How to Fix Campaign Details in UTM Source (Quick 5-Min Guide)

You're staring at your GA4 Traffic Acquisition report. Instead of seeing "Facebook" with 12,000 sessions, you see this nightmare:

• facebook_spring_sale: 847 sessions
• facebook_summer_promo: 623 sessions
• facebook_black_friday: 1,243 sessions
• facebook_january_2024: 512 sessions
• facebook_new_product: 389 sessions
• ... 27 more rows ...

Your Facebook traffic is shattered across 32 different rows. You can't see total performance. You can't compare platforms. You can't make budget decisions because your data is fragmented beyond recognition.

The problem? Someone put campaign names in utm_source instead of utm_campaign. Here's how to fix it in 5 minutes and prevent it from ever happening again.

Quick Diagnosis: Do You Have This Problem?

3-minute test:

1. GA4 � Reports � Traffic acquisition
2. Click on a paid traffic source (like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google)
3. Count the rows for that platform

Results:

• 1-3 rows: You're good (maybe seasonal variations)
• 5-10 rows: Minor issuereview UTM naming
• 10+ rows: Critical problemcampaign details in utm_source

Example of the problem:

Instead of this (CORRECT):

utm_source=facebook
utm_campaign=spring_sale

You have this (WRONG):

utm_source=facebook_spring_sale
utm_campaign=promo

The 5-Minute Fix (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Identify All Problematic utm_source Values (2 min)

1. GA4 � Explore � Free Form
2. Add dimensions:
   • Session source
   • Session medium
   • Session campaign
3. Add metric: Sessions
4. Filter: Session medium contains "cpc" or "social" or "email"
5. Export to CSV

Look for patterns like:

• facebook_[campaign_name]
• linkedin_[date]
• email_[newsletter_type]
• google_[product_name]

These are all wrong. The campaign details belong in utm_campaign, not utm_source.

Step 2: Create Source-to-Platform Mapping (1 min)

For each fragmented source, identify the actual platform:

Rule: utm_source = WHERE the traffic came from (platform)

Step 3: Update All Active Campaigns (2 min)

For each active campaign link, restructure the UTM parameters:

Before (wrong):

utm_source=facebook_spring_sale&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=promo

After (correct):

utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale

Where to update:

1. Ad platforms: Edit destination URLs in active ads
2. Email templates: Update link templates in your ESP
3. Social schedulers: Modify link presets (Buffer, Hootsuite, etc.)
4. URL builders: Fix your team's UTM generator template
5. Documentation: Update campaign brief templates

Step 4: Verify in GA4 (24-48 hours)

After updating links:

1. Wait 24-48 hours for new data to flow in
2. GA4 � Traffic acquisition
3. Check your main platforms (facebook, linkedin, google, etc.)
4. Verify:
   • Old fragmented rows (facebook_spring_sale) stop growing
   • New consolidated row (facebook) accumulates all new traffic
   • Total sessions = sum of all old rows + new consolidated row

Prevention: Never Fragment utm_source Again

Rule 1: utm_source = Platform Name Only

Always use the bare platform name:

•  facebook (not facebook_ads, facebook_campaign, facebook_2024)
•  linkedin (not linkedin_sponsored, linkedin_jan)
•  google (not google_ads, google_search, google_brand)
•  email (not email_newsletter, email_promo)
•  twitter (not twitter_ads, twitter_organic)

utm_source answers: "Which platform sent this traffic?"

Rule 2: Campaign Details Go in utm_campaign

All campaign-specific information goes here:

• Campaign name
• Promotion name
• Product name
• Time period
• Audience segment

Examples:

utm_campaign=spring_sale_2024
utm_campaign=product_launch_beta_users
utm_campaign=black_friday_returning_customers
utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly_edition_45

Rule 3: Use utm_content for Creative Variations

If you need even more specificity (like testing different ad creatives):

utm_source=facebook
utm_medium=cpc
utm_campaign=spring_sale
utm_content=video_ad_30sec

Or:

utm_source=facebook
utm_medium=cpc
utm_campaign=spring_sale
utm_content=carousel_products

Never put this in utm_source.

Rule 4: Document Your UTM Structure

Create a one-page reference guide:

UTM PARAMETER GUIDE

utm_source: Platform name only
   facebook, linkedin, google, email, twitter
  L facebook_ads, linkedin_jan_2024, email_newsletter

utm_medium: Marketing channel type
   cpc, email, social, display, affiliate
  L paid-social, facebook, newsletter

utm_campaign: Campaign/promo/product name
   spring_sale, product_launch, newsletter_weekly
  L facebook (this is source, not campaign)

utm_content: Creative/audience variation (optional)
   video_30sec, carousel, audience_segment_A

Rule 5: Validate Before Launch

Before any campaign goes live:

1. Build test URL with your UTM parameters
2. Click the test link
3. Check GA4 Realtime (1-2 minutes later)
4. Verify:
   • Source = platform name only (no campaign details)
   • Campaign = campaign/promo name
   • No underscore-separated values in source

This 2-minute check prevents weeks of fragmented data.

