Glossary

What is a referrer?

A referrer is the website or source a visitor came from before arriving on your page.

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What is a referrer?

When someone clicks a link, the browser can tell the target site which page the click came from. That page is the referrer. Search engines, social networks, newsletters and other websites all show up as referrers.

Visits without a referrer are usually grouped as direct traffic. Privacy settings and referrer policies can hide the source, so referrer data is never perfect.

Why Referrer matters

  • It shows which sites and channels bring visitors.
  • It helps you decide where to invest in content and partnerships.

Practical tips

  • Tag campaign links with UTM parameters for more precise sources.
  • Watch for new referrers, they can point to mentions or backlinks.

Referrer in Noralytic

Noralytic lists your top referrers, with and without a source name, in the Referrers report. Visits without a referrer appear as "Direct, Email, SMS".

Frequently asked questions

What is a referrer?

A referrer is the website or source a visitor came from before arriving on your page.

Why is my referrer data incomplete?

Some apps, email clients and privacy settings do not pass referrer information, and traffic from them appears as direct.

Direct trafficDirect traffic is visits that arrive without a known referrer, for example by typing your address or using a bookmark. Referral trafficReferral traffic is visits that arrive by clicking a link on another website. UTM parametersUTM parameters are tags added to a URL that tell your analytics tool which campaign, source and medium a visit came from.

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