What are UTM parameters?
UTM parameters are small tags you add to the end of a web address — the part after the ?— that tell your analytics tool where a visitor came from. They don't change the page someone lands on. They simply travel along with the link, so tools like Google Analytics can group your traffic by campaign, channel, and creative.
There are five standard UTM parameters, each answering a different question:
- Source — where the traffic comes from (e.g.
facebook,newsletter,flyer). - Medium — the type of channel (e.g.
social,email,qr_code). - Campaign — the initiative the link belongs to (e.g.
spring_promo,product_launch). - Term — keywords, mainly used for paid search.
- Content — tells similar links apart, perfect for A/B tests (e.g.
version_avsversion_b).
With UTM tags in place, you can finally answer the question every marketer has about a printed QR code: "did this actually drive any visits?"
Why tag a QR code campaign
When someone scans a QR code on a flyer, a product box, or a conference banner, they cross from the physical world into your website in a single tap. The problem is that, by default, your web analytics has no idea where that visit came from — it just sees "someone arrived." You can't tell whether they found you through a poster, a sticker on your packaging, or a business card you handed out last week.
UTM tags close that gap. When you put a UTM-tagged link behind a QR code, every scan arrives pre-labelled, so your offline placements show up next to your email and social channels in one report. Suddenly you can answer real questions: did the posters or the postcards drive more sign-ups? Which trade show paid off? In short, UTM tags turn "we printed some QR codes" into measurable, comparable marketing.
Opening the UTM Builder
From your dashboard, find the QR code you want to tag and open its Options menu. Choose UTM to open the UTM Builder. When a code already has UTM tags applied, its UTM icon turns blue, so you can spot tagged codes at a glance.
Two things determine whether you'll see the option:
- URL QR codes only.The UTM Builder works with URL-type QR codes — the ones that point to a web address. Types like vCard, file, or Wi-Fi don't have a destination URL to tag, so the option doesn't appear for them.
- A paid plan. UTM tagging is available from the Starter plan and up. On the Free plan, choosing UTM prompts you to upgrade rather than opening the builder.
The fields, explained
The UTM Builder has six fields, and every one is optional, so fill in only what you need. As you type, a live URL Preview at the bottom of the dialog updates in real time, showing the exact link your QR code will point to.
- Source →
utm_source— where your traffic originates (e.g.facebook,newsletter). - Medium →
utm_medium— the marketing channel (e.g.social,email,qr_code). - Campaign →
utm_campaign— the campaign name (e.g.spring_sale). - Term →
utm_term— keywords, mainly for paid search. - Content →
utm_content— to tell similar ads or links apart (e.g.header_banner). - Referral →
ref— a referring site or affiliate partner. Note this writes areftag rather than a standardutm_one, so most analytics tools won't treat it as a campaign dimension on its own.
How QRKIT adds them to your link
When you click Save, QRKIT attaches the parameters to your destination link for you. A destination like https://shop.example.com/sale becomes https://shop.example.com/sale?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=qr_code&utm_campaign=spring_promo. A few things worth knowing about how it behaves:
- The QR image never changes.Your dynamic QR code encodes a short link that redirects to your destination. UTM tags are added to that destination, not to the QR pattern itself — so you can add, edit, or remove tags on a code that's already printed and out in the world, with no reprint.
- Existing query parameters are kept. If your destination already has its own query string, QRKIT preserves it and only manages the UTM tags — it replaces existing UTM values instead of stacking duplicates.
- Your entries are tidied up. Stray spaces are trimmed automatically, and values are encoded for you so the URL stays valid.
- Clearing the fields removes the tags. Empty every field and save, and the code returns to its clean, untagged URL. Your original link is always preserved underneath.
Seeing the data in Google Analytics
QRKIT and your analytics tool measure two different things, and together they give you the full picture.
QRKIT tracks the scan itself — total scans, unique scans, location, device, and time — right in your dashboard, automatically, whether or not you use UTM tags. Google Analytics picks up where the scan ends: when someone lands on your destination page, GA reads the UTM tags off the link and credits that visit to the right source, medium, and campaign, alongside the rest of your marketing.
To see it in GA4, make sure Google Analytics is installed on your destination site, then open Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition and look for the source or medium you used (for example, qr_code). Real-time reports show visits within seconds; standard reports can take a day or so to finish processing.
Naming conventions & best practices
UTM values are just text you make up, which is exactly why discipline matters. Analytics tools treat Spring_Sale, spring sale, and spring-sale as three different campaigns, so a little inconsistency fragments your reports fast. A few rules keep your data clean:
- Stay lowercase. UTM values are case-sensitive. Pick lowercase and never deviate.
- Avoid spaces. Use underscores or hyphens instead —
product_launch, notproduct launch. - Be consistent.Decide once how you'll name things and stick to it. A single
utm_medium=qr_codefor every code groups all your scan traffic together. - Be descriptive, not cryptic.You'll read these in a report months later.
summer_catalog_2026is kinder to future-you thansc26.
You don't have to fill in every field. Source, medium, and campaign cover most QR-code needs; add content only when you're comparing variants.
Worked examples
Product packaging insert
You print a QR code on the box of a new product so buyers can register for the warranty. Set utm_source=packaging, utm_medium=qr_code, utm_campaign=warranty_signup. Now every registration that started from the box is attributable, separate from people who registered via your website footer.
Trade-show banner with an A/B test
You're at two events and want to know which hall and which headline pulled better, so you print two banner variants per event. Event one, headline A: utm_source=expo_west, utm_medium=qr_code, utm_campaign=fall_roadshow, utm_content=headline_a. Event two, headline B: swap in utm_source=expo_east and utm_content=headline_b. Same campaign, different source and content, so you can compare halls and headlines in one report.
Direct-mail postcard
You mail a seasonal postcard with a QR code linking to a landing page. Set utm_source=postcard, utm_medium=qr_code, utm_campaign=holiday_2026. Scans from the mailer now sit in their own bucket, so you can put a cost-per-conversion next to the print-and-postage spend.
Frequently asked questions
Do UTM tags change my QR code image?
No. UTM tags are added to the destination the code points to, not to the QR image, so the printed pattern stays exactly the same.
Will adding UTMs require me to reprint?
No. Because a dynamic code encodes a short link that redirects to your destination, you can add, edit, or remove UTM tags after the code is already printed. The next scan simply picks up the updated tagging.
Does QRKIT need UTMs to track scans?
No. QRKIT's dynamic QR codes record scans automatically — total scans, location, device, OS, and time — with no UTM tags required. UTMs are an additional layer that lets you attribute and segment that traffic inside your own tools, like Google Analytics.
Will the long, tagged URL show up to the person scanning?
The code itself encodes your short QRKIT link, and the UTM parameters live on the destination the code points to — so the tags ride along into your analytics rather than being something the visitor has to read or type.
Can I remove UTM tags later?
Yes. Open the UTM Builder again, clear the fields, and save. The code returns to its original, untagged destination — and because the QR is dynamic, no reprint is needed.
Which plans include the UTM Builder?
UTM tagging is a paid feature, available from the Starter plan and up, and it works on URL-type QR codes. Free-plan users are prompted to upgrade when they open it.
Ready to track your next campaign?
Tag a dynamic URL QR code, print it anywhere, and watch the scans land in your analytics by source and campaign.