In digital marketing, one of the most effective channels for customer engagement is WhatsApp. Messages boast a staggering 98% open rate, five times higher than emails and SMS. This makes WhatsApp indispensable for businesses aiming to reach their customers directly. 

However, while the high engagement rate is a great advantage, tracking the success of WhatsApp-based campaigns is equally important to measure ROI and optimize strategies. This is where UTM tags come in. 

By adding UTM parameters to WhatsApp links, businesses can precisely track their campaigns' performance, gaining insights into which sources, mediums, and campaigns drive the most traffic and conversions. 

In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to set up UTM tags for WhatsApp links and analyze the data to improve your marketing efforts.

What Are UTM Tags for WhatsApp Links?

UTM tags (Urchin Tracking Module tags) are special parameters that you can add to the end of a URL to track the performance of a specific link in analytics platforms like Google Analytics. 

These tags help you understand how users interact with your content, where they are coming from, and which marketing efforts drive traffic to your website or other platforms.

WhatsApp allows you to add UTM tags to links shared through the app, whether in messages, ads, or posts, to track the effectiveness of your WhatsApp outreach in driving traffic or conversions. By appending UTM tags to a WhatsApp link, you can monitor user behavior based on the source, medium, and campaign that led them to click on the link.

How UTM Tags Work with WhatsApp Links?

For example, you might share a link encouraging users to chat with your business on WhatsApp. You can add UTM tags to that link to track its performance. 

A WhatsApp link with UTM tags could look like this:

https://wa.me/1234567890?text=Hello!%20I'm%20interested%20in%20your%20service&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=whatsapp_outreach

Here’s what each part of the URL means:

• wa.me/1234567890: The phone number you're linking to for WhatsApp messaging.
• text=Hello! I'm interested in your service: The predefined message a user will send when clicking the link.
• utm_source=facebook: Identifies the source of the link (in this case, Facebook).
• utm_medium=social: Describes the medium of the link (social media in this case).
• utm_campaign=whatsapp_outreach: Identifies the specific campaign associated with this link.

Let us take a look at how UTM tags can improve your tracking, analysis, and overall marketing efforts.

What are the Benefits of Using UTM Tags for WhatsApp Links?

Using UTM links in WhatsApp marketing campaigns offers several key advantages. They help pinpoint high-performing campaigns, allowing you to prioritize strategies that yield the highest return on investment.

• Track Performance: You can track how users interact with the WhatsApp link and which marketing channels (e.g., social media, email, ads) drive the most traffic and engagement.
• Measure ROI: If you're using WhatsApp for customer support, sales, or marketing, UTM tags help you evaluate which campaigns or outreach efforts generate the most conversions or customer interactions.
• Optimize Campaigns: With insights from UTM tag data, you can fine-tune your WhatsApp marketing strategies. You can focus your efforts on specific campaigns or sources if you see that they lead to better engagement there.
• Clear Attribution: UTM tags allow for easy attribution, helping you identify if WhatsApp is the primary source of traffic and sales or if other channels play a larger role in conversions.

The benefits of using UTM tags for tracking WhatsApp campaigns are clear, accurate insights, better campaign optimization, and improved ROI. However, to fully harness these advantages, it’s crucial to understand how to set up UTM tags correctly.

How Do You Set up UTM Tags?

By setting up UTM tags, Shopify merchants can measure how their WhatsApp-based sales and customer interactions contribute to overall business outcomes.

Step 1: Define a Consistent Naming Convention

Establishing a clear and consistent naming convention is crucial for tracking and avoiding confusion. Consider the following guidelines:

• Use lowercase letters: Google Analytics differentiates between uppercase and lowercase letters. For consistency, use lowercase for all UTM parameters.
• Use underscores instead of spaces: Since spaces are not allowed in URLs, use underscores to separate words. For example, use campaign_builder instead of campaign builder.
• Incorporate dates in the format YYMMDD: This helps organize and analyze campaigns chronologically.

Step 2: Determine What to Measure with Each UTM Parameter

Decide on the parameters you want to track for each UTM

• Source: Identifies where the traffic is coming from. For WhatsApp campaigns, this could be like a newsletter for campaigns sent via email
• Medium: Specifies the marketing medium. For example, WhatsApp, email, social, etc, could be the medium
• Campaign: Represents the specific campaign or promotion. This could include:
  
  • Geography: Targeting specific markets
  • Intent: The goal of the campaign (e.g., product_launch)
  • Date: To differentiate recurring campaigns (e.g., 250516 for May 16, 2025)

Step 3: Construct the UTM-Tagged WhatsApp Link

Combine the base WhatsApp link with the UTM parameters

https://wa.me/1234567890?text=Hi%20I%20am%20interested%20in%20your%20product&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=whatsapp&utm_campaign=product_launch_230401&utm_term=engaged_subscribers&utm_content=quick_reply_button

Replace 1234567890 with your business phone number and adjust the UTM parameters per your campaign details.

