Website traffic comes from various sources. Consumers may be directed to your website via an email, social media post, or advertisements. Google Analytics tracks the website traffic to help you understand your customer behaviors.
You must know what is a default medium in Google Analytics if your goal is to track specific sources or channels. In this article, we’ll look at what are Google Analytics’ default mediums, the different types of mediums, and why it’s important to know about them. And we will also discuss what is not considered a default medium in Google Analytics.
Understanding The Basics of Google Medium
Every web admin needs to use an analytics tool to track and generate reports on website traffic. Google Analytics is one of these tools that businesses use to grow their presence online. One of the key features of Google Analytics is the ability to track the different traffic sources. This information is vital for your marketing department!
Google Medium is the broad categorization for the origin of the traffic. For example, if a user is redirected to your website via a paid advertisement, the medium is cost-per-click (CPC), and if they arrive via an email link, the medium, in this case, is email.
The Different Types of Default Mediums in Google Analytics
Google Analytics has four types of default mediums. They are:
Direct Traffic
This type of traffic comes to your website or app after the user types in the web address directly on their browser. In this case, the user is directed to your app or website without going through any other sources. They might have also bookmarked your site to access it easily.
Paid Search
It is defined as the traffic that is funneled to your website after clicking on a paid advertisement. Therefore, users will be directed to your app or website when they click on a paid search campaign like Google Ads.
Referral Traffic
A referral default medium refers to traffic from a different web source coming to your website. For instance, you’ll get these users if you have a referral marketing program with a different site that has embedded your links. This traffic is usually labeled “referral” in the Google Analytics reports.
Social Media Traffic
This default medium refers to users who visit your website from social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. For example, if you add a link to a blog post on Twitter, visitors will be redirected to your site or app by clicking on it.
Since we’ve identified the primary mediums on Google Analytics, we should also know what does not fit this category. Google is not defined as a default medium but as a source. As a search engine, it’s the origin of all web traffic. Thus, it is not identified as a default medium in Google Analytics.
Why is it Essential to Know the Default Mediums in Google Analytics?
Here are some of the key reasons why default mediums matter.
- You need to know what are the default mediums in Google Analytics to track specific traffic sources. This is important because it helps you know whether the data you are analyzing is correct.
- Using this information, you can easily troubleshoot issues with Google Analytics. For example, you can monitor if your social media traffic is categorized as CPC traffic.
- You’ll know which mediums are the default if you wish to leave out specific data sources in your report.
Final Thoughts
Google Analytics helps businesses track website traffic more easily. You can use the listed default mediums to get started. However, as your site grows, you should consider customizing them as it will enable you to get the best reports according to your needs.