How does utm_content work?
Imagine you send a newsletter with two buttons — one at the top and one at the bottom — both linking to the same landing page. By giving each a different utm_content value, you can see which button drives more clicks.
Common use cases for utm_content
- A/B testing ads — compare "blue_banner" vs "red_banner"
- Multiple CTAs — distinguish "header_link" from "footer_link" in the same email
- Ad formats — track "carousel" vs "single_image" in social ads
- Sitelink extensions — identify which Google Ads sitelink was clicked
How is utm_content different from other UTM parameters?
While utm_campaign groups all traffic under one initiative, utm_content lets you zoom in on which specific element within that campaign drove the click. It's a level deeper than utm_term, which focuses on paid keywords.
- utm_source — where the traffic comes from
- utm_medium — the channel type
- utm_campaign — the campaign name
- utm_term — the paid keyword
- utm_content — the specific creative or link variant
utm_content is optional — use it when you need granular creative-level insights, not on every link.
utm_content and TTFB
Since utm_content adds yet another dimension of variation to URLs already carrying utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign, it further multiplies the number of unique URLs your server sees. Ensure your caching layer strips or ignores UTM parameters to avoid unnecessary TTFB degradation.
Test your site's performance with utm_content
Use the tool below to measure how the utm_content parameter affects your website's TTFB.
