Link parameters

What are UTM, fbclid, gclid, and msclkid parameters?

Tracking parameters are pieces of text added to the end of a URL, often after a question mark. They help platforms measure where traffic came from, which campaign produced a click, or which ad network was involved.

Common examples

1. utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign describe campaign attribution.
2. fbclid is commonly added around Facebook link clicks.
3. gclid is commonly associated with Google ad click attribution.
4. msclkid is commonly associated with Microsoft ad click attribution.
5. Email platforms may add their own subscriber, campaign, or message identifiers.

When to keep them

Keep tracking parameters when you are responsible for measuring your own campaign. Remove them when you are simply forwarding or publishing a cleaner version of someone else's link.

FAQ

Are UTM tags harmful? Not automatically. They are a measurement tool. The privacy issue is whether the extra attribution is useful or unnecessary for the share.

Are all query parameters tracking? No. Many are functional, such as search queries, filters, product variants, or pagination.

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