UTM tracking in Plausible Analytics
Plausible is a privacy-first, cookieless analytics tool that reads the standard utm_ parameters and exposes them as Source, UTM Medium, UTM Campaign, UTM Content, and UTM Term properties. Because Plausible avoids cookies and cross-site identifiers, UTMs are the primary way to attribute campaigns. This page covers how Plausible consumes the parameters and groups acquisition sources.
UTM properties in Plausible
Plausible exposes each standard parameter as a filterable property: utm_source feeds Source, and utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, and utm_term each get their own breakdown. You can filter and combine them in the dashboard to see, for example, which campaign within a medium performed.
Because Plausible does not persist a cross-visit identifier, attribution is based on the landing URL's parameters for that visit.
- utm_source → Source
- utm_medium → UTM Medium breakdown
- utm_campaign / utm_content / utm_term → own breakdowns
Cookieless attribution implications
Without cookies, Plausible cannot stitch a multi-day journey the way an identity-based tool might. That makes consistent UTM tagging more important, not less — the tag is the attribution.
Keep lowercase, consistent values so the Source and UTM breakdowns do not fragment into near-duplicate rows.
How it appears in analytics and logs
In Plausible, a UTM-tagged visit fills the matching UTM property and contributes to the Source breakdown. Because there is no cross-site cookie, the UTM on the landing URL is what carries campaign context — an untagged link shows only the raw referrer or Direct.
Diagnostic use case
Tag links so they appear correctly in Plausible's Sources and UTM breakdowns, and understand how a cookieless tool attributes campaigns without cross-site tracking.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID shares Plausible's privacy-first posture: it reads UTMs server-side, treats them as link metadata, and keeps bot traffic out, so campaign attribution stays clean without cookies or fingerprinting.
Common mistakes
- Expecting cross-session stitching Plausible deliberately does not do.
- Inconsistent casing producing duplicate rows in the UTM breakdowns.
- Assuming an untagged link will be attributed — it shows as referrer or Direct.
- Confusing Source (from utm_source/referrer) with the UTM Medium breakdown.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Plausible is designed to be privacy-first and cookieless; UTMs describe the link and contain no personal data. Attribution is session-scoped and does not build a cross-site profile of the visitor.
Related pages
- UTM tracking in Matomo
Matomo supports campaign tracking through its own mtm_ parameters and can also be configured to read the standard utm_ parameters. The mtm_campaign and mtm_keyword tags map to Matomo's Campaigns reports, while utm_ values can be mapped via Matomo's campaign parameter settings. This page covers how Matomo consumes both schemes and where the data surfaces.
- UTM and privacy: what never goes in a link
Every UTM parameter is visible in the address bar, browser history, referrer headers, and server logs. This page sets the hard rule: a campaign URL must never carry personal data or a secret, and explains exactly where these values leak so the rule is concrete, not abstract.
- Lowercase UTM enforcement
UTM parameter values are case-sensitive in most analytics tools, so Email, email, and EMAIL count as three separate sources. Enforcing lowercase at the point links are created is the simplest way to stop a report from fragmenting into near-duplicate rows. This page covers why casing matters, where to enforce it, and how to clean up an existing mess.
- Privacy-first analytics
Cookieless, UTM-based campaign attribution.
Sources and verification notes
- Plausible — UTM tags and campaigns documentationOfficial guide to the UTM properties Plausible reads.
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.