Google Ads UTM Builder
Build tracked URLs for Google Ads campaigns with the conventions GA4 expects: google as the source, cpc as the medium, and the keyword in utm_term. Pre-seeded below — swap in your campaign name and go.
1 · Destination
2 · Required tags
e.g. spring-launch, black-friday, ebook-download
3 · Optional tags
Result
131 charshttps://slugy.co/pricing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring-launch&utm_term=url-shortener&utm_content=search-ad-aLong links look spammy in public. Shorten with Slugy to keep the tags but hide the clutter.
01
Paste & pick
Drop in any URL, then tap a preset or type your own tags.
02
Validated live
Missing tags, uppercase and spaces are flagged before you copy.
03
Copy & measure
Paste into ads or email — attribution flows straight into GA4.
Platform guides: Google Ads · Meta Ads · TikTok · LinkedIn
UTM cheat sheet
The five tags GA4 understands — and what to put in each.
| Parameter | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Where traffic comes from | newsletter · google · linkedin |
| utm_medium | How it reaches you | email · cpc · social · qr |
| utm_campaign | Which campaign | spring-launch · black-friday |
| utm_term | Paid keyword / audience | url-shortener |
| utm_content | Variant / placement | header-cta · ad-variant-b |
FAQ
UTM questions
Google Ads UTM conventions
What to put in each parameter for this platform.
| Parameter | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Keep it lowercase and exactly `google` so ads never split into a separate GA4 row. | |
| utm_medium | cpc | `cpc` is the conventional medium for paid search. Use `display` for display campaigns so they stay distinguishable. |
| utm_campaign | your-campaign-name | Reuse the campaign name from Google Ads so reporting reconciles without a lookup table. |
| utm_term | keyword | Holds the matched keyword. Many accounts rely on auto-tagging (gclid) instead — if so, leave this empty and read keywords from Google Ads. |
| utm_content | ad-variant-a | Distinguish creatives or ad groups within the same campaign for A/B reporting. |
Google Ads campaign URL examples
Paid search, keyword-level term
https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring-launch&utm_term=url-shortener&utm_content=search-ad-aPerformance Max (no keyword)
https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax-q4&utm_content=asset-group-2Google Ads tracking notes
Auto-tagging (gclid) vs manual UTMs
Google Ads auto-tagging appends a gclid, which GA4 reads directly. Manual UTMs are still useful when you send the same URL to Google Ads and another channel, or when a tool ignores gclid. If you use both, keep the UTMs lowercase and consistent so GA4 does not create duplicate rows.
Final URL suffix vs the landing page URL
You can paste UTMs into the Final URL, but the cleaner approach is the account, campaign, or ad-group 'Final URL suffix' field — you set the tags once and every ad inherits them. Set `utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc` at the account level and override the campaign tag per campaign.
Watch the redirect to your landing page
If your ad points at a shortened link, the redirect must forward the query string. Slugy forwards UTMs from the short link onto the destination, so click-time tags survive the hop.