracking/custom-events/)
- [Tracker Architecture](https://hitkeep.com/guides/tracking/tracker-architecture/)
- [REST API Reference](https://hitkeep.com/api/)

Running multiple brands or ad accounts? [HitKeep Cloud →](https://cloud.hitkeep.eu/signup?plan=free&billing=monthly&utm_source=hitkeep_docs&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=cloud_signup&utm_content=docs_inline) offers multi-site management with unified UTM reporting.

[Previous Server-side tracking](https://hitkeep.com/guides/tracking/server-side-tracking/)[Next QR campaigns](https://hitkeep.com/guides/tracking/qr-campaigns/)