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All lessons in Digital and Web Analytics Lesson 3.2 of 32

Module 1: Introduction to Digital Analytics

  1. 1.1What is digital analytics?
  2. 1.2The four types of analytics
  3. 1.3Connecting analytics to business objectives and KPIs

Module 2: Analytics Data and Measurement Planning

  1. 2.1How to build a measurement plan
  2. 2.2Key metrics for each marketing channel
  3. 2.3Data sources, collection, and data quality
  4. 2.4Segmentation and personalization

Module 3: Web Analytics Fundamentals

  1. 3.1Users, sessions, page views, and events
  2. 3.2Traffic sources, channels, and UTM parameters
  3. 3.3Landing pages and user behavior
  4. 3.4Engagement metrics and conversion metrics
  5. 3.5Reading reports, trends, and anomalies

Module 4: Analytics Tools and Platforms

  1. 4.1Google Analytics 4 fundamentals
  2. 4.2Google Search Console performance data
  3. 4.3Adobe Analytics overview
  4. 4.4Tag management and tracking implementation
  5. 4.5Connecting tools and choosing the right stack

Module 5: Conversion Funnels and Optimization

  1. 5.1What is a conversion?
  2. 5.2Conversion funnels and drop-off points
  3. 5.3How to calculate conversion rate
  4. 5.4Prioritizing conversion improvements
  5. 5.5Introduction to A/B testing

Module 6: Digital Marketing Performance Analysis

  1. 6.1Measuring SEO and paid advertising performance
  2. 6.2Social, content, and landing page performance
  3. 6.3Comparing acquisition channels
  4. 6.4Evaluating campaigns and avoiding vanity metrics

Module 7: Reporting, Visualization, and Insights

  1. 7.1Building a marketing performance report
  2. 7.2Data visualization and dashboards
  3. 7.3Comparing periods and benchmarking
  4. 7.4Turning data into actionable recommendations

Module 8: Analytics Projects and Practical Assessment

  1. 8.1Analytics case study: Isla Coffee Co.
  2. 8.2Final assessment: digital analytics case study

Traffic sources, channels, and UTM parameters

What we will go through

  • What source and medium mean
  • The GA4 default channel groups
  • How to tag campaign links with UTM parameters

Short answer

Every visit has a source, like google or facebook.com, and a medium, like organic, cpc, or email. GA4 groups these into channels such as Organic Search, Paid Search, Direct, and Email. UTM parameters are tags you add to links so campaigns are attributed correctly instead of landing in Direct or Referral.

Source and medium

Acquisition data shows how users arrive. Each visit has a source (where it came from, such as google or facebook.com) and a medium (the type, such as organic, cpc, referral, or email).

GA4 default channels

  • Organic Search: unpaid results from search engines.
  • Paid Search: search ads such as Google Ads.
  • Direct: typed URL, bookmark, or untrackable source.
  • Referral: links from other websites.
  • Organic Social / Paid Social: social platforms, unpaid or paid.
  • Email: links in email campaigns.
  • Display: banner and display ads.

UTM parameters

UTMs are tags added to URLs so campaigns are attributed correctly. Example:

?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=october_sale

Without UTMs, much campaign traffic lands in Direct or Referral and becomes impossible to evaluate. Google’s free Campaign URL Builder creates tagged links for you.

Columns: Campaign link, utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, Full tagged URL

Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers.

Quick quiz

1. What are UTM parameters for?
2. Which is a medium?

Your action

Key terms

Source
Where a visit came from, like google.
Medium
The type of traffic, like organic or email.
UTM parameters
Tags added to URLs to track campaign traffic.
Direct traffic
Visits with no known source, like typed URLs.

Questions beginners ask

Should I add UTMs to internal links?

No. UTMs on your own site links break session data. Use them only on links from outside.

Are UTMs case sensitive?

Yes. Pick lowercase and use it every time.

Related lessons

Want someone to set up your analytics and reporting while you learn? The team at Remar Digital can help.