Ten days ago, I shared a blog post that has gained a lot of attention in Google Search Console’s Discover section. To date, it has garnered about 1,300 clicks and over 17,000 impressions on Discover.
The issue arises when I view my Google Analytics 4 reports, as the majority of this traffic is marked as direct, rather than being counted as organic search. This raises some confusion between the data presented in Google Search Console and GA4.
Since my key performance indicator revolves around organic search results, I’m curious if I should tweak the attribution settings in GA4. Should I consider marking this Discover traffic as organic search, or is it better to keep it under direct traffic? What are the best practices for attributing Google Discover traffic in analytics?
Google Discover is categorized as direct traffic in GA4, which can be confusing given its nature. Unlike traditional search, Discover presents content based on user interest rather than active search intent. From my experience in managing digital analytics, I recommend avoiding alterations to GA4’s default settings. Instead, create a custom segment for Discover traffic. This allows for a clearer understanding of the traffic patterns and engagement associated with it, while preserving the integrity of your organic search data. The discrepancy between Google Search Console and GA4 is expected since they serve different purposes—GSC shows impressions, while GA4 monitors actual site visits. It’s important to keep your organic search metrics intact, possibly by setting up separate reports for Discover traffic that account for these unique user interactions.
I disagree - don’t keep Discover traffic as direct. We had this same issue last year when our product announcement went viral on Discover.
Google Discover IS organic traffic. Users aren’t typing your URL - Google’s serving your content in their feed based on relevance and interests. That’s organic reach.
Here’s what we did: created a custom channel grouping in GA4. Set up UTM parameters for content that might hit Discover, then used GA4’s data import to reclassify that “direct” traffic.
Look closer at your referral data. Tons of Discover traffic comes through with partial referrer info that GA4 reads as direct. Check your acquisition reports for Google referrals getting miscategorized.
1,300 clicks from Discover is solid performance. Don’t let GA4’s default categorization screw up your reporting. Set up proper tracking so you can measure Discover separately from direct AND traditional organic search. You’ll get the full picture of your Google visibility.
It is advisable to maintain the classification of Google Discover traffic as direct in GA4 rather than altering it to organic search. While both types of traffic stem from Google, they reflect distinct user behaviors. Organic search signifies that users are actively searching for specific terms, whereas Discover serves content recommended by Google’s algorithms based on user interests and browsing habits. Mixing these categories could lead to misleading data interpretations, obscuring genuine search performance from algorithm-driven traffic. To accurately gauge the value of Discover, consider establishing separate tracking mechanisms without distorting your organic search metrics, as many analytics experts generally treat Discover as an independent channel.