analytics-dictionary / term / tracking & measurement
Referral traffic
Referral traffic is traffic that arrives from a link on another website rather than from a search engine or a direct visit.
Written by Reflective Data experts · updated Oct 5, 2026
When a visitor clicks a link on another site, the browser usually tells your site where they came from. Analytics tools group these visits as referrals, unless the link carries campaign tags that classify it otherwise.
Referral reports are a good way to spot mentions, partnerships and unwanted traffic, like spam referrals that should be excluded.
related
Direct trafficOrganic searchUTM parameters
// how we can help
Need tracking you can trust? We implement and audit analytics across GA4, Adobe, Mixpanel and more. Analytics & tracking services → · Audits