Skip to content
    Moz logo Menu open Menu close
    • Products
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Pro Home
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Home
      • STAT
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Home
      • Compare SEO Products
      • Moz Data
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis
      • Keyword Explorer
      • Link Explorer
      • Competitive Research
      • MozBar
      • More Free SEO Tools
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO
      • SEO Learning Center
      • Moz Academy
      • MozCon
      • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers
      • Agency Solutions
      • Enterprise Solutions
      • Small Business Solutions
      • The Moz Story
      • New Releases
    • Log in
    • Log out
    • Products
      • Moz Pro

        Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

      • Moz Local

        Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

      • STAT

        SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

      • Moz API

        Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

      • Compare SEO Products

        See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

      • Moz Data

        Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
      Moz Pro

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

      Learn more
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis

        Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

      • Keyword Explorer

        Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

      • Link Explorer

        Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

      • Competitive Research

        Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

      • MozBar

        See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

      • More Free SEO Tools

        Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
      Moz Pro

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

      Learn more
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO

        The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

      • SEO Learning Center

        Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

      • On-Demand Webinars

        Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

      • How-To Guides

        Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

      • Moz Academy

        Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

      • MozCon

        Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

      Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
      Moz API

      Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

      Find your plan
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers

        Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

      • Small Business Solutions

        Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

      • Agency Solutions

        Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

      • Enterprise Solutions

        Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

      • The Moz Story

        Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

      • New Releases

        Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

      Surface actionable competitive intel
      New Feature

      Surface actionable competitive intel

      Learn More
    • Log in
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Dashboard
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Dashboard
      • Moz Academy
    • Avatar
      • Moz Home
      • Notifications
      • Account & Billing
      • Manage Users
      • Community Profile
      • My Q&A
      • My Videos
      • Log Out

    The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. Home
    2. SEO Tactics
    3. Reporting & Analytics
    4. Whats 'Other' in Google Analytics (in Acquisition)

    Moz Q&A is closed.

    After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

    Whats 'Other' in Google Analytics (in Acquisition)

    Reporting & Analytics
    7
    23
    44707
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
    • Dan-Lawrence
      Dan-Lawrence last edited by

      When i look in GA under Channels (under Acquisition) 'other' is listed

      What is 'other' ?

      I have been told its other unidentified channels as they did not allow 3rd party cookies or surfers were in anonymous/private mode.   Other is usually organic traffic that couldn't be identified for the aformentioned reasons. This data is encrypted and available but it violates Google guidelines as they are not allowed to pass personal info//data to third parties so it is automatically filtered. But they are not 'Not Provided' (since that still shows under organic) but is usually/mainly some form of organic visits.

      Hence Seo can take credit for much of that traffic, is this correct ?

      Many Thanks

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • insiderockstar
        insiderockstar @katemorris last edited by

        https://look.djfiln.com/offer?prod=3&ref=5163496&sub_id=ANYTHING

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • AndaazFashion
          AndaazFashion last edited by

          Hello All,

          We are not running any paid ads, our all traffic from organic search and social media, referral sites where we promote our website organically then why we are seeing this "other" option in GA. Most of the conversions we are getting from "other" and confused from which source of medium getting this traffic.

          Sunil Kumar

          KM: Edited to remove unnecessary link

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Sable_Group
            Sable_Group @katemorris last edited by

            Thanks Kate!

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • katemorris
              katemorris @Sable_Group last edited by

              It's going to depend on how your tracking is setup but out of the box, GA's channel for Social is anything that is tagged as social. Any untagged campaigns, including social ones, are going to be put into Other.

              Sable_Group 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • Sable_Group
                Sable_Group @katemorris last edited by

                Thanks Kate. In terms of social search, does this refer to all traffic generated from social media sites? If 'other' is from untagged paid advertising like Facebook, then 'social search' does not include traffic from FB ads?

                katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • katemorris
                  katemorris @Sable_Group last edited by

                  It's traditionally untagged paid advertising like Facebook. Paid Search is typically campaigns from AdCenter or AdWords, the search engines themselves.

                  Sable_Group 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • Sable_Group
                    Sable_Group last edited by

                    How does 'other' differ to paid search?

                    katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • katemorris
                      katemorris @betterlinksmedia last edited by

                      It is most likely the names of campaigns you might have set up. It's best to discussion with your marketing and advertising departments.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • betterlinksmedia
                        betterlinksmedia last edited by

                        I am seeing a significant number of sessions under "other" as well. and when I go into Other for details, I see 2 entries - cd and DC. Can any one elaborate on what these mean.

                        Thanks!

                        katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Dan-Lawrence
                          Dan-Lawrence @GeoffKenyon last edited by

                          great thanks for that additional info Geoff !

                          all best

                          dan

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • GeoffKenyon
                            GeoffKenyon last edited by

                            +1 Kate

                            To add on what Kate said, you can typically get a little more data to help you pinpoint what it is by clicking on other and then looking at secondary dimensions such as medium, ad distribution network, placement domain, campaign, etc.