Real Example: $47,000 Budget Recovery

Client: E-commerce company Problem: Facebook traffic fragmented across 47 different utm_source rows

Before fix:

• facebook_summer_sale: 1,240 sessions
• facebook_back_to_school: 890 sessions
• facebook_holiday_promo: 2,103 sessions
• facebook_clearance: 567 sessions
• ... 43 more rows ...

Total Facebook sessions: 18,920 (impossible to see without manual sum)

Impact:

• Couldn't compare Facebook vs Google performance
• No idea which Facebook campaigns worked
• Nearly cut Facebook budget based on incomplete data

Fix: Changed all active Facebook ads from:

utm_source=facebook_[campaign_name]
utm_campaign=promo

To:

utm_source=facebook
utm_campaign=[campaign_name]

After fix (30 days later):

• facebook: 23,405 sessions (all campaigns consolidated)
• Easy to compare: Facebook (23,405) vs Google (18,230) vs LinkedIn (4,890)
• Can drill down into campaigns with secondary dimension

Result: Discovered Facebook actually had 28% higher conversion rate than Google. Shifted $12,000/month from Google to Facebook. Increased total conversions by 34% without increasing budget.

What About Historical Data?

Bad news: You can't retroactively fix historical data in GA4.

Once data is collected with fragmented utm_source values, those rows are permanent.

Workarounds:

Option 1: Manual Consolidation in Reports

When analyzing past data:

1. Export to Google Sheets or Excel
2. Create a mapping column that strips campaign details from source
3. Pivot/summarize by cleaned source name

Example in Google Sheets:

Column A: Original Source
Column B: =IF(REGEXMATCH(A2,"facebook"), "facebook", A2)
Column C: Sessions

Then pivot on Column B to see consolidated totals.

Option 2: GA4 Custom Dimensions (for future)

Create a calculated field that extracts platform name:

1. GA4 � Configure � Custom definitions
2. Create custom dimension: "Clean Source"
3. Use regex to extract platform name from Session source

This gives you a clean dimension going forward, but doesn't fix historical data.

Option 3: Accept and Move Forward

Most teams choose this:

• Historical data stays fragmented (use manual consolidation for big analyses)
• All new data flows correctly after the fix
• Set a cutoff date in your analysis to only use clean data

Example: "Analyzing data from February 2024 onward (after UTM fix)"

Common Questions

What if I need to track different Facebook account IDs?

Use utm_content or create a systematic naming:

Option 1 (recommended):

utm_source=facebook
utm_campaign=spring_sale
utm_content=account_id_123456

Option 2:

utm_source=facebook_business
utm_source=facebook_personal

Just don't do: utm_source=facebook_spring_sale_account_123

Can I use hyphens or underscores in utm_source?

Yes, but only if needed for multiple accounts/channels from same platform:

 Acceptable:

utm_source=facebook-organic (vs facebook-paid)
utm_source=email_transactional (vs email_promotional)

L Not acceptable:

utm_source=facebook-spring-sale (campaign details)
utm_source=email_newsletter_jan_2024 (campaign + date)

Will fixing utm_source affect my Google Ads auto-tagging?

No. Google Ads auto-tagging uses gclid parameter, which overrides manual UTM parameters. Your manual utm_source fix won't conflict with auto-tagging.

How do I fix utm_source in bulk across hundreds of links?

For future campaigns:

1. Update your URL builder template
2. Update ad platform templates
3. Update email platform templates

For existing links in the wild:

• You can't edit URLs that have already been shared (emails sent, social posts published, etc.)
• Focus on updating active campaigns (current ads, upcoming emails)
• Accept that historical data will remain fragmented

FAQ

Will this fix affect my ad platform reporting?

No. Your ad platforms (Facebook Ads, Google Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Manager) track performance independently using their own click IDs and tracking pixels. Fixing utm_source only affects how traffic appears in GA4it won't change ad platform metrics or costs.

How long until I see consolidated data in GA4?

New traffic with corrected UTM parameters will appear in GA4 within 24-48 hours. However, you won't see fully consolidated reporting until old campaigns (with bad utm_source values) stop running. Pause old campaigns or let them expire naturally.

What if I have different teams managing different campaigns?

Create a shared UTM naming guide and require all teams to follow it. Store approved utm_source values in a shared document (Google Sheet, Confluence, Notion) that everyone references. Consider using a centralized URL builder tool that enforces correct formats.

Can I use utm_source to differentiate paid vs organic traffic?

No. Use utm_medium for this:

• Paid traffic: utm_medium=cpc or utm_medium=paidsocial
• Organic traffic: No UTM parameters (GA4 will auto-detect as organic)

Never use utm_source=facebook_paid vs utm_source=facebook_organic.

What's the difference between utm_source and utm_campaign?

utm_source: WHERE the traffic came from (platform/site)

• Examples: facebook, google, newsletter, partner_site

utm_campaign: WHY you're running this link (promotion/goal)

• Examples: spring_sale, product_launch, back_to_school

Simple rule: If you launched this same campaign on a different platform, would this value change? If yes � it's campaign, not source.

Should I delete old campaigns with wrong utm_source values?

If they're still active and generating traffic, yespause them and launch new campaigns with corrected UTM parameters. If they're historical/completed campaigns, leave them. You can't change historical data, and pausing completed campaigns won't improve reporting.