You’ve created great content, optimised it for search, and shared it via social media and email campaigns. But then you check your analytics and see a load of traffic coming from… nowhere.
If you’ve ever noticed big chunks of traffic with no clear source or simply labelled ‘Direct’ landing on your blog posts, product pages or even gated content, you might have already come across the world of dark social without even realising.
But what exactly is dark social, and why is it so valuable to brands and marketers? Let’s take a look.
What is dark social?
The name “dark social” might sound a bit mysterious and scary, but it actually just refers to traffic that comes from private, untraceable sharing – places where traditional web analytics can’t see or attribute the source. This could include:
- Someone sending a link to your blog in a private social media message, text or email
- Your website being shared in closed social media groups, profiles or subreddits
- Your brand being discussed in a face-to-face conversation, over the phone or in a podcast
It’s still social sharing, but it’s happening in channels that don’t pass on referral data, so it shows up as ‘Direct’ traffic in Google Analytics (even though it didn’t come from someone typing your URL into the browser).
Can you track dark social?
Not directly, but there are a few smart ways to shed more light on it. For example:
Use UTM parameters wherever you can
For newsletters, social shares, email campaigns and any other links your audience might be clicking, add campaign tracking so you can distinguish known sources from unknown traffic.
Create shareable assets with embedded tracking
Shortened URLs, unique landing pages or referral codes can help you track when people share content privately.
Ask people
It might seem old-school, but the tried and tested “How did you hear about us?” fields in forms are still valuable. If someone picks the “Referred by a friend” option, that’s dark social in action.
Create your own communities
Creating your own community spaces for your brand – like a Facebook group or subreddit – takes time and effort, but the payoff can be huge. Having your own community gives you direct insight into what people are saying about your brand.
Why does dark social matter?
So, why exactly is dark social so important to brands? Here are the two key reasons:
It’s where real influence happens
Brands should care about dark social because it’s one of the most powerful sources of influence. Great organic and paid content can be powerful, but most people will always trust a recommendation from a friend even more. Dark social captures those behind-the-scenes, high-trust interactions that really influence decisions.
It has a big impact on your analytics
Do you know how much of your traffic is coming from dark social? You can get a good estimate by looking at your ‘Direct’ traffic under the Traffic Acquisition tab in Google Analytics.
Yes, some people really do type your website’s URL directly into their browser. But ‘Direct’ traffic is also where Google throws anything it can’t track properly, including traffic from dark social.
Final thoughts
Dark social isn’t a threat to your marketing – in fact, it’s the exact opposite. When people privately share your content, it means it resonated. If something is doing well in dark social, it’s a vote of confidence from your audience.
Brands can capitalise on dark social by creating genuinely useful or entertaining content that people want to share, designed with dark social in mind – that means including links that are easy to copy, with trackable URLs.
And while some of the most valuable traffic may never be fully traceable, it also means your brand is probably being talked about in all the right places.
Looking to make your marketing more impactful? At Embrace Marketing, we help brands create content that truly resonates. We’re a unique hybrid, as our team combines both in-house and agency skills and expertise. Email hello@weareembrace.com for an initial chat.
This latest thinking article was written by:
Jack Lenton
Content Manager