What does a "referral" denote in Google Analytics?

A "referral" in Google Analytics indicates traffic that comes from external sources other than search engines. This includes visitors who arrive at a website by clicking on links from other websites, social media platforms, or any other online sources that are not categorized as search engines. Referrals are important for understanding which external sites are driving traffic to your site, allowing you to analyze relationships and partnerships that may enhance your visibility and audience engagement.

The other options describe different types of traffic but do not accurately represent referrals. Traffic from search engines is characterized as organic search traffic, while user interactions with site ads refer to ad click-throughs rather than referrals. Visitors returning directly would typically be classified as direct traffic, not referrals, as these users enter the site by typing the URL directly or using a bookmark. Understanding these distinctions is critical for effective performance analysis within Google Analytics.