                            Dan-Lawrence 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                            • Dan-Lawrence
                              Dan-Lawrence @katemorris last edited by

                              cool cheers 🙂

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • katemorris
                                katemorris @Dan-Lawrence last edited by

                                PLA = Product Listing Ads 🙂

                                Dan-Lawrence 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • Dan-Lawrence
                                  Dan-Lawrence @katemorris last edited by

                                  many thnaks for further comments Kate

                                  Sorry but whats PLA ?

                                  No but i will now 🙂

                                  All Best

                                  Dasn

                                  katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • katemorris
                                    katemorris @Dan-Lawrence last edited by

                                    Paid is typically AdWords and AdCenter, paid search things. But stuff like Reddit advertising, Facebook, Twitter, and other display advertising, and maybe PLA based advertising (that might be your Google), is Other Advertising.

                                    When you click into Google, have you added a second metric of something like destination URL to see where the traffic is going? That might give you some clues.

                                    Dan-Lawrence 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • Dan-Lawrence
                                      Dan-Lawrence @katemorris last edited by

                                      isnt cpc type activity going to show in Paid search ?

                                      when i click on 'other' within channels it shows 4 sub channels no 1 is Google and the others are know activity like Buffer.

                                      When i click on Google there's no further breakdown apart from the traffic details (sessions/goals etc).

                                      katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • katemorris
                                        katemorris @Dan-Lawrence last edited by

                                        Not sure. All organic search traffic should be going into Organic and Other is really set to CPC type tracking. Can you list what the other section says for you?

                                        Dan-Lawrence 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • Dan-Lawrence
                                          Dan-Lawrence @katemorris last edited by

                                          ok thanks Kate

                                          Seems a tad strange though since all known paid channels being reported elsewhere.

                                          It would be good to know if theres a way to find out whats causing it since all paid campaigns, PPC, emails, display, etc etc being reported in other places and traffic from this 'Google Other' source is 4x current organic search traffic

                                          All Best

                                          Dan

                                          katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • katemorris
                                            katemorris @Dan-Lawrence last edited by

                                            Most of what you see in other is from paid sources, even traffic from Google. I would not count the traffic you see in Other as natural search traffic unless you are 100% sure. Everything in my various client's Other categories are paid sources.

                                            Dan-Lawrence 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • Dan-Lawrence
                                              Dan-Lawrence @katemorris last edited by

                                              what about what these guys are saying:

                                              http://moz.com/community/q/analytics-other

                                              katemorris 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                              • Dan-Lawrence
                                                Dan-Lawrence last edited by

                                                Many Thanks for that Kate !

                                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                                • katemorris
                                                  katemorris last edited by

                                                  According to Google, Other is actually not organic. It's other advertising channels. See the link below and how they define other.

                                                  https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3297892?hl=en&ref_topic=3125765

                                                  Dan-Lawrence insiderockstar 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                                  • 1 / 1
                                                  • First post
                                                    Last post

                                                  Got a burning SEO question?

                                                  Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                                                  Start my free trial


                                                  Browse Questions

                                                  Explore more categories

                                                  • Moz Tools

                                                    Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                                                  • SEO Tactics

                                                    Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                                                  • Community

                                                    Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                                                  • Digital Marketing

                                                    Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                                                  • Research & Trends

                                                    Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                                                  • Support

                                                    Connect on product support and feature requests.

                                                  • See all categories

                                                  Related Questions

                                                  • A_Q

                                                    Tasks for Google Analytics training

                                                    Hi Mozzers, I'm delivering some Google Analytics (Fundamentals level) training, and trying to make it was fun and as interesting as possible... which is quite a challenge when it comes to GA. I was just wondering if you're aware of training tasks, or interactions, I could bring into this kind of training session? The group are particularly interested in user journeys and the effectiveness of content. Thanks!

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | A_Q
                                                    0
                                                  • jayoliverwright

                                                    Google Analytics reporting traffic for 404 pages

                                                    Hi guys, Unique issue with google analytics reporting for one of our sites. GA is reporting sessions for 404 pages (landing pages, organic traffic) e.g. for this page: http://www.milkandlove.com.au/breastfeeding-dresses/index.php the page is currently a 404 page but GA (see screenshot) is reporting organic traffic (to the landing page). Does anyone know any reasons why this is happening? Cheers. http://www.milkandlove.com.au/breastfeeding-dresses/index.php GK0zDzj.jpg

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | jayoliverwright
                                                    2
                                                  • mchoi

                                                    Would updating Meta Titles affect Google analytics tracking?

