Dark social
Shares through private channels, such as messaging apps and email, that arrive without a referrer.
"Dark social" describes links shared privately: in WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack, Discord, email or a direct message. The visit is real and social, but it often arrives with no referrer, so analytics files it under direct.
You cannot tag a link someone else copies, but you can make the links you share easy to tag: share buttons that add UTM tags, short links in your own messages, and a referral or "how did you hear about us" question at checkout. Some tools also name the app from the in-app browser or the Android app referrer when no web referrer arrives.
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