What is meant by referral traffic?

Referral traffic refers to visitors that arrive at a website through links on other websites rather than through direct access or search engines. When a user clicks on a hyperlink on a non-owned site that leads to an owned site, this is classified as referral traffic. It signifies that the originating site has directed audience members to the target site, often indicating some level of endorsement or interest in the content.

For example, if a blog post mentions and links to an online store, any user who clicks that link and lands on the store's website would count as referral traffic for the store. This type of traffic is valuable for understanding which external sources are effectively directing users to a website and can help in building relationships with other website owners to enhance visibility and traffic.