Want to check where your referral traffic is coming from? Let's talk about how to generate some fantastic insights with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Looker Studio. Creating a referral report is more than simply crunching data; it's about finding the hidden gems in your traffic sources. Whether you're looking for social media traffic or other external sources, creating a referral report can help you understand what's bringing users to your site. This guide will show you how to create a referral report in 3 ways:
Using the Traffic Acquistion Report in GA4
Using a Free from report, under the Explore tab
Using Looker Studio
Option 1: How to Create a Referral Report via the Traffic Acquisition Report in GA4
Login to your Google Analytics account
Navigate to Traffic Acquisition Report
Click on the dropdown menu, under the first column and select the dimension "Session Source / Medium"
Use the search bar to filter only entries relevant to "referral"
Click on the share button (top-right-hand-side, next to the date range contol)
Select Download file, you can download the file as: 📥 PDF 📥 Google Sheets 📥 CSV (Excel)
Option 2: Create a Referral Report via a Free Form Report (under the Explore tab)
Login to your Google Analytics account
Navigate to Explore tab (left-hand-side menu)
Select the "Free-form report"
Under the Variables column, click on the "+" symbol next to DIMENSIONS
Import "Session Source / Medium"
Under the Variables column, click on the "+" symbol next to METRICS and import the metrics you would like to see
Drag & Drop "Session Source / Medium" under ROWS
Drag & Drop the Metrics under VALUES
Scroll all the way down under "Tab Settings" and click on "FILTERS"
Create a Filter: "Session Source / Medium" Contains "referral"
Customise the reporting dates from the top-left-hand-side
You can download the report by clicking on the "Export data" button on the top-right-hand-side). Downloads are available in the following formats: 📥 Google Sheets 📥 TSV 📥 CSV (Excel) 📥 PDF
Option 3: Create a Referral Report on Looker Studio
Login to Looker Studio
Create a new Looker Studio Report → Select Blank Report
Select Google Analytics → Select your Google Analytics Account and Property
Click on the Insert button (top menu) and select "Table"
Select the table and navigate to the right-hand-side menu, under the SET-UP column
Select "Session source" as the Dimension
Select the metrics you would like to see
Scroll all the way down under the SET-UP column and click on "ADD A FILTER"
Add a filter with "Session medium" Contains "referral" Alternatively, click on the Insert button, Add a Drop-down list, change the Control field to "Session default channel group", and select "Referral" ONLY
➡️ You can download your table's data by clicking on the 3 dots on the top-right-hand-side of your table and then selecting "Export". Here are the available download formats: 📥 CSV 📥 CSV (Excel) 📥 Google Sheets
Frequently Asked Questions on Creating a Referral Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Looker Studio
Why am I not seeing any referral traffic in my reports?
There are several common reasons why referral traffic might not appear:
Incorrect UTM tag implementation on your landing pages
Missing or improper tracking code setup
Filters blocking certain traffic sources
Quick Fix: Review our guide on "How to Solve Unassigned Traffic in Google Analytics 4" for step-by-step solutions.
How can I filter referral traffic by specific sources?
You can easily create custom filters in both GA4 and Looker Studio:
Click "Add Filter"
Select "Session medium" as your dimension
Choose "Contains" as the operator
Enter your desired referral source
Click "Apply"
🎥 Watch our guide on "How to solve Unassigned Traffic in Google Analytics 4"
How do I exclude specific referral sources from my reports?
To exclude unwanted referral sources:
Go to GA4 Admin settings
Select "Data Streams"
Click "Configure domain referral exclusions"
Add domains you want to exclude
Save your changes
🎥 Watch our guide on "How to Exclude Referrals in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)"
What's the difference between direct and referral traffic?
Referral Traffic: Visitors who click through from other websites
Direct Traffic: Visitors who:
Type your URL directly
Use bookmarks
Click untagged links in emails
Come from some HTTPS to HTTP transitions
coming traffic
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