How-to

How to build UTM links for Shopify

Build Shopify campaign URLs with stable lowercase source, medium and campaign names so ads and email stay measurable in analytics.

Open UTM Link Builder All knowledge base articles →

Steps

  1. Copy the destination without leftover tracking

    Use the product or collection URL you would paste into an ad. If it already has fbclid, gclid or old UTMs, clean it first so you do not stack two campaigns.

  2. Fill source, medium and campaign in UTM Link Builder

    Keep names lowercase and documented. Put the flight in campaign and the creative filename in content so weekly reports can roll up.

  3. Open the generated URL and add to cart

    Confirm the theme still shows the product and that the address bar still carries utm_source through the cart. If parameters vanish, fix the theme or redirect before you spend.

  4. Shorten only if the caption needs it

    Use Short Link Generator on the finished UTM URL. Do not invent a second campaign name at the shortener. Save the pair in your ad sheet.

Start from a clean product or collection URL

Paste the canonical Shopify path, not a leftover Facebook click ID or last month’s UTM stack. Two UTM sets on one URL split reports and confuse attribution. CrossKit URL Parameter Cleaner can strip junk first; UTM Link Builder then writes one consistent query string.

Name source, medium and campaign once

utm_source is the platform (tiktok, facebook, klaviyo, google). utm_medium is the mechanism (cpc, paid_social, email, influencer). utm_campaign is the flight or offer (ss26_launch), readable and without spaces. Optional utm_content and utm_term distinguish creatives and keywords. Inconsistent casing turns one campaign into two rows.

Where UTM does and does not apply

UTM is for sites you control, such as a Shopify storefront. Amazon and some in-app shops use their own attribution. Test that your theme keeps query parameters through cart and checkout before you spend. Do not put spaces or Chinese punctuation in UTM values—they encode into strings nobody will search later.

Shorten only after the UTM is final

A short link is a sharing wrapper. If you shorten first and then append UTM to the short URL, analytics on Shopify often never sees the labels. Build the full UTM URL, confirm the product page loads, then shorten if a caption needs it.

Related CrossKit tool

UTM Link Builder

Open this browser tool after you read the article.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Should every Shopify email link have UTM?

Yes if you want email in analytics. Use a stable source for your ESP, medium=email, and the send name as campaign. Keep the names boring and consistent.

Can I add UTM to an already shortened link?

Rebuild from the clean destination, add UTM, then shorten. Appending UTM onto a short URL usually never reaches Shopify analytics.

Does CrossKit send these clicks to Google Analytics?

No. UTM Link Builder only writes the query string. Your storefront analytics still has to read the parameters on landing.

Related articles