In today’s hyper-competitive digital market, flying blind is not an option. If you don't know precisely where your website traffic is coming from, and which efforts are driving it, you're wasting your time and budget.

UTM parameters — simple tags added to your links — give you the clarity you need to make smarter decisions. This isn't just helpful; it’s essential. Yet most marketers either don’t track properly or get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of links they send out.

The solution? Start with the links that actually move the needle. Track what matters most first — the rest can wait. Here are the seven types of links every marketer must tag and track to make UTM parameters work for them, not against them.

1. Links in Your Email Newsletters

Your newsletters are goldmines of opportunity — if you can prove they’re working. Every link inside your email, from feature articles to promotional banners, needs to be tagged.

Track individual newsletters separately. If you’re promoting several different items within a single email, make sure you can see which one actually made people click. That way, you're not just sending content; you’re understanding what your audience actually cares about.

Without tracking your emails, you're just shouting into the void.

2. Links in Social Media Posts

Social media should not be a guessing game. Are people clicking through from Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram? Which post pulled them in — a product launch announcement, a blog post, a testimonial?

Tag every link you post. Identify not only the platform but the type of content you're sharing. The results may surprise you: often, your assumptions about where your audience is most active will be dead wrong.

Social media without tracking is busywork disguised as strategy.

3. Calls to Action Inside Blog Posts

Your blog is not a diary — it’s a strategic tool to move readers toward action. Whether you’re encouraging people to download a guide, sign up for a webinar, or read another article, your embedded calls to action need to be tracked.

By tagging the links behind your CTAs, you’ll know exactly which blog posts are converting readers — and which ones are just dead weight. Over time, this insight will reshape your content strategy, pushing you toward what actually builds your business.

If you don't track your blog CTAs, you're playing without keeping score.

4. Special Promotions and Campaigns

Promotions — contests, giveaways, special discounts — can generate a flood of traffic and leads. But if you aren’t tagging the links you use to promote them, you’ll have no idea what actually worked.

Each promotion should be its own tracked campaign. That way, you’ll know whether the email blast drove more entries than the Instagram story, or if the paid ad outperformed the blog feature.

Good marketing isn’t just about getting a result — it’s about knowing exactly how you got it.

5. Paid Search Ads

You’re paying for every click — shouldn’t you know exactly which ones are worth it? While Google provides some tracking, it's not enough. You need to independently verify which ads, keywords, and audiences are actually delivering visitors who stay, engage, and convert.

Tag every paid search link you control. Otherwise, you are trusting your ad platform to grade its own homework — and that’s a recipe for lost revenue.

In paid search, ignorance is never bliss. It’s just expensive.

6. Display Advertising

Digital display advertising is powerful — and messy. Multiple platforms, multiple creative types, endless formats. If you’re running banner ads, video ads, or retargeting campaigns, every single link needs a tracking tag.

Why? Because your ad network will gladly tell you how many impressions you bought and how many clicks you got. But they won't tell you how many real people stayed on your site, looked around, and took action. Only your own tracking can reveal that.

Never hand over your marketing data to someone else’s system and call it a day.

7. Calls to Action Across Your Website

Your own website is a marketing channel — treat it like one. Every button, banner, pop-up, and slide-in that leads to another piece of content should be tagged.

If you’re testing a new banner on your homepage, track it. If you're offering a free trial in a sidebar, track it. Want to know whether a top-of-page button gets more clicks than a footer link? Tag both, and see the real story unfold.

The website you don’t track is the website you can’t improve.

Final Thought

There’s no need to overcomplicate UTM tracking. Start by consistently tagging the seven types of links listed above, and you will immediately elevate your marketing from reactive to strategic.

In a world where competition is ruthless and attention is scarce, being “pretty sure” where your leads are coming from is not good enough. You must know. You must be exact. And you must make it standard practice.

Marketing is not art. It’s architecture. Build with data — or prepare to watch your results crumble.