How to Find UTM Codes in Google Analytics 4

You've done the work of adding UTM codes to your marketing links, but now comes the real question: where is all that valuable data hiding in Google Analytics 4? Finding your campaign performance isn't as straightforward as it was in Universal Analytics. This article will show you exactly how to find UTM-tagged traffic in GA4, covering both the simple, built-in reports and the more powerful custom explorations you'll need for deeper analysis.

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A Quick Refresher on UTM Codes

Before we jump into GA4, let's briefly touch on what UTM codes are and why they matter. UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) are simple snippets of text you add to the end of a URL to tell Google Analytics exactly where your visitors are coming from. When a user clicks a UTM-tagged link, these parameters are sent back to GA4, allowing you to track the performance of specific campaigns, content, or channels.

There are five standard UTM parameters:

• utm_source: The specific source of the traffic, like 'facebook', 'google', or 'newsletter'.
• utm_medium: The marketing medium, such as 'cpc', 'social', or 'email'.
• utm_campaign: The specific campaign you are running, like 'summer-sale-2024' or 'launch-promo'.
• utm_term: Used to track specific keywords, typically for paid search ads.
• utm_content: Useful for differentiating links that point to the same URL, such as a 'blue-button' link versus a 'header-link' in an email.

Used correctly, these parameters give you incredible clarity on what’s working (and what's not) in your marketing, helping you measure ROI and make smarter decisions.

How to Find UTM Data in GA4's Standard Reports

Google Analytics 4 has a built-in report that gives you a quick overview of your campaign performance. It’s the easiest place to start if you just need a high-level look.

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The Traffic Acquisition Report

This report automatically organizes your traffic based on a combination of source, medium, and campaign. Here's how to get there:

1. Log in to your Google Analytics 4 property.
2. On the left-hand navigation panel, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
3. Once the report loads, you’ll see a table of data. By default, it's grouped by Session default channel group. To see your UTM campaign data, click the dropdown menu on the primary dimension and select Session campaign.

Just like that, the table will reformat to show you a list of your campaign names - the values you set for utm_campaign. You can see key metrics like Users, Sessions, Engaged sessions, and Conversions for each campaign.

Adding a Secondary Dimension for More Detail

What if you want to see which source and medium drove traffic for a specific campaign? You can add a secondary dimension to this report.

1. Above the table, click the blue "+" sign next to the Session campaign dropdown.
2. A menu will appear. Type "source" into the search bar and select Session source / medium.
3. The report will refresh, adding a second column that shows you the source and medium a user came through, giving you more context for your campaign performance.

While the standard Traffic Acquisition report is great for a fast overview, it's pretty limited. You can’t easily view all five UTM parameters at once, and customization is minimal. For serious analysis, you’ll want to use the "Explore" section.

Building a Custom Report for UTM Analysis in "Explore"

GA4's "Explore" section is where you can truly dig into your data without limitations. Here, you can build custom reports from scratch to look at your traffic exactly how you want. Let's create a detailed UTM performance report.

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Step 1: Go to the "Explore" Hub

In the left-hand navigation menu, click on the Explore icon (it looks like a little flowchart).

Step 2: Create a New "Free form" Exploration

Click on the large "Blank" template or the "Free form" option. This will open up a blank canvas for building your report.

Step 3: Define Your Variables (Dimensions & Metrics)

This is the most important step. You need to tell GA4 which pieces of data you want to work with. On the left side, you'll see a panel called "Variables." You’ll need to import both "Dimensions" (qualitative data, like a campaign name) and "Metrics" (quantitative data, like the number of sessions).

Importing Your Dimensions:

1. In the "Variables" panel, click the "+" next to the "Dimensions" heading.
2. A list of all available dimensions will appear. Use the search bar to find and check the box for each of the following. You need to be specific with the names here:
3. Once all are selected, click the blue "Import" button in the upper right.

Importing Your Metrics:

1. Next, in the "Variables" panel, click the "+" next to the "Metrics" heading.
2. Use the search bar to find and select the key performance indicators you care about. Good starting points include:
3. Click the blue "Import" button.

Your "Variables" panel is now loaded with everything you need to build the report.

Step 4: Build the Report Table

The empty canvas on the right is called "Tab Settings." This is where you'll drag and drop variables to create your table.

1. For Rows: From the "Variables" panel, drag and drop Session campaign into the "Rows" box under "Tab Settings." Immediately, your table will populate with a list of all detected UTM campaign names. You can also drag additional dimensions here, like Session source / medium, to get a more granular breakdown.
2. For Values: Drag the metrics you want to see - like Sessions, Conversions, and Total revenue - from the "Variables" panel into the "Values" box. As you add each one, a new column will appear in your table.

That's it! You've successfully built a custom, detailed UTM performance report. You can see how each campaign is performing against the metrics that matter most to your business.

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Getting More Advanced: Filters and Columns

• Filtering Data: You can use the "Filters" box under "Tab Settings" to focus on specific data. For example, you could drag Session campaign into the filter box and set it to only show data that "contains" a specific phrase, like "summer-sale".
• Using columns: For a different view, instead of adding multiple dimensions to "Rows," you could drag a dimension like Session source / medium to the "Columns" box to create a pivot-table-style report. This can be great for comparing different sources within the same campaign.

Give your report a meaningful name in the top left corner (e.g., "UTM Campaign Performance") so you can easily find it again later.

Best Practices for Clean UTM Data

A report is only as good as the data going into it. Inconsistent or messy UTM tagging can make your analysis nearly impossible. Here are a few tips to keep your data clean and reliable.

• Stay Consistent: Decide on a naming convention and stick to it. Always use lowercase letters (GA4 is case-sensitive, so 'Facebook' and 'facebook' are treated as two different sources). Use dashes instead of spaces.
• Use a UTM Builder: Don’t try to create UTM links manually. You’re bound to make a typo. Use a tool like Google’s Campaign URL Builder or a more robust link management platform to generate consistent, error-free links.
• Don't Tag Internal Links: Never use UTMs to track clicks on your own website (e.g., from your homepage to your pricing page). This will overwrite the original traffic source and mess up your attribution data. Use GA4's event tracking for internal link analysis instead.
• Document Everything: Keep a shared spreadsheet or document that lists all the UTM parameters you intend to use. This becomes the source of truth for your entire team and helps prevent different people from using conflicting campaign names or sources.

Final Thoughts

Analyzing the performance of your marketing campaigns is fundamental to growing a business, and navigating Google Analytics 4 is a critical skill for any marketer. By using the standard Traffic Acquisition report for quick insights and building custom Exploration reports for deep-dives, you can get a complete picture of which activities are driving results.

Manually building these reports in GA4 can be time-consuming, and the interface often feels complex and slow. At Graphed, we streamline this entire process. By connecting your Google Analytics account, you can skip the report-building headaches entirely. You can simply ask questions in plain English, like "Show me my top 5 campaigns by conversions last month," and get a live, interactive dashboard in seconds. This lets you and your team get straight to actionable insight, rather than getting lost in settings menus.