Step 4: Use Tools to Generate UTM-Tagged URLs

To simplify the process, you can use tools like the Google Campaign URL Builder to create UTM-tagged URLs efficiently. 

Step 5: Integrate UTM Links into Your WhatsApp Messages

Incorporate the UTM-tagged links into your WhatsApp messages:

Example:

• For Product Promotion: Hi! Check out our latest product: [Product Link] [UTM Tagged Link]
• Abandoned Cart Reminder: You left something behind! Complete your purchase here: [UTM Tagged Link]
• Customer Support: Need assistance? Chat with us here: [UTM Tagged Link]

Step 6: Ensure Correct Formatting of URLs in WhatsApp

To ensure that your UTM-tagged URLs function correctly in WhatsApp:

• Use URL Encoding: Ensure that spaces and special characters in your URLs are properly encoded. 
• Test the Link: Before sharing, test the link to ensure it directs to the intended destination and that UTM parameters are correctly captured in your analytics tool.
• Avoid Long URLs: Long URLs can be cumbersome and may not display correctly. Consider using URL shortening services (such as Bitly) to create links.

Following these steps, you can set up UTM tags for your WhatsApp links. 

With the integration of platforms like Zoko, you can track, manage, and automatically capture UTM parameters from your WhatsApp links, allowing you to track the source, medium, and campaign directly within your Shopify dashboard. Book a Call Today!

How do you Track and Analyze UTM Tagged Links?

To track and analyze UTM-tagged links, you can use tools like Google Analytics to capture and report on the UTM parameters embedded in your URLs. By monitoring key metrics such as traffic sources, user behavior, conversions, and revenue, you can assess campaign performance and adjust marketing strategies accordingly. 

Step 1: Accessing UTM Data in GA4

To view UTM parameters in Google Analytics, follow these steps

• Navigate to: Reports -> Acquisition -> Traffic Acquisition

• Adjust the primary dimension: To view traffic sources and mediums, click on the dropdown menu labeled “Session default channel group” and select “Session source/medium.”
• Add secondary dimensions: Click the “+” icon to add dimensions like “Session campaign” to see campaign-specific data.
  

This setup allows you to analyze traffic based on UTM parameters such as utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign.

Step 2: Determine Key Metrics

To assess the performance of your UTM-tagged links, focus on the following key metrics:

• Clicks: Indicates the number of times your link was clicked.
• Conversions: Measures the number of desired actions taken by users, such as completing a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
• Revenue: Tracks the income generated from the conversions attributed to your UTM-tagged links.
• Sessions: The number of visits initiated by users
• Users: The count of unique visitors.
• Engagement Metrics: Metrics like average engagement time and pages per session.

These metrics can be found in the Traffic Acquisition report under the respective UTM dimensions.

Step 3: Analyze Performance Data

Once you've gathered data, analyze it to optimize your campaigns:

• Identify high-performing sources and mediums: Determine which channels are driving the most traffic and conversions.
• Evaluate campaign effectiveness: Assess which campaigns yield the highest return on investment.
• Adjust strategies accordingly: Allocate resources to the most effective channels and campaigns, and refine or discontinue underperforming ones.

Zoko’s analytics tools help you monitor the performance of your WhatsApp campaigns. Combining UTM data with analytics lets you gain insights into customer behavior, campaign effectiveness, and sales performance. All you have to do is install the Zoko plugin and manage everything within WhatsApp.

Explore: Effective WhatsApp Lead Generation Strategies for 2025

What are the Challenges of Integrating UTM Tags in WhatsApp Links?

When using WhatsApp for lead generation, a key challenge is the multiple entry points to your WhatsApp channel, whether it's through a chatbot link in an ad, a landing page, or a LinkedIn paid campaign. This makes it difficult to accurately track and analyze your WhatsApp leads' origins. Let’s explore the challenges and considerations thereafter in more detail.

1. Limitations in Tracking

WhatsApp's handling of UTM parameters can be inconsistent. For example, when a URL with UTM parameters redirects to WhatsApp, some analytics platforms may not capture the UTM data. 

