UTM and redirect services
Redirect services and link-management platforms sit between a click and your landing page. Depending on configuration they may preserve the UTM parameters, append their own, or drop the query string entirely. Knowing which behavior applies is essential, because a redirect that loses UTM silently breaks campaign attribution.
Three redirect behaviors
A redirect service can do one of three things to your query string. It can preserve the UTM parameters and forward them unchanged; it can append its own parameters (sometimes overwriting yours); or it can strip the query string and send a bare URL. Only the first keeps your attribution intact by default.
Server-side HTTP redirects (301/302) that forward the full query string are the safe pattern. Client-side or JavaScript hops are where parameters most often get lost.
- Preserve — UTM forwarded unchanged (desired)
- Append/override — service adds or replaces parameters
- Strip — query string dropped, attribution lost
Validating a redirect path
Test every redirect service in a campaign path by clicking a real tagged link and inspecting the final landed URL: it should still carry your exact UTM set. Check for parameter duplication or case changes the service may introduce.
Watch the referrer too — some redirect domains appear as the referrer and can displace UTM-based attribution if your analytics prefers referrer over campaign. Prefer services that forward query strings and document the behavior, and re-test after any service configuration change.
How it appears in analytics and logs
Campaigns routed through a redirect service that land as direct or as the redirect domain indicate the service stripped UTM or introduced a referrer that displaced the campaign source.
Diagnostic use case
Verify that any redirect service in a campaign path forwards UTM parameters to the final URL, so source attribution survives the hop.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID records the UTM-tagged hit on the final landing page after redirects resolve, so it can reveal when a redirect path has stripped the tags and collapsed a campaign into direct.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a redirect service forwards UTM without testing the final URL.
- Letting a redirect domain become the referrer that displaces the campaign source.
- Ignoring duplicated or case-changed parameters the service introduces.
Privacy and accuracy notes
UTM parameters carried through a redirect describe the campaign, not the person; do not append personal identifiers. WebmasterID records the final landing touch without raw IP, exact location, or a cross-site identity.
Frequently asked questions
- Why did my campaign become direct after adding a redirect?
- The redirect service likely stripped the query string. Confirm the final landed URL still carries your UTM parameters, and use a server-side redirect that forwards the full query string.
Related pages
- UTM parameters in redirects
Redirects are where UTM attribution quietly dies. A 301/302 or a link shortener that does not forward the query string strips your tags before the visitor reaches the landing page. This page explains how to preserve UTM parameters through redirects, shorteners, and vanity URLs.
- Self-hosted UTM shortener
A self-hosted link shortener (for example an open-source tool like YOURLS or Shlink on your own domain) lets you create short campaign links that redirect to long UTM-tagged destinations. Running it yourself keeps the click logs first-party, the redirect domain on-brand, and the UTM mapping fully under your control.
- UTM and shortlink services
Shortlink services redirect a short URL to a longer destination. They can carry UTM parameters to the final page, or strip and re-add them, depending on configuration. Knowing how your shortener handles the query string is essential so a memorable short URL does not silently lose its campaign attribution.
- Campaign links
Keep tagged links intact through redirect hops.
Sources and verification notes
- Google Analytics Help — Custom campaigns (UTM)UTM parameters that must persist on the final URL after any redirect.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.