utm_source
utm_source is a UTM parameter that identifies which platform, website, or publisher sent traffic to your store, such as facebook, google, or newsletter.
What Is utm_source?
The utm_source parameter identifies the specific platform or publisher that sent a visitor to your Shopify store. It answers the question: “Where did this click come from?”
It is one of the three required UTM parameters, alongside utm_medium and utm_campaign.
Common utm_source Values
Here are the most common source values used by Shopify merchants:
| utm_source | What It Represents |
|---|---|
facebook | Traffic from Facebook (organic or paid) |
instagram | Traffic from Instagram |
google | Traffic from Google (search, shopping, or display) |
tiktok | Traffic from TikTok |
pinterest | Traffic from Pinterest |
youtube | Traffic from YouTube |
newsletter | Traffic from your email newsletter |
klaviyo | Traffic from Klaviyo email campaigns |
sms | Traffic from SMS marketing |
influencer | Traffic from influencer partnerships |
utm_source Best Practices
Keep it lowercase
Always use lowercase letters. Facebook and facebook will appear as two separate sources in your reports, fragmenting your data.
Be specific but not too granular
Use the platform name, not the specific ad account or placement. The source tells you where the click came from. Use utm_medium for the channel type and utm_campaign for the specific campaign.
Stay consistent across your team
The biggest problem with UTM tracking is inconsistency. If one team member uses fb and another uses facebook, your reports will split the data. Document your standard source names and share them with everyone who creates marketing links.
Separate organic from paid at the medium level
Do not create separate sources like facebook-organic and facebook-paid. Instead, use the same source (facebook) and differentiate with utm_medium: social for organic posts and cpc for paid ads.
utm_source Examples
Here are properly tagged URLs for common Shopify marketing channels:
Facebook paid ad:
https://yourstore.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring-saleEmail newsletter:
https://yourstore.com?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-digestInfluencer collaboration:
https://yourstore.com?utm_source=influencer&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sarah-reviewutm_source in Detectly
Detectly automatically reads the utm_source parameter from every visitor session and uses it to attribute Shopify orders back to the correct platform. In your dashboard, you can filter revenue, orders, and ROAS by source to see exactly which platforms are driving real sales. Use our free UTM Builder to generate properly tagged URLs.
Related terms
utm_campaign
utm_campaign is a UTM parameter that identifies the specific marketing campaign, promotion, or initiative that a link belongs to, such as spring-sale-2026 or bfcm-retargeting.
utm_medium
utm_medium is a UTM parameter that identifies the marketing channel type used to deliver traffic, such as cpc (paid search), email, social, or organic.
UTM Parameters
UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL that tell analytics tools exactly where traffic came from, which campaign sent it, and what type of marketing drove the click.
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