← DictionaryReferral Traffic
Visits arriving from links on other sites.
People who clicked a link on someone else's site.
What It Is
Referral Traffic belongs to Measurement, specifically the Attribution part of it. What it actually refers to is visits arriving from links on other sites.
It is something measured and compared over time, so one reading in isolation tells you almost nothing. Used with that meaning, it stays a working tool rather than a talking point.
How It's Used
Most of the time Referral Traffic is used in reporting, analytics reviews and the arguments about what the numbers mean. It rarely travels alone — expect it next to Traffic Source and Analytics. The practical test is whether it is measured the same way each period, against something.
Why It Matters
Ignoring Referral Traffic rarely fails loudly — it fails slowly. When it is unclear, reporting becomes a matter of opinion. The businesses that treat it seriously spend less time redoing work.
Think of a weighing scale — useful because you step on it more than once. People who clicked a link on someone else's site.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
In agency and in-house rooms, Referral Traffic means exactly visits arriving from links on other sites.
In plain conversation it comes out as people who clicked a link on someone else's site.
The Bottom Line
The practical takeaway on Referral Traffic: people who clicked a link on someone else's site. Judge it by that, not by how it sounds.