Comprehensive Guide to Tracking Visitor Sources in Analytics
Visitor source analytics helps you understand which channels drive visits, orders, and revenue to your website. This data is crucial for making informed marketing decisions.
Available Analytics by Subscription Type:
Website trials and Personal/Business/Basic plans:
- Traffic sources per visit
- Basic channel tracking
E-commerce trials and Professional/Premium plans:
- Multiple KPIs (revenue, orders, conversion)
- Advanced channel tracking
- Individual campaign tracking via URL builder
Channel Categories:
Basic Channels (All Plans):
- Direct
- Referral
- Social Media
- Search
- Paid (ads, paid search, social)
Advanced Channels (E-commerce/Business Plans):
- Display Ads
- Paid Search
- Paid Social Media
Squarespace Traffic Sources Dashboard with Metrics
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
Basic Plans:
- Visits
E-commerce Plans:
- Revenue
- Orders
- Conversion Rate
- Average Order Value (AOV)
- Revenue per Visit (RPV)
Table with Image Details and Descriptions
Traffic Source Definitions:
- Direct: Direct URL entry or new window links
- Display Ads: Traffic from website advertisements
- Email: Traffic from marketing campaigns
- Search: Organic search engine traffic
- Social Media: Traffic from social platforms
- Paid: Combined paid traffic (basic plans)
- Referral: Other websites linking to your content
Comparison Table for Social Media Metrics
Important Considerations:
- Revenue attribution uses "last click" tracking
- Recurring subscription revenue is filtered out
- SSL settings can affect referral traffic reporting
- Data discrepancies between visitor sources and sales may occur due to timing differences
- Ad campaign traffic attribution varies by platform and tracking setup
Campaign Traffic Attribution:
- Google Ads: Shows in Paid Search
- Social Media Ads: Shows in Paid Social with trackable links
- Email Campaigns: Appears in Email channel
- Instagram Shopping: Shows in Social Media channel