Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps businesses track their online traffic and measure the success of their marketing campaigns. The platform provides insights into various metrics such as page views, conversion rates, and bounce rates, among others. However, not all traffic sources are created equal, and some require additional configuration to track properly.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss what is not considered a default medium in Google Analytics and explain how to track it effectively. We’ll also explain the significance of non-default mediums, and why businesses should pay attention to them.

Email Campaigns:

Email marketing is a popular tactic used by businesses to reach out to customers and promote their products or services. However, Google Analytics does not consider email campaigns a default medium, as they do not appear in the standard reports. To track email campaigns, you need to use UTM parameters, which are tags added to the end of a URL to track the source of traffic. You can create UTM parameters for email campaigns that include the medium, source, and campaign name.

Social Media:

Social media is an effective channel for businesses to reach their target audience and drive traffic to their website. However, tracking social media traffic in Google Analytics requires customization. By default, social media traffic is classified under the referral medium. To track social media traffic effectively, you need to create custom campaigns for each social media channel using UTM parameters. This will enable you to track the source, medium, and campaign name of your social media traffic.

Paid Advertising:

Paid advertising is an essential part of many businesses’ marketing strategies. However, tracking paid advertising in Google Analytics requires customization. By default, paid advertising traffic is classified under the medium “cpc,” which stands for cost-per-click. To track paid advertising traffic effectively, you need to create custom campaigns for each advertising platform using UTM parameters. This will enable you to track the source, medium, and campaign name of your paid advertising traffic.

Direct Traffic:

Direct traffic refers to users who arrive at your website by typing your URL directly into their browser’s search bar, or by clicking on a bookmark. Direct traffic is not considered a default medium in Google Analytics, as it does not provide any information about the source of the visit. However, you can use advanced segments in Google Analytics to filter out direct traffic that appears suspicious or irrelevant.

Other Referral Sources:

Google Analytics considers all referral traffic as a default medium. However, not all referral sources are created equal. Referral traffic can come from a variety of sources, including blogs, forums, and news websites. To track referral traffic effectively, you need to use UTM parameters that specify the source and medium of the referral traffic. This will enable you to distinguish between high-quality referral traffic and low-quality referral traffic.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, understanding what is not considered a default medium in Google Analytics is essential for businesses looking to track their online traffic effectively. While Google Analytics provides valuable information about website traffic by default, not all traffic sources are considered default mediums. By using UTM parameters and custom campaigns to track non-default mediums such as email campaigns, social media, paid advertising, direct traffic, and other referral sources, businesses can gain deeper insights into their marketing campaigns. This information can help them optimize their digital marketing efforts, improve their ROI, and drive more traffic to their websites.