Referral Traffic Explained: Website Visits from Other Websites
What does a referring website in analytics tell you? It can identify a source that linked a visitor towards your site.
1:47 · No narration: the video shows each step as text on screen, and every step is written out below, with buttons that jump the video to it.
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The six points in the video
This is a silent video. The headings, explanations and labels below reproduce the information on screen.
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Step 1: Start with the referring source
A visitor can arrive through a link from another website.
On-screen labels: External page; Link to your site; Arriving visitor.
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Step 2: Read source and medium
The source names the origin; the medium describes the traffic method.
On-screen labels: Source dimension; Medium dimension; Report scope.
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Step 3: Channels follow classification rules
Analytics groups traffic using the available source information.
On-screen labels: Available information; Channel rules; Classified traffic.
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Step 4: Review useful destinations
Check which page the visitor reached and the action they took.
On-screen labels: Landing page; Customer task; Useful result.
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Step 5: Watch for journey complications
A payment provider or another business domain can need measurement review.
On-screen labels: Checkout journey; Cross-domain setup; Unwanted referral review.
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Step 6: Change exclusions carefully
Ask the maintainer to confirm the cause and retest the full journey.
On-screen labels: Evidence first; Correct configuration; Complete journey test.
A practical check for your business
Inspect the actual source and destination when reviewing referral visits. A reporting label gives acquisition context; it still needs accurate setup and a separate check of the business outcome.
Sources and further detail
Common questions
What does a referring website in analytics tell you?
It can identify a source that linked a visitor towards your site. Investigate the source before changing referral settings.
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