_utmt Cookie Explained: What Is It

Google Analytics is an effective tool that businesses use to measure, record, and analyze user interactions with their site. The _utmt cookie is one of the many cookies placed by Google Analytics that allow the tool to collect the data businesses can use to conduct analysis. But what is it? And what does it do specifically?

The _utmt cookie is used by Google Analytics to filter several user interactions with a site into different categories. The rich information that Google Analytics provides to businesses is thanks to cookies like _utmt that sort through all the various ways a consumer interacts.

To help you understand the _utmt cookie, we’ll cover its specific function within Google Analytics and how long it lasts on a browser before expiring.

Let’s begin.

How Does the _utmt Cookie Work?

Google Analytics is an insightful tool businesses can use to gain information on how consumers interact with their websites, ads, and other mediums. Every time a user clicks somewhere on a site, Google Analytics can track it and send that information back to the site owner through several cookies.

The _utmt cookie, specifically, tracks and indicates the type of request a user makes. Within Google Analytics, requests can fall into one of several categories, including transactions, events, items, or custom variables set by the site owner.

For example, if a website just implemented a pop-up banner promoting a new sale that appears on a user's screen when they visit the site. A user can request to “learn more” by clicking the banner. The _utmt cookie on that user’s browser could classify this request into one of the categories.

When reviewing their analytics reports and data, A business can see the number of requests they received in that category. Insights like these are helpful to better understand the performance of certain aspects of a business’s site and seek optimization where necessary.

When Does the _utmt Cookie Expire?

The _utmt cookie is a minimally invasive cookie that only tracks information regarding the different requests from a user during their visit. Since it only collects data about requests from a user’s visit, the _utmt cookie lasts for the current session and expires when it ends.

The _utmt cookie doesn’t collect any personal information from a user and does not track any behavior or requests from other sites. However, businesses can make custom request types, such as links to social media, and the _utmt cookie will indicate this kind of request in a report.

How Can Captain Compliance Help You?

Google Analytics is a diverse, helpful tool for businesses to gain insights into consumers’ behavior and analyze visitors’ interactions with their websites. Google Analytics deploys a long list of cookies to categorize, track, and sort all the information they collect from a user.

The _utmt cookie’s role is to indicate and categorize the type of request a user makes while on a business’s site. Your business can utilize Google Analytics to learn more about visitors to your site, but be sure to include how you use Google Analytics cookies in your cookie consent banner, though.

At Captain Compliance, we can ensure your business remains compliant with all relevant data protection regulations and help you craft a surefire compliance strategy to avoid penalties. Contact us today for a free consultation.