Can I Use Google Analytics to Track SMS Campaigns?
This article explains how to use Google Analytics 4 to track traffic and conversions from your Dexatel SMS campaigns using UTM parameters.
How It Works
When a recipient clicks a link in your SMS message, Google Analytics reads the UTM parameters appended to that URL and attributes the visit to your campaign. This lets you see SMS-driven traffic separately from other channels in your GA4 reports, and measure what recipients do after clicking — purchases, sign-ups, or any other conversion events you track on your site.
UTM Parameters
A UTM parameter is a short piece of text added to the end of a URL. GA4 recognises five standard parameters:
| Parameter | Purpose | Example value |
|---|---|---|
utm_source |
Identifies where the traffic originates | dexatel |
utm_medium |
Identifies the marketing channel | sms |
utm_campaign |
Identifies the specific campaign | summer_sale |
utm_content |
Differentiates links within the same campaign | promo_banner |
utm_term |
Identifies keywords (primarily for paid search) | — |
Always include utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign at minimum. Omitting them results in (not set) values in your GA4 reports.
Building a Tracked URL
Use Google's Campaign URL Builder to generate tagged URLs without typing parameters manually.
A completed URL looks like this:
https://www.yoursite.com/offer?utm_source=dexatel&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=summer_sale
Paste this URL into the message body when creating your campaign in Dexatel Engage.
Note: UTM parameters can make URLs long. To keep message length under control, use Dexatel's Link Management tool to shorten the tagged URL before including it in your message.
Viewing Results in GA4
Once your campaign has run, go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition in Google Analytics. Filter or group by Session source / medium to isolate SMS traffic. You can further break down results by campaign name using the Session campaign dimension.