Seeds
How do I know if my UTMs are being removed?
Test manually by clicking your campaign URLs from different sources in an incognito browser and watching the address bar through every redirect — if parameters...
Why does all my traffic show as 'direct' in GA4?
Traffic shows as Direct when GA4 receives no source/medium information. This happens when UTMs are stripped by redirects, cookies expire before conversion, Safari ITP limits...
What is stripping my UTM parameters?
Three layers strip them: redirects that don't carry the query string (HTTP-to-HTTPS, regional and mobile redirects, URL shorteners), infrastructure that drops parameters (CDN edge rules,...
What types of redirects strip UTM parameters?
Any redirect that rebuilds the destination URL without carrying the query string drops your UTMs. The common offenders: HTTP-to-HTTPS upgrades, www and non-www canonicalisation, regional...
Why do HTTPS redirects drop my UTM parameters?
Because most HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects are written to fix the protocol, not to carry the data. A typical server or plugin rule rewrites the scheme and...
How does GA4 use UTMs for channel classification?
GA4 reads your UTM parameters, primarily utm_medium and utm_source, and matches them against its default channel grouping rules to label each session (Paid Search, Email,...
Why does paid traffic appear as Direct in GA4?
Because GA4 files a session as Direct whenever it can't read a source, and paid clicks lose their source for several reasons: stripped UTMs, dropped...
How can I tell if my UTMs are being stripped?
Watch for the symptoms, then test the chain. The tell-tale sign is a Direct or Unassigned bucket that's implausibly large; when 50% or more of...
Can CDNs strip UTM parameters?
Yes. A CDN can strip UTMs in two ways: cache rules that ignore or remove query strings to raise hit rates, and edge redirects or...
Why do UTM naming inconsistencies matter?
Because analytics tools match UTM values literally, so every inconsistency fragments your data. GA4 treats Email, email, and e-mail as three different sources, and utm_medium=cpc,...
How do I test if my UTMs are preserved?
Click your own tagged link and follow it to the end. Build a full URL with utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign, open it on a real...
How does server-side tracking protect UTMs?
Server-side tracking captures UTM parameters the instant a request reaches your web server, before browsers, redirects, or privacy extensions can strip them. While client-side JavaScript...