Understanding the google analytics referral channel and its impact

To get the most from your acquisition channels, it's essential to understand google analytics referral traffic. If you want a broader overview of the tool, you can read our comprehensive guide to Google Analytics.

Google Analytics: what is referral traffic?

Definition and why it matters

In digital marketing, the term 'referral' refers to all visits that come to your website via links on other websites. Unlike direct or organic traffic, referral traffic is made up of users who have clicked an external link to reach your site. This allows you to pinpoint exactly which partners, media, blogs or platforms are recommending your content.

Analysing referral traffic in Google Analytics is a strategic way to understand the influence of your network, measure the effectiveness of your link-building or PR campaigns, and identify new opportunities for high-quality backlinks.

Source, medium and channel: what’s the difference?

Google Analytics uses three main concepts to categorise traffic: source, medium and channel. The source is the specific website sending the traffic, the medium describes the type of link, and the channel groups similar mediums together.

Understanding these distinctions helps you analyse exactly where each visit comes from and fine-tune your acquisition strategy. The 'Referral' channel brings together all visits from third-party sites.

How to analyse and optimise referral data

How to find referral traffic in Google Analytics

To view referral traffic, go to 'All Traffic' under 'Acquisition', then select 'Referrals'. Here you’ll find a list of referring domains, the number of sessions, user behaviour and any conversions linked to those visits.

Filtering out unwanted referrals for accurate reporting

Referral traffic can sometimes include unwanted or artificial visits, such as those from bots or spam sites. To keep your analysis accurate, it’s best to filter out these sources. This ensures you get a true picture of your site’s performance.

Measuring the value of your referral sites

Assess the value of each referrer using key metrics such as bounce rate, pages per session, average visit duration or revenue generated. With Incremys modules, you can bring together your Google Analytics data and get a complete 360° view of every source.

How to increase your referral traffic

To boost your referral traffic, focus on building quality backlinks: secure links from specialist media, publish guest articles or develop partnerships with influencers. Regularly checking the quality of your links is vital for SEO impact.

The Incremys SaaS platform offers advanced modules to manage your link-building campaigns, analyse the performance of each backlink and automate content production. Every new link is a potential growth driver.

For more tips on optimising your digital strategy, explore all our resources on the Incremys Blog.