This limitation arises because WhatsApp doesn't always pass along the UTM parameters when opening the app or web interface, further leading to gaps in tracking campaign performance.

2. Security Concerns with HTTPS Links

Sharing HTTP (non-secure) links via WhatsApp can pose security risks. WhatsApp may flag such links as "suspicious," especially if they lead to phishing sites or contain malware. Users might be warned before clicking, which can deter engagement. Additionally, HTTP links lack encryption, making them vulnerable to interception and misuse.

3. Compliance with Data Protection Regulations

When using UTM parameters to track user interactions on WhatsApp, businesses must ensure compliance with data protection regulations like the GDPR. This includes obtaining explicit consent from users before collecting and processing their data.

4. Technical Complexity in Capturing UTM Data

WhatsApp links don’t directly support UTM parameters, so businesses often need to implement workarounds like web chatbots that capture UTM info before redirecting users to WhatsApp. This requires additional technical setup and user opt-in management.

These challenges highlight that integrating UTM tags with WhatsApp marketing requires planning, technical solutions beyond simple URL tagging, and consistent governance to maintain data integrity.

By understanding and addressing these challenges, businesses can track and analyze UTM-tagged links in WhatsApp by exploring alternative methods or workarounds, such as dynamic links with integrated tracking systems that help capture data even when UTM parameters aren't fully supported. 

Also Read: Step-by-Step Guide to Integrating WhatsApp with Shopify

Why Consider Zoko for WhatsApp UTM Tracking and Marketing

Zoko is a powerful WhatsApp Business platform that helps businesses overcome common challenges with UTM tracking on WhatsApp links. It offers features that improve campaign tracking and customer engagement without relying solely on manual UTM tagging. 

Here’s how Zoko overcomes the limitations that have been discussed above

• It enables businesses to turn their WhatsApp number into a primary revenue channel by automating sales, marketing, and support workflows.
• Zoko’s integration with Shopify allows seamless catalog sharing and order taking inside WhatsApp, which helps maintain attribution and customer context without relying solely on UTM parameters.
• The platform supports WhatsApp broadcasts that reportedly achieve 500% better open rates than email, enhancing campaign reach and effectiveness.
• As an official Meta Business Partner, Zoko provides verified WhatsApp Business API accounts (blue tick verification), which improves trust and deliverability.
• It also offers AI-powered chatbots and automation tools to streamline customer interactions and recover abandoned carts, addressing challenges in tracking and engagement on WhatsApp.

Practical Use Cases for UTM Tags in WhatsApp Campaigns

UTM tags help merchants track where their traffic and sales come from when using WhatsApp. Here are some practical use cases:

1. Multiple WhatsApp Marketing Campaigns: If you run different promotions (like "Summer Sale" and "New Product Launch"), UTM tags help you see which one brings more customers.
2. Different Message Types: You can track which message format works better

• Product showcases with images
• Limited-time offers
• Abandoned cart reminders

3. Audience Segmentation: Compare how different customer groups respond

• New vs. returning customers
• Customers grouped by age or location
• Customers who bought specific products before

4. Content Strategy Testing: Find out which product descriptions or call-to-actions work best

• Short vs. detailed descriptions
• Different types of promotions (percent off vs. free shipping)
• Different urgency phrases ("Limited time" vs "Today only")

5. Cross-Channel Analysis: See how WhatsApp performs compared to

• Email marketing
• Instagram shopping
• Facebook ads

6. Broadcast Message Timing: Track when your messages get the best response

• Morning vs. evening messages
• Weekday vs. weekend campaigns

UTM tags make these insights possible by adding special code to your links that tells your analytics tools exactly where each visitor came from and which campaign brought them to you.

Best Practices for Managing and Organizing UTM Tag Data

Knowing UTM best practices is essential for maintaining detailed and consistent data. By following these practices, you’ll streamline the organization and reporting of your tracked links. Here are the best practices for UTM parameters, perfect for fast-growing, data-driven companies.

Conclusion

UTM tags help track and analyze the performance of your WhatsApp campaigns. Incorporating UTM parameters into your links lets you understand which sources, mediums, and campaigns drive traffic, conversions, and revenue. 

Optimizing these links ensures more accurate tracking, enabling data-driven decisions that enhance your marketing efforts. 

Zoko is a comprehensive platform that utilizes the WhatsApp API to streamline your sales, marketing, and customer support on WhatsApp. It allows you to go beyond simple messaging and expand your reach effectively. 

Ready to take your WhatsApp marketing to the next level? Start your 7-day free trial with Zoko today and experience the power of integrated tracking and personalized customer engagement.