                                                    Hi All, I need a little bit of help. We need to optimize our blog's articles Meta titles for SEO which all exceed 100 characters. I was told that if we change the titles, google analytics would split the tracking pages and count the data as 2 pages (old title and new title). Has any of you have this experience before and if so, is there a way to avoid google analytics counting this as two pages? Thanks in advance! Viviana http://analyteguru.com/ http://analyteguru.com/ http://analyteguru.com/

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | mchoi
                                                    0
                                                  • JohnGroves

                                                    How does Google Maps/G+ traffic show up in Analytics?

                                                    Hi Moz Community, I've been trying to figure out how traffic from Google Maps (and G+) shows up in Google Analytics and am struggling to find a good answer online. If someone finds a business through Google Maps and then clicks on the website in the Maps listing, does that show up as a referral from Google Maps? Our site shows virtually zero traffic from Google Maps even though we have a number of listing. Two related questions: if someone clicks through to a G+ page from a Maps result and then visits our website from the G+ page, does that show up in Analytics as a referral from G+? Is traffic from Google Maps or G+ ALSO counted as organic traffic? (Would it be possible to accidentally double-count a visit as both organic and a referral from Maps/G+? Thanks everybody!

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | JohnGroves
                                                    0
                                                  • DaveGuyMan

                                                    Is it possible to use Google Tag Manager to pass a user’s text input into a form field to Google analytics?

                                                    Hey Everyone, I finally figured out how to use auto event tracking with Google Tag Manager, but didn't get the data I wanted. I want to see what users are typing into the search field on my site (the URL structure of my site isn't set up properly to use GA's built-in site search tracking). So, I set up the form submit event tracking in Google Tag Manager and used the following as my event tracking parameters: Category: Search Action: Search Value When I test and look in Google Analytics I just see: "search" and "search value." I wanted to see the text that I searched on my site. Not just the Action and Category of the event.... Is what I'm trying to do even possible? Do I need to set up a different event tracking parameter? Thanks everyone!

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | DaveGuyMan
                                                    0
                                                  • K2_Sports

                                                    Google Analytics Showing Inflated Product Revenue

                                                    Hi- For the month of Feb on two of our sites we are seeing inflated product revenues. I have not seen this before and I am not having any luck searching for answers. Here is the issue: Product B sells for $159.95 For the month of Feb we sold 3 thus revenue should be ~$479.85 GA is showing Product B's revenue at $3,360.00 I read online that sometimes folks will bookmark the receipt page and that can cause this and we would need to put a catch in place for this but I am guessing this is not the case as it is happening on two sites. Please let me know if you have any questions.

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | K2_Sports
                                                    0
                                                  • ocelot

                                                    Weird info from google analytics?

                                                    Hi Could anyone explain what these visits are in Google Analytics?  Under traffic sources and organic I am seeing lots of entries with data like below.  Any ideas what kind of traffic this is?  Is it a bot and if so what is their purpose of it and is it recommended that you block it? Pages/Visit 1.00 Avg. Time on Site 00:00:00 % New Visits : 100% Bounce Rate: 100.00% Many Thanks

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | ocelot
                                                    0
                                                  • vijayvasu

                                                    Google Analytics Admin account not allowing us to add other users?

                                                    Our Google Analytics Administrator account is not giving us access to the User Manager, and because of that we are unable to add users; have you ever ran in to a problem such as this, if so what was your solution. Thanks a Billion impressions, Vijay E2qE9.jpg

                                                    Reporting & Analytics | | vijayvasu
                                                    0

                                                  Get started with Moz Pro!

                                                  Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                                                  Start my free trial
                                                  Products
                                                  • Moz Pro
                                                  • Moz Local
                                                  • Moz API
                                                  • Moz Data
                                                  • STAT
                                                  • Product Updates
                                                  Moz Solutions
                                                  • SMB Solutions
                                                  • Agency Solutions
                                                  • Enterprise Solutions
                                                  Free SEO Tools
                                                  • Domain Authority Checker
                                                  • Link Explorer
                                                  • Keyword Explorer
                                                  • Competitive Research
                                                  • Brand Authority Checker
                                                  • Local Citation Checker
                                                  • MozBar Extension
                                                  • MozCast
                                                  Resources
                                                  • Blog
                                                  • SEO Learning Center
                                                  • Help Hub
                                                  • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                                                  • How-to Guides
                                                  • Moz Academy
                                                  • API Docs
                                                  About Moz
                                                  • About
                                                  • Team
                                                  • Careers
                                                  • Contact
                                                  Why Moz
                                                  • Case Studies
                                                  • Testimonials
                                                  Get Involved
                                                  • Become an Affiliate
                                                  • MozCon
                                                  • Webinars
                                                  • Practical Marketer Series
                                                  • MozPod
                                                  Connect with us

                                                  Contact the Help team

                                                  Join our newsletter
                                                  Moz logo
                                                  © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                                                  • Accessibility
                                                  • Terms of Use
                                                  • Privacy

                                                  Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.