Channel - How can a referrer change during a visit ?

[mathildeb777400]

Hi,

I have questions concerning the last touch channel. Direct and Internal channels are based on referrers.

Why do we have the rule "first page of visit" for direct and internal traffic ?

How can the referrer change during a visit and become an internal referrer ?

Best regards,

Mathilde

[PratheepArunRaj]

Dear Mathilde,

When you create a segmentation with "first page of visit" equals direct and internal, did you get any numbers?

Thank You

Arun

[mathildeb777400]

Hi Arun,

I don't know how to create this segment. The dimension "visit page number" is empty.

But if I use Pages per visit = 1, I get traffic on the channels "direct" and "internal".

I have many visits for which the referrer changes and becomes internal. I don't understand how.

Regards,

Mathilde

[Gigazelle]

In the marketing channel manager, is 'override last touch channel' checked for internal?

Another thing you'll want to double check is to make sure that the visitor ID in your implementation is not changing on you mid-visit. You can use the Experience CLoud debugger to confirm variable values on your site.

[mathildeb777400]

Hi,

"Override last touch channel" is checked in the marketing channel manager, because if the referrer is internal, we want to populate the channel "Internal".

The visitor ID does not seem to change during a visit.

I just don't understand how the referrer becomes an internal referrer during a visit.

I have read this document : Referrers : "The referrer, referrer type, and referring domain are set on the first hit of the visit, or during a visit when the referrer is external (for example, if a visitor leaves your site, uses a search engine, then returns to your site before the first visit expires). These values are set at the same time and persist across the visit."

If a visitor uses a search engine, the channel will be "natural search", but not "internal". What if he comes back by typing our URL ?

Regards,

Mathilde

[Gigazelle]

If your question is "how the referrer becomes an internal referrer during a visit", the first thing we will want to check is your Marketing Channel processing rules. Would you be able to take a screenshot of them and list them here?

[mathildeb777400]

Hi,

Please find here the processing rules (in the order) & the screenshots associated.

1-Paid Search : default rule

2-Natural Search : default rule modified to add the referrer ampproject (google)

3-Social Networks : new rule

4-Social networks : default rule modified (t.co = twitter. It was not included by default)

5-Newsletter ; new rule to track clicks from our newsletter sent by email

6-Referring Domains : new rule

7-Referring Domains : new rule to track traffic from link clicks in whatsapp

8-Internal : default rule modified (first page of visit deleted)

9-Direct : default rule

10-Referring Domains : default rule

Regards,

Mathilde

[mathildeb777400]

If a user comes directly to the website (channel = direct) and then see another page, does the referrer change and becomes internal ?

[Gigazelle · Accepted solution]

Bingo - your issue is:

8-Internal : default rule modified (first page of visit deleted)

Marketing channels run on every single hit. If they don't match one of the first 7 rules on every hit of the visit, they're basically guaranteed to get caught under internal as soon as they click on anything.

[mathildeb777400]

Ok thank you !