Referrer vs Sessions Chart
Track which pages bring users to your content—revealing the external sources that drive traffic and their relative contribution to visitor sessions.
Quick start
1. Select a specific page to see which referrers send traffic to it
2. Set Date Range to Last 30 days for reliable patterns
3. Identify the tallest bars—these referrers drive the most sessions
4. Compare device types to understand how different audiences arrive
5. Use insights to focus link-building and partnership efforts
Understanding the display
The chart changes based on page selection:
Single page view (column chart)
When a specific page is selected, the chart displays a column graph showing total sessions from each referrer. The X-axis lists referrer URLs. The Y-axis shows session count. Taller bars indicate referrers sending more traffic to that page.
All pages view (scatter chart)
When viewing all pages, the chart displays a scatter plot. The X-axis shows how many different pages a referrer sends traffic to. The Y-axis shows total sessions. Points in the upper-right represent high-value referrers—they send lots of traffic to multiple pages.
Visual indicators
| Indicator | Meaning |
| Tall bar (column view) | High-traffic referrer—sends many sessions to this page |
| "Direct" referrer | Visitors who typed the URL directly, used bookmarks, or have no referrer data |
| Upper-right cluster (scatter) | High-value referrers sending traffic to many pages with high session counts |
| Device colour coding | Different colours represent desktop, mobile, and tablet traffic sources |
What should I do next?
Referrer data guides traffic acquisition strategy:
| Pattern | Action |
| One referrer dominates | Traffic is concentrated. Diversify sources to reduce dependency on a single channel. |
| High "Direct" traffic | Strong brand recognition or returning visitors. Consider whether direct visitors convert differently. |
| Unexpected referrer appears | Someone is linking to your content. Investigate the source—it may be worth cultivating. |
| Mobile referrers differ from desktop | Traffic sources vary by device. Ensure landing pages work well for each referrer’s primary device. |
| High-value referrer in scatter view | This source sends traffic to multiple pages. Prioritise relationship-building or similar link opportunities. |
Using the filters
This chart uses a subset of the dashboard filters. The Referrer and User Type filters do not apply here since this chart displays referrer data itself.
Date range
| Option | Best for |
| Last 7 days | Checking impact of recent campaigns or link placements |
| Last 30 days | Establishing reliable referrer patterns (default) |
| Last 90 days | Long-term traffic source analysis |
Device
Filter by desktop, mobile, or tablet to see device-specific referrer patterns. Some referrers may send predominantly mobile traffic (social media) while others skew desktop (professional publications). Understanding device mix helps optimise landing pages for each traffic source.
Page selection
Select a specific page to see its referrer breakdown as a column chart. Select "all" to see the scatter view comparing referrers across all pages. The scatter view helps identify referrers with broad influence versus single-page links.
Interactive features
Hover over any bar or point to see the exact referrer URL and session count. In scatter view, use click-and-drag to zoom into clusters. Use the menu icon (⋮) in the chart header to export as PNG, JPEG, or SVG for reports and presentations.
Troubleshooting
No data appears
The page may not have sufficient referrer traffic during the selected date range. Expand the date range or select a higher-traffic page. New pages may not yet have accumulated referrer data.
Only "Direct" traffic shows
The page receives traffic primarily from direct visits, bookmarks, or sources that do not pass referrer information. This is common for home pages, branded searches, and links from secure email clients that strip referrer data.
Referrer names look truncated or unfamiliar
Referrer URLs are cleaned for display—"https://" and "www." prefixes are removed. Some referrers may show as partial URLs or internal redirect pages from larger platforms.
FAQ
What counts as a session?
A session is a period of visitor activity on the site. Each referrer-driven visit that results in page engagement counts as one session. Multiple page views within a session count as one session per referrer.
Why do some referrers show as "Direct"?
"Direct" includes visitors who typed the URL directly, used bookmarks, clicked links in apps that strip referrer data, or arrived via HTTPS-to-HTTP transitions. It’s a catch-all for traffic without referrer information.
How many referrers are shown?
The chart displays up to 100 referrers, ordered by session count. Lower-volume referrers may not appear if the page has many traffic sources.
Why does scatter view show different data than column view?
Column view shows sessions for one page. Scatter view aggregates across all pages, plotting each referrer by total sessions (Y) and number of pages referred (X). The same referrer can appear differently in each view.