Experiment Results: $direct to $Reddit Traffic Ratio 4:3, 57% of this TG Uses Cookie Blockers

Ran an experiment to see what hides behind "$direct" in analytics (that big chunk of website traffic). Turns out, it's not all brand magic!

Here's why:
➡ $direct traffic just means referrer info is missing. Could be people typing the URL directly, clicking bookmarks, or even encrypted messages.
➡ I posted a URL on Reddit (without UTM tags) and a surprising 4:3 ratio showed up as $direct vs. actual Reddit traffic as referring domain in analytics.

What gives?
➡ Cookie blockers! Developers (my target audience) often use them, blocking the referrer info from reaching my analytics.
➡ 57% of my TG were using blockers, not surprising. It could be more.

This makes measuring success tricky:
➡ High $direct traffic might look like brand awareness is working, but it could just be blockers (our case).
➡ We lose track of which channels actually drive traffic (Reddit, in this case).

Solution? Don't sweat the exact numbers. Instead, focus on:
➡ Incremental changes: Run distribution campaigns in a sequential manner and see how traffic changes with each one.

This way, you can still measure effectiveness even with those pesky blockers!

I would first suggest figuring out the segmentation of your direct traffic first, whether it is because of:
1️⃣ Users typing your URL directly into the address bar.
2️⃣ Visitors clicking from bookmarks.
3️⃣ Encrypted channels like messaging apps (WhatsApp, Slack) or email.
4️⃣ Browsers with extensions blocking referrer data.

Then try the incremental changes thing.

Remember, you just need attribution, not measurement!

Full post here: Research Insights