traffic-analysis
The traffic-analysis skill guides comprehensive website traffic analysis across organic, paid, social, referral, and direct channels. Use it to investigate traffic source attribution, identify dark traffic sources, segment branded versus non-branded organic traffic, detect bot traffic, and troubleshoot misattributed visits from private social platforms and email clients that strip referrer data.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills /tmp/traffic-analysis && cp -r /tmp/traffic-analysis/skills/analytics/sources/traffic ~/.claude/skills/traffic-analysisSKILL.md
# Analytics: Traffic Guides website traffic analysis across all channels (organic, paid, social, referral, direct). Covers traffic source attribution, dark traffic identification, and multi-channel reporting. **When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output. ## Scope - **Traffic sources**: Organic, paid, social, referral, direct, email - **Dark traffic**: Unattributed visits labeled as "Direct / None" - **Attribution**: UTM tagging, segmenting, reporting accuracy ## Branded vs. Non-Branded Traffic (Organic) | Type | Characteristics | |------|-----------------| | **Branded** | Higher CTR, conversion, purchase intent; users closer to funnel bottom | | **Non-branded** | Touchpoint with future users; most sites get more non-brand traffic; competition fiercer | Brand traffic grows over time as brand awareness increases. ## Bot Traffic A large share of traffic can be **bot traffic**—RPA, search crawlers, spiders, scrapers. Exclude or segment when evaluating real user behavior; use GA4 filters or segments to isolate human traffic. ## Traffic Channels | Channel | Typical Sources | Attribution | |---------|-----------------|-------------| | **Organic** | Google, Bing, other search | Referrer preserved | | **Paid (web)** | Google Ads, Meta Ads, etc. | UTM required | | **Paid (app)** | App install ads; Google App Campaigns, Apple Search Ads | UTM; in-app events | | **Paid (TV/CTV)** | Streaming ads; Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV | UTM for QR/URL; brand lift | | **Social** | Public posts (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) | Often preserved | | **Referral** | External sites, backlinks | Referrer preserved | | **Direct** | Typed URL, bookmarks | No referrer | | **Email** | Newsletters, campaigns | Often dark without UTM | ## Dark Traffic ### What It Is Traffic without clear origin--analytics tools default to "Direct" when referrer is missing. Common causes: - **Private/dark social**: WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack, Discord, TikTok shares - **Email clients**: Many strip referrer headers - **HTTPS->HTTP**: Referrer not passed - **Mobile apps**: In-app browsers often omit referrer - **Ad blockers, privacy tools**: Block tracking ### Misattribution (Research) When traffic was sent from known sources, analytics often misattributed: - **100% as direct**: TikTok, Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, Mastodon - **75%**: Facebook Messenger - **30%**: Instagram DMs - **14%**: LinkedIn public posts - **12%**: Pinterest ### Mitigation | Action | Purpose | |--------|---------| | **UTM parameters** | Tag links in emails, social, campaigns: `?utm_source=X&utm_medium=Y&utm_campaign=Z` | | **Block internal IPs** | Exclude company visits from reports | | **Segment direct traffic** | Split by page type to estimate dark vs. genuine direct | ### Segmenting Direct Traffic 1. **Expected direct**: Homepage, short URLs, brand pages--likely real direct 2. **Unexpected direct**: Long URLs, deep pages, product pages--likely dark traffic 3. **Report separately**: Use segments in GA4/analytics to avoid overcounting direct ## Attribution for Channel Optimization Ads, growth channels, and medium can be optimized by viewing **attribution data**. Clean UTM + conversion tracking feeds attribution models; reliable attribution drives budget allocation and channel decisions. | Use | Action | |-----|--------| | **Optimize ads** | Compare paid channels (Google, Meta, LinkedIn) by attributed conversions; reallocate budget to winners | | **Optimize growth channels** | Identify which medium (cpc, email, social, referral) drives conversions; scale what works | | **Multi-touch attribution** | Requires clean UTM data; inconsistent tagging (e.g., `facebook` vs `Facebook`) fragments reports and misattributes | **GA4 Default Channel Grouping**: Align `utm_medium` and `utm_source` with [GA4's rules](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9756891) to avoid "Unassigned" traffic. ~30% of campaigns lack proper UTM markup, leading to wasted ad spend; teams standardizing UTM see 29% improvement in attribution accuracy. **Reference**: [UTM.io – utm_medium, utm_campaign & utm_source Optimization](https://web.utm.io/blog/utm_medium-utm_campaign-utm_source/), [UTMs for Marketing Attribution](https://web.utm.io/blog/utms-for-marketing-attribution/) ## UTM Best Practices | Parameter | Use | Example | |-----------|-----|---------| | `utm_source` | Origin | `newsletter`, `facebook`, `google` | | `utm_medium` | Channel type | `email`, `cpc`, `social` | | `utm_campaign` | Campaign name | `summer_sale`, `product_launch` | | `utm_content` | Variant (optional) | `banner_a`, `cta_button` | | `utm_term` | Paid keyword (optional) | `running_shoes` | **GA4 alignment** (avoid Unassigned): | Channel | utm_medium | utm_source | |---------|------------|------------| | Paid Search | `cpc` | `google`, `bing` | | Paid Social | `paid-social`, `cpc` | `facebook`, `instagram` | | Email | `email` | `newsletter`, `mailchimp` | | Organic Social | `social` | `twitter`, `linkedin` | | App install | `cpc`, `app` | `google`, `facebook`, `apple` | | CTV / Streaming | `video`, `ctv` | `hulu`, `roku`, `youtube` | | Display / Banner | `display`, `cpc` | Publisher or network name | | Directory ads | `paid`, `cpc` | `taaft`, `shopify`, `g2`, `capterra` | - **Consistent naming**: Lowercase, hyphens; document conventions; never tag internal links (overwrites session attribution) - **Apply everywhere**: Every link in emails, social posts, ads - **Avoid**: Typos, inconsistent values; causes fragmentation ## Traffic Diversification | Principle | Guideline | |-----------|-----------| | **Search share** | Keep organic search below ~75% of total traffic | | **Health** | Higher direct + referral share = healthier profile | | **Brand sites** | Diversified traffic is common for strong brands | | **Engagement** | Con
When the user wants to analyze Google Search Console data, use the GSC API, or interpret search performance. Also use when the user mentions "GSC," "Search Console," "indexing report," "Core Web Vitals," "Enhancements," "Insights report," "search performance," "search queries," "search performance report," "URL inspection," "impressions," "CTR," "average position," "index coverage," "GSC data analysis," "Search Console API," or "searchanalytics.query." When the user wants to rewrite title tags (not only report on them), use title-tag. For meta description rewrites, use meta-description.
When the user wants to build an SEO data analysis system, monitor indexing/traffic/keywords/backlinks, or set up benchmarks. Also use when the user mentions "SEO data analysis," "SEO monitoring," "article database," "traffic benchmark," "penalty recovery," "SEO work document," "SEO dashboard," "keyword tracking," "ranking monitoring," "indexing report," or "backlink monitoring." For GSC API, use google-search-console.
When the user wants to track AI search traffic in GA4 or GSC. Also use when the user mentions "AI traffic," "ChatGPT referral," "Perplexity traffic," "AI Overviews," "GA4 AI sources," "AI search analytics," "track AI referrals," "AI search traffic," "Claude traffic," or "how to track AI traffic." For AI SEO strategy, use generative-engine-optimization.
When the user wants to set up, audit, or optimize analytics tracking (GA4, events, conversions). Also use when the user mentions "Google Analytics," "GA4," "event tracking," "conversions," "attribution model," "gtag," "data layer," "GA4 setup," "conversion tracking," "event setup," "User ID tracking," or "CTA attribution." For traffic insights, use traffic-analysis.
When the user wants to promote via forums, communities, or invite users to join a community. Also use when the user mentions "forum promotion," "Indie Hacker," "Hacker News," "community growth," "Discord promotion," "vertical community," "brand encyclopedia," "Wikipedia," "Quora," "Reddit community," "community building," "forum marketing," or "community invite." For Reddit copy, use reddit-posts. For strategy, use integrated-marketing.
When the user wants to submit a product or app to directories, curated lists, launch platforms, or app stores—and needs ready-to-paste copy per platform. Reads project-context.md when present. Also use when the user mentions "directory submission," "get listed," "app store listing," "submit to directories," "curated list," "best tools list," "Taaft," "Product Hunt," "directory ads," "newsletter feature," "directory campaign," "tailor description per platform," "Shopify App Store," "Chrome Web Store," "navigation site," or "product directory." For Product Hunt launch day tactics (hunter, first comment, timing), use product-hunt-launch. For full 0→1 channel planning, use cold-start-strategy.
When the user wants to launch on Product Hunt, prepare a PH submission, or plan launch day (hunter, first comment, timing, upvotes). Also use when the user mentions "Product Hunt," "launch on Product Hunt," "PH launch," "Product Hunt submission," "hunter," "Product of the Day," "upvotes," or "Product Hunt first comment." For multi-platform directory listings and paste-ready copy beyond PH, use directory-submission.
When the user wants to plan product distribution via marketplaces, app stores, or third-party platforms. Also use when the user mentions "distribution channels," "marketplace listing," "app store listing," "Figma plugin," "Chrome extension marketplace," "AWS Marketplace," "Shopify app," "GPTs store," "app distribution," or "third-party marketplace." For channel mix, use integrated-marketing.