# Traffic source

A traffic source is where visitors came from before they landed on your website, such as Google search, an ad, Facebook or a newsletter.

Source: https://ibenta.no/en/glossary/traffic-source
Publisher: Ibenta (https://ibenta.no)
Updated: 2026-09-27

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Analytics tools sort visits by where they came from. [Google Analytics uses fixed channels](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9756891?hl=en) such as Organic Search (ordinary search), Paid Search (search ads), Referral (links from other websites), Organic Social (social media), Email and Direct. That shows you which channels bring visits, and which ones only cost money.

## Direct is a catch-all

Google defines Direct as visits from a saved bookmark or an address typed straight in. In practice, visits also end up there when the tool does not know where they came from, for example from a link in a PDF or an app that does not pass on where the visitor came from. A newsletter without tagged links can therefore look like direct traffic.

The fix is [UTM parameters](/en/glossary/utm-parameters) on the links you share yourself. Then the tool knows which campaign the visit came from.

## Look at what counts

Visits per channel is a fair start. What counts is which channel brings enquiries and sales. A channel with few visits can be the best one if nearly everyone gets in touch.

## Check this today

Open the traffic acquisition report in Google Analytics, or the equivalent in Matomo. Add [conversions](/en/glossary/conversion) as a column, if they are set up. See which channel brings the most enquiries, not the most visits.