How to See UTM Term in Google Analytics 4

If you've recently transitioned to Google Analytics 4, you might have noticed that finding specific UTM parameters, like utm_term, isn't as straightforward as it was in Universal Analytics. You're not imagining things - the standard reports have changed, but rest assured, your data is still being collected. This guide will show you exactly how to find your utm_term data and create a custom report so it's always just a click away.

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A Quick Refresher: Why utm_term is So Important

Before we jump into GA4, let's briefly touch on why tracking utm_term is worth the effort. Along with its siblings (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, and utm_content), utm_term adds crucial context to your marketing links.

While originally designed to track specific keywords for paid search campaigns, its role has expanded. Marketers now use utm_term to identify anything from an ad creative variation to a specific A/B test element.

Here are a few common examples:

• For Google Ads: Identifying the exact search keyword a user clicked. Example: …&utm_term=saas_accounting_software
• For Social Media Ads: Differentiating between ad creatives in the same ad set. Example: …&utm_term=video_promo_testimonial
• For Email Marketing: Tagging a specific call-to-action link within a newsletter. Example: …&utm_term=header_button_cta

Ultimately, utm_term helps you connect the dots between a specific marketing effort and the user behavior that follows. It allows you to answer critical questions like, "Which keywords are driving the most conversions?" or "Did our 'beach photo' ad perform better than our 'mountains photo' ad?" Without it, you're missing a key layer of performance data.

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The Big Question: Where is utm_term in Google Analytics 4?

Here’s the main point of confusion for many marketers: if you go to the default Traffic acquisition report in GA4, you won't see a "Term" dimension listed anywhere. This is a big departure from Universal Analytics, where it was readily available.

Google has simplified the default reports in GA4 with the expectation that users will customize them or build new ones to fit their specific needs. While the default view is cleaner, it hides some of the granular data marketers rely on.

The good news is that GA4 is still tracking the data from your utm_term parameter. It just calls it by a different name and requires a couple of extra clicks to uncover it. In GA4, utm_term is mapped to the dimension called Manual term. Once you know that, finding your data becomes much easier.

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How to Find Your utm_term Data in GA4 (The Fast Way)

If you need a quick, on-the-fly look at your utm_term data without building a whole new report, you can add it as a secondary dimension to an existing acquisition report. This is the fastest way to get your answer.

Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

1. Navigate to Reports in the left-hand menu.
2. Under the Lifecycle collection, click on Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
3. You'll see a table with a default primary dimension, usually Session default channel group. To add your utm_term data, click the blue “+” icon to the right of the primary dimension’s column header.
4. A search box will appear. Type “term” inside it.
5. Select Manual term from the list.
6. The report will refresh, and a new column called Manual term will appear, showing you all the utm_term values associated with your traffic.

This method is great for quick analysis, but its downside is that GA4 won't save this view. The next time you visit the report, you'll have to add the secondary dimension all over again. For a more permanent solution, you should build a custom report.

Going One Step Further: Creating a Reusable UTM Term Report

Manually adding a dimension every time is tedious. By spending five minutes creating a custom report, you can save yourself a lot of time and have a permanent home for your utm_term analysis.

Follow these steps to build your custom report and add it to your navigation menu:

Part 1: Building the Report

1. In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Library (it's at the very bottom).
2. Click the + Create new report button, then select Create detail report from the dropdown menu.
3. You can start from scratch, but it's easier to use a template. Select the Traffic acquisition template.
4. On the right side of the screen, you’ll see the customization panel. Under the Report data section, click on Dimensions.
5. This is where you define the dimensions for your report. Click Add dimension and find Manual term. It's helpful to also add other UTM-related dimensions like Manual source, Manual medium, and Campaign for more context.
6. To make Manual term the default primary dimension, click the three vertical dots next to it and select Set as default. Click Apply.
7. Next, verify your metrics under the Metrics card. Make sure you have the essentials like Sessions, Users, Conversions, and Total revenue. Add or remove metrics as you see fit, then click Apply.
8. Click the Save button in the top right. Give your report a descriptive name, like "UTM Term Performance" or "Paid Keyword Report." Click Save again.

Part 2: Adding the Report to Your Navigation Menu

1. After saving, click the Back arrow to return to the Library.
2. Find a collection to add your report to. The Lifecycle collection is the most logical place. Click the Edit collection button.
3. On the left, you’ll see all the existing topics in that collection (like Acquisition, Engagement, etc.). On the right, you'll see your saved custom reports. Simply find your new "UTM Term Performance" report and drag it over to the topic list on the left.
4. Click Save, then Save changes to current collection.

Now, when you look at your main Reports menu on the left, you’ll see your custom report under the "Acquisition" topic, ready for you anytime.

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Tips for Better utm_term Tracking

Finding the data is only half the battle. To get clean, useful insights, you need to be strategic about how you create your UTM parameters in the first place.

• Be Consistent: Casing matters. Google and google will show up as two different lines in your report. Establish a clear convention for your team, such as using lowercase for everything and using underscores instead of spaces (winter_sale instead of Winter Sale).
• Use utm_term for Its Intended Purpose: For paid search, use this parameter for the search keyword. This is especially important for non-Google ad platforms. For Google Ads, auto-tagging handles this automatically.
• Get Creative (But Stay Organized): For display or social ads, use utm_term to identify ad variations. For example, utm_term=blue_background_video or utm_term=influencer_story_post. Use utm_content to differentiate clicks within the same ad, like headline_link vs. button_cta.
• Use a Builder: Mistakes and typos can ruin your data. Encourage your team to use a standardized tool like Google's Campaign URL Builder or a shared spreadsheet to generate consistent UTM links.
• Link Google Ads: If you're running Google Ads, linking your account to GA4 is essential. This enables auto-tagging, which will automatically pull campaign data, including the keywords that utm_term tracks, directly into your reports.

Final Thoughts

Finding your keyword and campaign term data in GA4 boils down to knowing that utm_term is now called Manual term. With that knowledge, you can quickly analyze campaign performance by adding it as a secondary dimension or, even better, create a saved, customized report for permanent, easy access.

Of course, even with the perfect GA4 setup, analyzing campaign data can feel isolated when your revenue data is in Shopify, your ad spend is in Facebook Ads, and your lead data is in Salesforce. At Graphed, we built a solution to remove that friction. Instead of hopping between platforms and building reports one by one, we connect to all your data sources and let you create entire dashboards using simple, plain-English questions. You can just ask something like, "Show me a dashboard of my top-performing Facebook ad campaigns by revenue generated in Shopify this month," and get instant results.