A step-by-step guide to configuring default UTM parameters on your UniLink page so every outbound link automatically carries attribution data to your analytics.
- UniLink's Default UTM Parameters feature appends utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, and other UTM tags to every outbound link on your page automatically — no manual tagging of individual links required.
- Set them up at Dashboard → Settings → Analytics → Default UTM Parameters; individual links can override these defaults with their own per-link UTM values.
- This is the fastest way to ensure 100% UTM coverage across all clicks from your link-in-bio without maintaining UTM parameters manually on each link.
Without UTM parameters, every click from your UniLink page shows up in Google Analytics as "direct" traffic — a blank attribution that tells you nothing about which social platform, which campaign, or which content drove the visit. UTM parameters fix that by passing source data in the URL so your analytics platform can properly attribute the visit. The problem is tagging every individual link on a page with UTMs is tedious and breaks the moment you add a new link and forget. Default UTM parameters solve this by tagging every outbound link automatically from a single configuration point.
What Default UTM Parameters Does
Default UTM Parameters is a settings feature that injects a standardized set of UTM query string values into every outbound link on your UniLink page at the moment a visitor clicks. Instead of storing UTMs inside the link URLs themselves — which requires re-editing every link every time a campaign changes — UniLink appends them dynamically. This means your links stay clean in the editor while still delivering full UTM attribution to visitors' destination URLs in analytics.
The five standard UTM parameters are all supported: utm_source (where the traffic originates — typically "unilink" or the social platform name), utm_medium (the channel type — "social" or "bio"), utm_campaign (the campaign name — "spring_sale" or "product_launch"), utm_content (the specific link or creative variant — "merch_button" or "top_link"), and utm_term (typically used for paid keywords, though creative teams sometimes repurpose it). You set default values for each parameter, and every click from your page carries those values to the destination URL.
Individual links on your page can override the page-level defaults with their own UTM values. If you set a default utm_campaign of "always_on" but want a specific link to track under "launch_promo," you add the per-link override on that link and UniLink uses the link-level value instead of the page default for that click. This hierarchy — page defaults as the baseline, link-level overrides for exceptions — gives you flexibility without sacrificing coverage. Any link that doesn't have its own override inherits the page defaults automatically.
How to Get Started
- Open your Dashboard: Log in at app.unilink.us. Default UTM Parameters is available on all paid UniLink plans — Starter ($9/mo), Pro ($19/mo), and Business ($49/mo).
- Go to page settings: Navigate to My Pages, find the page you want to configure, and click the Settings icon (gear icon) next to that page — not the Edit button.
- Open the Analytics tab: In the page settings panel, click the Analytics tab. This section contains your tracking integrations (Google Analytics ID, Facebook Pixel) and Default UTM Parameters.
- Decide your UTM naming convention before filling in values: Before typing anything, decide on consistent naming — lowercase, underscores instead of spaces, no special characters. Inconsistent naming (mixing "UniLink" and "unilink") creates split attribution in your analytics tools and forces cleanup later.
- Save and test: After entering your UTM values (detailed in the next section), click Save Settings. Then open your page in an incognito window, click any outbound link, and check the URL of the destination page — your UTM parameters should appear in the query string.
How to Use Default UTM Parameters
- Enter utm_source: This identifies where the traffic came from. For UniLink pages, common values are "unilink", "linkinbio", or the specific platform name like "instagram" if this page is only linked from Instagram. Use the platform name when a page is dedicated to one social channel; use "unilink" or "linkinbio" for general pages shared across multiple platforms.
- Enter utm_medium: This describes the marketing channel type. Standard values for link-in-bio are "social" or "bio". Avoid custom values here — most analytics platforms and reports use "social" as a recognized medium that groups correctly in channel reports.
- Enter utm_campaign: This identifies the specific campaign. Use the name of the campaign, product launch, or content theme this page supports — "summer_2026", "course_launch", "always_on". Keep it consistent and update it when campaigns change so you can filter by campaign name in analytics.
