Discovering the truth in dark traffic What it’s about: Google Analytics should bring clarity to your campaigns, but search marketers are increasingly being tricked. Organic traffic masquerading as direct, internal UTM codes corrupting sources and referral channels getting far too much credit; dark traffic is a problem. Helen’s SearchLeeds talk gives you the tools to find the truth from your Google Analytics data, ensuring your insights are based on fact and drive measurable improvements to your campaigns.

1. Helen Pollitt – Head of Digital
DISCOVERING THE TRUTH IN
DARK DATA
@helenpollitt1
Impact from insight

2. @helenpollitt1

4. Dark traffic
website visitors
mis-categorised by programs
like Google Analytics
@helenpollitt1

5. Organic
Traffic through a
search engine but
not from clicking on
a paid
advertisement

6. Paid
Traffic through a
paid placement or
PPC ad
@helenpollitt1

7. Referral
Traffic has visited
from an external
link
@helenpollitt1

8. Other
The “everything else”
bucket
@helenpollitt1

9. Direct
Traffic has landed on
the page without going
elsewhere first
@helenpollitt1

10. DIRECT IS A LIE!
@helenpollitt1

11. Google Analytics
isn’t
@helenpollitt1

12. Visit from a HTTPS website
to your HTTP website
@helenpollitt1

13. Encrypted
social @helenpollitt1

14. Non-web
documents
@helenpollitt1

15. Google Home
app

16. @helenpollitt1
THE PROBLEM OF DIRECT

17. 2,644
34,153
Landed on the Homepage or a page 1
folder deep
Landed on a page over 1 folder deep
A lot of people with a
photographic memory
“Direct” traffic to a website
in February 2019
=
@helenpollitt1

18. Using the
“Google search
bar” on mobile
Should be
“organic” traffic

21. Using one phone
– traffic counted
as “direct”

22. Using another
phone – traffic
counted as
“organic”

23. https://www.avenuedigital.com/en/blog/android-as-direct
@helenpollitt1

24. Credit goes to
the wrong

25. Good
luck
@helenpollitt1

26. @helenpollitt1
EVEN REFERRAL DATA IS
WRONG?

27. … misattribution in Google
Analytics

28. Common referral
sources

30. msn.com
uk.search.yahoo.com
ecosia.org
search.bt.com
r.search.aol.com
cn.bing.com
yandex.ru
com.google.android.gm
@helenpollitt1

31. Email,
940 Organic,
738
Paid, 113
Social, 13
Referral,
9041
“Referral” traffic to a
website in February 2019
17% could be reattributed

32. @helenpollitt1
SO HOW BAD IS IT?

33. 35,957 sessions in February
were misattributed out of
288,389
12.47%

34. @helenpollitt1
OK – SO NOW I’M SCARED

35. 1
Panic

36. 2
Quit

37. 3
Some
kind of
magic?

40. @helenpollitt1

41. Filters are
permanent
@helenpollitt1

42. @helenpollitt1

44. Use UTM codes on external
links to your website

45. DO NOT use UTM
codes on internal
links

46. Google My Business is
no longer tracked as
direct – but you still
need a UTM code

50. Mark it in your
Google
Analytics
@helenpollitt1

51. Comparison data
will be skewed
Your data won’t
compare @helenpollitt1

52. @helenpollitt1

53. Impact from insight
FIND OUT MORE
@helenpollitt1
helen.pollitt@avenuedigital.com
avenuedigital.com