UTM Parameters & Campaign Tagging

Consistent UTM tags unlock precise attribution in Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and any customer data platform. Shaf's built-in UTM builder ensures every link in a campaign carries identical, validated parameters — with zero manual URL editing.

UTM Parameters Reference

Parameter	Purpose	Common Values
`utm_source`	Traffic origin / referrer	`newsletter`, `twitter`, `linkedin`, `google`
`utm_medium`	Marketing channel type	`cpc`, `email`, `social`, `organic`
`utm_campaign`	Specific promotion or initiative	`fall_product_launch`, `q4-outreach`
`utm_term`	Paid search keyword or ad term	`edge_links`, `url_shortener`
`utm_content`	A/B test variant or creative identifier	`variant_hero_blue`, `sidebar_cta`

Using the Built-In UTM Builder

Open the Link Editor

Create or edit a short link. Click the UTM Builder tab in the link editor sidebar.

Fill In Your UTM Fields

Enter values for the parameters relevant to your campaign. Required for attribution: utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign.

Preview the Final URL

Shaf shows a live preview of the assembled destination URL with all UTM parameters appended:

1https://yourbrand.com/product?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fall_product_launch&utm_content=variant_hero_blue

The short link itself remains clean — the UTM parameters are added transparently at redirect time.

Save the Link

Click Save Link. The UTM parameters are encoded and stored alongside the link record.

AI-Suggested UTM Values: When using the AI slug generator, Shaf can also suggest consistent UTM parameter values based on your link's destination URL and description. Click Suggest UTM in the builder.

Organizing Campaigns with Tags

Tags are workspace-level labels that group links across campaigns for aggregated filtering and bulk operations.

Add Tags When Creating a Link

In the Tags field, type comma-separated tag names:

1q3-growth, partner-referral, podcast-ads

Press Enter or Tab after each tag to confirm it.

Filter by Tag in the Links Table

In the Links view, click the Filter dropdown → Tag → select one or more tags. The table updates to show only links matching those tags.

Query Tags Programmatically

Tags are fully queryable via the REST API:

12curl -X GET "https://api.shaf.app/v1/links?tag=q3-growth" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..."

Campaign Analysis Tips

Consistent Naming

Agree on a naming convention before launch. utm_campaign=fall_product_launch and utm_campaign=Fall Product Launch are treated as different campaigns in GA4.

One Link Per Channel

Create separate short links per channel (email, social, paid) rather than reusing a single link with different UTM tags. This gives you per-channel click stats inside Shaf alongside UTM attribution in GA4.

Use Tags to Group

Tag all links belonging to a campaign with the campaign name (e.g. q4-launch). Use Shaf's tag filter to see aggregated click performance without leaving the dashboard.

Troubleshooting

GA4 shows UTM data but Shaf clicks don't match

This is expected behavior. Shaf counts every redirect event (click on the short link). GA4 only counts sessions where the page loaded successfully and the Analytics snippet fired. Bots, crawlers, and users with script blockers contribute to Shaf counts but not GA4 sessions.

UTM parameters are not appearing on the destination landing page

Check that the destination URL does not have a redirect chain that strips query parameters. Test the destination URL directly in your browser with UTM params appended to confirm they pass through.

Can I bulk-apply UTM params to existing links?

Currently, UTM params must be set per-link in the editor. Bulk UTM update via CSV import is on the roadmap. For now, use the Export → Edit → Re-import workflow to update multiple links.