Ever checked your ad performance in Motion and thought, “Wait, this data feels…off?” Chances are, your UTM setup is the culprit.

👉 Why? Google Analytics gets messy when ad names are reused across multiple ads. Since GA groups data by name, if multiple ads share the same one, it makes it impossible to attribute metrics to a specific ad.

The Solution: Use Ad ID

The best way to resolve this issue is by adding an ad ID as a dynamic parameter.

Unlike ad names, which may be duplicated across different ads, the ad ID is always unique to each ad, ensuring accurate attribution in Google Analytics.

Implementation Best Practices

To avoid this, add the ad ID to one of the following UTM fields:

UTM Content
UTM Term
UTM Campaign (less common but possible)

Use a Separator: If your UTM already includes an ad name, insert a separator before adding the ad ID to ensure proper data segmentation.

Ensure Consistency: Establish a standard practice of including ad IDs in UTM parameters to prevent tracking discrepancies.

Updating UTM Parameters on Active Ads

If you change your UTM parameter structure on an active ad—moving the ad, ad set, or campaign name to a different UTM field—only part of your historical data will be matched.

If you update an active ad that originally had utm_term={{ad.name}} to a new structure using utm_content={{ad.name}}, Motion will not be able to match new results with previous data for that specific ad.

Best Practice for Updating UTM Structures

If you are not including {{ad.id}} in your parameters and are modifying your UTM structure, we recommend applying the new format only to newly launched ads to avoid attribution issues.

Conclusion

Adding an ad ID to your UTM parameters is the simplest and most effective way to ensure accurate Google Analytics attribution. This quick fix helps maintain consistent and reliable reporting while preventing data mismatches.

For any questions or further assistance, feel free to reach out—we’re always happy to help!