- Enter utm_content (optional): Use this to differentiate between multiple links pointing to the same destination. For example, if you have two links to your website — one in a banner and one in a links block — set utm_content differently for each via per-link overrides so you can see which placement drives more clicks.
- Add per-link overrides for exceptions: For any individual link that belongs to a different campaign or source, go to that link's settings in the block editor and add UTM overrides in the link's advanced settings panel. Link-level UTMs take precedence over page defaults for that specific link only.
Key Settings
| Setting | What It Does | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Identifies the origin of the traffic (e.g., which platform or page this click came from) | Use "instagram", "tiktok", or the specific platform if page is channel-specific; use "unilink" for general pages |
| utm_medium | Classifies the marketing channel type for grouping in analytics reports | Use "social" for organic social; use "bio" if you want link-in-bio as its own segment in your reports |
| utm_campaign | Names the campaign or content initiative this page supports | Use lowercase with underscores; update whenever the primary campaign changes so historical data stays clean |
| utm_content | Differentiates specific links or creatives pointing to the same URL | Leave as a page default only if all links are unique URLs; use per-link overrides when multiple links go to the same destination |
| Per-link UTM override | Replaces page defaults with link-specific values for individual outbound links | Use for links that belong to a different campaign context than the page default, such as an affiliate link or a sponsored placement |
?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=always_on. If you don't see them, return to Settings → Analytics and confirm the parameters were saved correctly. This 30-second test after setup catches configuration errors before any real traffic runs through the page.
Get the Most Out Of Default UTM Parameters
Establish a UTM naming convention before you launch and document it somewhere your whole team can reference. The most common analytics data quality problem isn't missing UTMs — it's inconsistent UTMs. "Instagram" and "instagram" are treated as two different sources in every analytics tool. "social-bio" and "social_bio" split your channel data in half. Agree on: all lowercase, underscores as separators, no spaces, no special characters. Write this down in a shared doc, a Notion page, or even a sticky note next to your computer. Consistency compounds over time into clean, trustworthy data.
Update your utm_campaign value whenever the primary purpose of the page changes. If you ran a summer sale campaign and you're now in an always-on phase, update the campaign parameter so you can cleanly separate campaign-period traffic from baseline traffic in your reports. Don't leave stale campaign names in place — six months from now you'll see "summer_sale" in your analytics data from October and wonder what happened. A 30-second update to this field when campaigns shift saves significant analysis confusion later.
Use utm_content per-link overrides to run link position tests. If you have the same destination URL linked in two places on your page — say, at the top in a header button and lower down in a links block — set utm_content to "top_button" and "links_block" respectively. After a week of traffic, compare clicks by utm_content in your analytics to see which placement drives more engagement. This turns your UniLink page into a simple A/B testing environment for link placement without any additional tooling.
