Comprehensive Guide to Tracking Visitor Sources in Analytics

Comprehensive Guide to Tracking Visitor Sources in Analytics

By Michael Chen

January 10, 2025 at 03:12 PM

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
  • Email
  • 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

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

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

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

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