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Understanding Your Google Analytics Screen in Pollen

A guide to interpreting your traffic sources and performance metrics in Pollen.

The Google Analytics screen in Pollen gives you a snapshot of how people are finding and interacting with your website. It breaks down key traffic sources called channels and highlights how each one performs in terms of sessions, user engagement, views, and conversions.

Understanding where your traffic comes from and how those users behave on your site can help you:

  • Optimize your marketing strategies

  • Identify high-performing content

  • Uncover opportunities for improvement

  • Track ROI across paid and organic efforts

Below is a breakdown of the key metrics you'll see in Pollen's analytics dashboard, followed by in-depth definitions of each channel so you can confidently interpret your data and take action.


Organic Search:

Definition:
Traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo that results from unpaid (non-ad) listings.

Example:
Someone types “best yoga studio near me” into Google, sees your business listed in the organic search results, and clicks your website link.

Why it matters:
This is a key metric for SEO performance. Strong organic search traffic usually means your website is ranking well for relevant keywords and you're reaching people who are actively searching for your product or service.


Direct:

Definition:
Traffic from users who enter your website URL directly into their browser, use a saved bookmark, or whose source couldn’t be determined by Google Analytics.

Example:
A customer types www.yourbusiness.com directly into their browser or clicks a previously saved bookmark.

Why it matters:
Direct traffic often reflects returning visitors or strong brand awareness. However, it can also indicate gaps in tracking (such as missing UTM tags on links in emails or text messages).


Organic Social:

Definition:
Traffic from unpaid posts on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, etc.

Example:
Someone sees your recent Instagram post, clicks the link in your bio (or from a Facebook post), and lands on your site.

Why it matters:
Organic social helps drive awareness and engagement. It’s a great way to build a loyal community and drive consistent, low-cost traffic to your website.


Unassigned:

Definition:
Traffic that Google Analytics couldn’t categorize into any of the defined default or custom channel groupings.

Example:
Clicks from an unknown source like a QR code without proper tracking or a platform that doesn’t share referral info.

Why it matters:
Unassigned traffic can reveal missed tracking opportunities. If you see a lot of it, it may be time to review your UTM tagging strategy.


Referral:

Definition:
Traffic that comes from links on other websites (excluding search engines and social platforms).

Example:
A local news site features your business in an article and links to your website. Readers click the link and land on your site.

Why it matters:
Referrals show you which external websites are sending you traffic. It’s a helpful metric for partnership impact, PR efforts, or SEO backlink strategies.


Paid Social:

Definition:
Traffic generated through paid advertising on social media platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.

Example:
You run a boosted post on Instagram about a new product. Someone sees the ad, clicks on it, and visits your website.

Why it matters:
Paid social traffic shows how well your ad budget is performing. You can compare this with organic social to assess ROI and optimize future campaigns.


Email:

Definition:
Traffic from links clicked within email campaigns (e.g., newsletters, promotional emails, or automated drip campaigns).

Example:
You send a Mailchimp email about a weekend sale. A subscriber clicks “Shop Now” and lands on your site.

Why it matters:
Email traffic shows the effectiveness of your email marketing strategy—whether people are engaging with your content and taking action.


Organic Video:

Definition:
Traffic from unpaid video content platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Vimeo where users click through to your website.

Example:
Someone watches your YouTube video tutorial and clicks the website link in your video description to learn more.

Why it matters:
This channel helps you measure the impact of video content in building awareness and driving action—especially from an audience that prefers visual storytelling.


Paid Search:

Definition:
Traffic from paid ads that appear in search engine results, such as Google Ads (Search campaigns) or Bing Ads.

Example:
You run a Google Ad for the keyword “Charleston wedding venues.” A user clicks your ad from the top of the search results and visits your site.

Why it matters:
Paid search lets you target high-intent users who are actively searching for something specific. Monitoring this traffic helps you evaluate your ad spend and keyword targeting.


Paid Other:

Definition:
Traffic from other paid campaigns that don’t fall into search or social categories—such as display ads, affiliate campaigns, or influencer sponsorships.

Example:
You launch a banner ad campaign on a local media site or work with an influencer whose post is tracked as paid traffic.

Why it matters:
Paid Other gives insight into the performance of non-traditional or niche ad placements. If traffic is high from this channel, it could be worth scaling those types of campaigns.


Channel Metrics Explained:

Metric What It Means
Channel The source that brought traffic to your site (e.g., Organic Search, Direct, Paid Social).
Sessions The total number of individual visits to your website (one user can generate multiple sessions).
Total Users The number of unique visitors who accessed your site via that channel.
User Engagement The average amount of time users actively spent on your site (per user).
Views The number of pages viewed by users coming from that channel.
Conversions The number of completed goals (e.g., purchases, form fills, etc.).
Event Count The total number of tracked interactions (e.g., clicks, downloads, scrolls).

 


Wrapping It Up:

Understanding your Google Analytics screen in Pollen empowers you to make smarter marketing decisions. By knowing where your traffic comes from and how users interact with your site, you can better allocate your time, budget, and creative efforts toward what’s working.

Keep an eye on your top-performing channels, spot areas that need improvement, and don’t forget to regularly review your conversions and engagement metrics. If you’re ever unsure how to take action on your data, our Engagement Team is here to help you translate these insights into strategy.