Referral / referrer

Referrals in web analytics are sites that bring people to your site via a certain link. A referrer report gives you information on where your visitors come from and what your traffic sources are.

We can divide referrers into four groups:

  • Direct entry – all visits created by direct visit, or when info about real referrer is missed because of any reason
  • Websites – referrals from other websites
  • Campaigns – referrals from other websites but with tagging parameters
  • Search engines – entries from Google, Bing, etc.

More about referrers on the Piwik PRO blog:

Also, learn about referrals from our help center: Website & social report


  • Five things every marketer should know about web analytics in 2026

    Web analytics is changing fast. AI is moving from buzzword to actual business impact, privacy rules keep shifting on both sides of the Atlantic, and marketing teams are rethinking their tool stacks. What does this mean for analytics strategy in 2026? We asked industry experts to share their predictions.

  • first party data

    First-party analytics without consent: Your Digital Omnibus compliance guide

    The Digital Omnibus is the European Commission’s simplification initiative to modernize the EU’s digital rulebook and reduce consent fatigue. The framework would enable first-party analytics without consent when specific criteria are met, ending years of uncertainty about the use of legitimate interest for web statistics.