How to Add UTM Parameters to Short Links (The Right Way)
· Analytics · 5 min read
UTM parameters and short links work better together than apart. Learn how to combine them to track campaign sources without exposing ugly URLs.
UTM parameters are query strings added to a URL to tell Google Analytics (or any analytics platform) where traffic came from. A typical UTM-tagged URL looks like: https://example.com/sale?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring. Short links make these URLs shareable without exposing the ugly parameter string — and add a second layer of click data on top.
What Are UTM Parameters?
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module (a holdover from when Google acquired Urchin Analytics). There are five standard parameters you can attach to any URL:
- utm_source — the platform driving traffic (e.g. newsletter, twitter, google).
- utm_medium — the marketing channel (e.g. email, cpc, organic).
- utm_campaign — the name of your campaign (e.g. spring-sale, q2-launch).
- utm_content — differentiates links within the same campaign (e.g. banner-top vs banner-footer).
- utm_term — the keyword for paid search campaigns.
Why Combine UTM Parameters with Short Links?
UTM-tagged URLs are long and ugly. Sharing https://mysite.com/product?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer in a tweet, bio, or printed material looks unprofessional and sometimes gets truncated. A short link hides the parameters while still passing them to your analytics platform when someone clicks through.
You also get two independent data sources: your analytics platform (Google Analytics, Plausible, etc.) receives the UTM data, and your Alias dashboard shows click counts, country, device, and referrer. Each source tells you something the other does not.
How to Add UTM Parameters to a Short Link
- Build your UTM-tagged URL first. Use Google's Campaign URL Builder or any UTM builder tool to generate the full URL with parameters.
- Copy the entire UTM-tagged URL (including all the ?utm_source=... parameters).
- Paste it into Alias as the destination URL.
- Add a custom slug that describes the campaign — e.g. alias.live/spring-ig or alias.live/email-june.
- Share the short link. When clicked, it redirects to your destination with all UTM parameters intact — your analytics platform captures them automatically.
UTM Naming Best Practices
Use Lowercase Consistently
UTM values are case-sensitive. "Email" and "email" appear as two different sources in Google Analytics. Always lowercase everything to avoid polluted data.
Use Hyphens, Not Spaces or Underscores
Spaces in UTM values get URL-encoded as %20, which looks messy. Hyphens are URL-safe and readable: utm_campaign=spring-sale, not utm_campaign=spring%20sale.
Create One Link Per Channel and Ad Variation
If you run the same campaign on Instagram and email, create two Alias short links — each pointing to the same UTM-tagged URL (with different utm_source values). You will see per-channel click counts in Alias and per-channel session data in your analytics platform.
Do You Need UTM Parameters if You Already Have Alias Analytics?
It depends on your goals. Alias tracks clicks, country, device, and referrer — but it does not send data into Google Analytics, Plausible, or your CRM. UTM parameters do. If you only need to compare which links get the most clicks, Alias alone is enough. If you need to connect clicks to conversions in your analytics platform, use both.