Connect Google Analytics 4 (or your preferred analytics platform) to your UniLink page alongside setting UTM parameters. UTMs only deliver their value when they're being read by an analytics platform that captures them. In UniLink's Settings → Analytics tab, you can enter your GA4 Measurement ID or other tracking codes. Once connected, your UTM-tagged clicks will appear in GA4 under Traffic → Source/Medium, segmented exactly by the values you configured. Without a connected analytics platform, UTMs are appended but nothing reads them.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| UTMs not appearing in destination URLs after clicking | Settings not saved after entering values, or link opens in an app that strips query parameters | Re-save settings; test by clicking a link in a real mobile browser (not the Instagram in-app browser, which sometimes strips UTMs before redirecting) |
| UTM data not appearing in Google Analytics | GA4 Measurement ID not entered in UniLink settings, or GA4 not yet processing new data (up to 48h delay) | Add your GA4 Measurement ID under Settings → Analytics; check GA4's Realtime report immediately after a test click — it appears there with no delay |
| Traffic shows split between two utm_source values for the same page | Inconsistent capitalization or spelling in UTM values (e.g., "Instagram" vs "instagram") | Standardize to all-lowercase in your default UTM settings; create a GA4 "channel group" rule to consolidate historical splits if needed |
| Per-link override not working — page defaults are being used instead | Override was entered in the wrong field, or changes weren't saved after editing the link | Open the link block, click the link, find the UTM Override section in the link's advanced settings, re-enter values, and save both the link and the page |
- Ensures 100% UTM coverage across all outbound clicks without manually tagging each link individually
- New links added to the page automatically inherit page defaults — no risk of forgetting to tag a new link
- Per-link overrides provide flexibility for exception cases without breaking the default coverage pattern
- Works with any analytics platform that reads UTM query parameters — GA4, Plausible, Fathom, Mixpanel, and others
- Requires a connected analytics platform to be useful — UTMs appended to URLs deliver no value without something reading them
- In-app browsers on some social platforms (Instagram, TikTok) occasionally strip query parameters before loading destination pages, causing missed attribution
- Stale utm_campaign values remain until manually updated — requires ongoing maintenance discipline to keep data meaningful
Frequently Asked Questions
Will UTM parameters affect destination page load speed or SEO?
UTM parameters are query string values appended to URLs — they do not affect page load speed in any meaningful way. For SEO, destination pages typically canonicalize their clean URL, which means search engines index the page without UTM parameters in the canonical URL. However, if you're sending traffic to a page that does not have a canonical tag set, there's a very minor risk of duplicate content indexing. In practice this is almost never a real issue for link-in-bio UTM usage.
Can I use dynamic values in UTM parameters, like the visitor's country?
Default UTM Parameters on UniLink are static values — you enter fixed text and that text is appended to every click. Dynamic UTM values (inserting variables like country or device type automatically) require either a custom integration or a JavaScript-based UTM enrichment approach that is not supported natively in UniLink's default UTM settings. For most use cases, static values are sufficient for clean attribution.
Do UTM parameters work with UniLink's built-in analytics or only with external tools?
UniLink's built-in analytics tracks clicks, page views, and basic geographic data but does not currently report on UTM parameter values as a dimension. The UTM parameters are appended to outbound links and read by whatever analytics tool the destination website uses — typically Google Analytics 4, Plausible, or similar. Connect an external analytics platform to your UniLink page via Settings → Analytics to capture UTM-segmented reports.
What happens to UTMs when a visitor clicks a link that already has UTM parameters in its URL?
If a link URL you've entered already contains UTM parameters (e.g., https://example.com?utm_source=newsletter), UniLink's default UTM parameters will be appended in addition. This results in duplicate UTM parameters in the URL, which can cause analytics tools to behave unexpectedly — most will use the last value. To avoid this, either use per-link UTM overrides (which replace defaults) or remove UTMs from individual link URLs and let the page defaults handle all attribution.
Can I set different default UTMs for different pages on the same account?
Yes — Default UTM Parameters are configured per page, not per account. Each of your UniLink pages has its own Analytics settings tab with its own default UTM values. This is useful when different pages serve different campaigns or audiences: your Instagram-specific page can have utm_source=instagram while your TikTok-specific page uses utm_source=tiktok, keeping attribution clean across channels without any extra work per link.
- Default UTM Parameters are set per page at Dashboard → Settings → Analytics and automatically tag every outbound link click with your configured values.
- Use all-lowercase naming with underscores as separators — inconsistent capitalization splits attribution data in analytics tools.
- Individual links can override page defaults via the link's advanced settings — useful for affiliate links, sponsored placements, or links belonging to a different campaign.
- Connect Google Analytics 4 or another analytics platform under Settings → Analytics — UTMs deliver no value without a tool reading them.
- Test your UTMs after setup by clicking a link in incognito mode and checking the destination URL for your UTM parameters in the query string.
Ready to get clean attribution from every link? Set up your UniLink page and configure default UTM parameters in under two minutes.