Direct Traffic vs Unassigned Traffic in Google Analytics: What’s the Difference?

Latest Facts and News:

• Direct Traffic accounts for nearly 25% of most websites’ traffic, often attributed to users directly entering URLs or browser bookmarks.
• Unassigned Traffic typically arises from incomplete tracking setups or when Google Analytics cannot identify a referral source.
• Google recently updated its tracking protocols, improving the detection of previously unassigned traffic sources.
• Businesses using Google Analytics 4 are seeing more refined traffic classifications, thanks to the enhanced AI models for traffic attribution.

Confused about the difference between direct traffic and unassigned traffic in Google Analytics? You’re not alone! Let’s break it down and see how understanding these terms can improve your data accuracy.

What is Direct Traffic in Google Analytics?

Direct traffic in Google Analytics refers to visits that come to your site with no referral source, such as when users type your URL directly or use a bookmark.

Common Causes of Direct Traffic

• Users type the URL directly into their browser.
• Clicking on bookmarks or saved links.
• Clicking links from untracked emails or offline documents like PDFs.

What is Unassigned Traffic in Google Analytics?

Unassigned traffic refers to visits where Google Analytics cannot determine the source of traffic. This can happen due to missing UTM parameters, untagged links, or technical issues.

Common Causes of Unassigned Traffic

• Missing or improperly set UTM parameters.
• Issues with referral data.
• Untracked redirects or third-party platforms.

Key Differences Between Direct Traffic and Unassigned Traffic in Google Analytics

Source Identification

Direct Traffic is recognized as intentional visits with no referral, while Unassigned Traffic is the result of missing or incomplete source information.

Impact on Reporting

Direct traffic usually points to loyal users or direct engagement, while unassigned traffic can skew your reports, leading to inaccurate attribution.

How to fix Unassigned traffic

To reduce unassigned traffic in GA4, it’s best to standardize your UTM tags based on Google’s guidelines for GA4 channel groupings. You can use Google’s Campaign URL Builder to ensure consistency with your UTM parameters.

Reporting Identity

Unassigned traffic can also be minimized by adjusting GA4’s Reporting Identity settings. By default, GA4 uses the “Blended” option, which combines multiple identity signals (user ID, Google Signals, Device ID, and modeled data). While it aims to match users across sessions, it often misassigns traffic, leading to more data being classified as Direct or Unassigned.

We strongly recommend switching the Reporting Identity setting to “Device-Based” while keeping Google Signals data collection enabled. This ensures more accurate attribution to the correct marketing channels, significantly reducing unassigned traffic.

A great advantage of this switch is that you’ll see immediate improvements in your reports without waiting for new traffic to come in.

To make these changes, go to your GA4 Admin panel, select Data Settings > Data Collection, and toggle Google Signals data collection to ON.

Scroll down to Reporting Identity, choose Device-based, and then click Save.

Custom Channel Groups

To fix Unassigned traffic in GA4, you can create custom channels. This lets you organize your traffic data (including past data) into specific channels. For instance, if your traffic from Attentive uses UTM parameters that don’t match Google’s strict rules for SMS traffic, it may land in Unassigned. Custom channels allow you to fix this by categorizing the data correctly.

To make sure Attentive traffic goes to the right place (the SMS channel), you’ll need to set up a custom channel group.

How to Set Up Custom Channels:

1. You can create a custom group by copying an existing one and then making changes.
2. If this is your first time, start by copying the default group.
3. If you’ve made groups before, you can copy either one of your existing groups or the default group to begin.

1. Head to Admin in GA4 > Channel Groups

2. Click on Create new channel group

3. Enter a name for the custom channel group:

4. Define the new channel names and rules:

5. Save the new custom channel group.

You will be able to use this new custom channel group through:

Custom channel group

How to Analyze Direct Traffic Effectively

Understanding User Behavior

Analyze your direct traffic to understand user behavior, loyalty, and how often visitors return to your site directly.

Segmenting Direct Traffic in Google Analytics

Use segments in Google Analytics to filter out direct traffic and get a clearer picture of how it affects overall performance.

Conclusion

Direct traffic and unassigned traffic are two different categories in Google Analytics, but both have a significant impact on how you understand and report your website’s performance. Ensuring proper tracking and tagging can help reduce unassigned traffic and give you a clearer understanding of where your visitors are coming from.

FAQs

How does Google Analytics define direct traffic?
Google Analytics defines direct traffic as visits without a referral, usually when users type in the URL or use bookmarks.

Why is some of my traffic unassigned in Google Analytics?
Unassigned traffic usually occurs when Google Analytics cannot determine the referral source due to missing tags or other tracking issues.

How can I reduce unassigned traffic in Google Analytics?
You can reduce unassigned traffic by ensuring proper UTM tagging, auditing your tracking setup, and using tools like Google Tag Manager.

Can unassigned traffic affect my website reporting accuracy?
Yes, unassigned traffic can lead to skewed data and inaccurate traffic source attribution, impacting overall reporting accuracy.

What’s the difference between direct and unassigned traffic?
Direct traffic comes from intentional, direct visits, while unassigned traffic results from unidentified or missing source data.