How to Create a UTM Code (and Why It Matters for Cannabis Marketers)

Track What Works. Cut What Doesn’t.
‍UTM codes are essential for understanding how your traffic is reaching your cannabis eCommerce website—and which campaigns are actually driving revenue.

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What Are UTM Parameters?

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) tags are powerful tools for tracking where your traffic is coming from. When added to your URLs you can gain insight into which ads, platforms, social media posts, etc are delivering results. However, not all UTM tags serve the same purpose. There are five distinct UTM tracking parameters, each providing valuable insights into different aspects of how a visitor interacts with your website or associated content. Let’s break them down:

utm_source

This parameter tracks the source of the incoming traffic. It will inform you which website a visitor is coming from so that you can better understand a page’s traffic sources.

utm_medium

This parameter identifies the type of link that was used to reach your dispensary’s website. For example, it may indicate that the traffic came from a social media link, a newsletter link, or a CPC (cost-per-click) ad link.

utm_content

This parameter identifies the specific elements that were used to reach your website. For instance, traffic may be identified as coming from an embedded text link, a banner ad link, or a popup link.

utm_term

This parameter can be used to track the specific Cannabis SEO terms and keywords that your site’s traffic is associated with. Term tracking can provide valuable insights into which SEO terms you are successfully ranking for and which SEO terms are successfully pulling organic traffic.

utm_campaign

Lastly, this parameter can be used to track the specific marketing or promotional campaign that your site’s traffic is being generated by.

Using a combination of these 5 tags will help you to gain valuable insights into your website’s traffic sources. It will also indicate which campaigns are working and which are not. But how are these tags actually created and tracked?

Creating a UTM Code

Now that you are familiar with the different types of UTM parameters that you can create, let’s take a look at how to create a UTM code.
The simplest way to create a UTM code is by using Google’s Campaign URL Builder. It allows you to generate links with a custom UTM code. Once the UTM is generated and applied to your site, it can be tracked through Google Analytics.

There are also other tools that can be used to generate UTM tags. One such tool is Hubspot’s Tracking URL Builder. UTMs generated using Hubspot’s tool can be tracked using their traffic analytics tool.

However you choose to generate them, don’t forget to apply them to your links before trying to track them!

Best Practices For Creating UTM Parameters

There are a few things you should keep in mind when creating your UTM parameters.

• ✅ Use a consistent naming structure (e.g., all lowercase, no spaces)
• ✅ Keep tags short and readable (use hyphens or underscores)
• ✅ Track physical marketing (print flyers with QR codes using UTM links)
• ❌ Avoid tagging links inside your own site (no internal links)
• ❌ Don’t use spaces (“%20” looks messy)

Developing a naming system will make it easier to track your tags and to understand the corresponding data. Shorter tags are more convenient for linking. Plus, keeping your UTM links shorter will make them more user-friendly. Take some time to develop an easy-to-understand UTM structure and apply it consistently.

You should also take care to avoid tagging internal links. UTMs should only be used to track external traffic. Applying them to your internal links is not only useless, but it can also cause confusion when it comes to reading and interpreting data.

Additionally, when generating UTMs, try to avoid using spaces. UTM tags are not designed to use spaces. If a space is entered, it will appear as “%20” in the final URL, making it messier and harder to both read and link.

Lastly, remember that UTM tags can be applied in the physical world as well. You don’t have to limit your UTM tracking to digital traffic. UTM URLs can be placed on printed flyers, posters, and other written material in order to direct traffic to your website. The UTM tag will help you differentiate between traffic coming from your physical marketing materials and the traffic coming from your digital marketing campaigns.

Why UTM Codes Matter for Cannabis Brands

We use UTM tracking in our revenue attribution models to connect ad spend with actual sales. For cannabis brands and dispensaries, this is especially useful when:

• Running multi-channel campaigns (Google, social, DOOH, etc.)
• Testing different creatives or headlines
• Proving ROI to investors or partners
• Strengthening your SEO strategy by understanding organic performance

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We use UTM codes as part of our revenue attribution model so we can see which ads lead to what sales. It's also a useful tool for a robust SEO strategy!