> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sourcemedium.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why am I seeing (direct) / (none)?

> Understand what (direct)/(none) means in attribution reporting and how to diagnose and reduce it

In attribution reporting, **`(direct) / (none)`** means the selected attribution evidence resolved to direct traffic with no medium. It is different from **`(none) / (none)`**, which is the fallback when no usable source/medium evidence is found anywhere in the waterfall.

High direct traffic still usually points to missing UTMs or lost attribution context during the journey, but it is a distinct resolved state rather than the same thing as no data.

## Common causes

1. **Missing UTMs**: Campaigns (especially email/SMS and paid social) aren't consistently tagged.
2. **UTMs dropped during the journey**: Cross-domain transitions, checkout flows, or redirects (including URL shorteners and 302s) lose parameters.
3. **"Dark social" and mobile apps**: Links shared via WhatsApp, Slack, SMS, or clicked within mobile apps often don't pass referrer data.
4. **Offline documents**: Links embedded in PDFs, Word/Excel/PowerPoint files, or slide decks have no referrer context.
5. **HTTPS to HTTP transitions**: Navigating from a secure site to a non-secure page drops referral data for security.
6. **Tracking blockers**: Ad blockers, iOS privacy restrictions, browser privacy modes, and firewall settings reduce client-side capture.
7. **Bookmarks and direct URL entry**: Returning customers who bookmarked your site or type the URL directly.
8. **Long time-to-convert**: The purchase happens after attribution context expires or can't be stitched.

## How to diagnose (fast)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check if your links are tagged">
    Pick a few live campaigns and click through. Confirm the landing page URL includes `utm_source` / `utm_medium` / `utm_campaign`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find where UTMs are being lost">
    If the landing page has UTMs but orders still show `(direct) / (none)`, the drop often happens during cross-domain navigation or checkout.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Look for the pattern by channel">
    If `(direct) / (none)` spikes after a specific campaign type (email/SMS, paid social, affiliates), that’s usually the tagging or redirect path for that channel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate against survey data">
    If surveys show meaningful discovery but tracking shows `(direct) / (none)`, that’s a strong signal you have a capture gap.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How to reduce (direct) / (none)

* Standardize UTM tagging across all channels (start here: [UTM Setup](/help-center/core-concepts/attribution/utm-setup))
* Add server-side/checkout capture for platforms where UTMs are commonly dropped (Shopify Plus teams often capture UTMs into order attributes)
* Use post-purchase surveys to supplement tracking-based attribution for offline and hard-to-track channels

## Related resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="UTM Setup" icon="bullseye" href="/help-center/core-concepts/attribution/utm-setup">
    Tag links consistently so last-click attribution stays reliable.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attribution Health" icon="heart-pulse" href="/data-inputs/attribution-health/index">
    A structured toolkit for diagnosing and fixing attribution gaps.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Backfilling UTM Attribution via Order Attributes" icon="code" href="/data-inputs/platform-supporting-resources/shopify/backfilling-utm-attribution-via-checkout-attributes">
    Shopify Plus developer guide for capturing UTMs at checkout.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Zero-Party Attribution" icon="square-poll-vertical" href="/help-center/core-concepts/attribution/zero-party-attribution">
    Use surveys to capture discovery channels tracking can’t see.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  For a deeper dive into debugging this in GA4, check out Google's guide on [Traffic acquisition reports](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9143382).
</Tip>