Google Analytics and Traffic Sources

I was wondering if some one could shed some light on traffic sources in google analytics.
Basically, I get a list of sources and it goes like this:
google / organic - x visits
google.co.uk / referral - y visits
google.com / referral - z visits

My question is how organic traffic differs from google referrals? Why google seperates organic from referrals? What is google.co.uk / referral and google.com / referral?
I know for sure they are not from Google Adwords, thus organic traffic but why seperate?

 

the data is just split in a couple of different ways. Google can be a referring traffic source or a search engine source.

google organic is visits from search terms

google.co.uk is visits from the UK (England)

google.com could be referrals from google images or just another traffic source.

 

I have just noticed that referral traffic has no keywords... why?

 

Referral traffic is traffic coming from another website that links to you like e.g. from a blog where you commented and you added your link. The traffic coming from those sites is not referred through keywords like organic traffic coming from search engines and where people search for a certain term that might meet one of your keyword phrases and then is linked through google to your site. Referral traffic is just based on pure links and that's why Analytics will not show any keyword for referral traffic.
If you add a keyword to your name or in signatures and you will receive traffic through those links, so the keyword will only for the benefit of gaining ranking in the serp's provided the search engines to find and index those links and to give them some value.

Cheers
verdecove

 

But I don't have any links on google.com or google.co.uk (I wish I had though ).
So how can Google refer traffic to my website.

 

You have no Google Profile Page set up with some links to your site on it?
Not member of Google Buzz or any other way where a link to your site could appear on Google?
if not, sorry, no idea either. Just be happy about the additional traffic LOL

 

Good explanation highrollerT, very useful for newbies

 

I agree with HighRollerT. If it is showing google.co.uk that means the traffic is comming from U.K.
And if Google.com that means the traffic may be comming from U.S or any country ( may be the person directly approaching Google.com ). You can also see Map Overlay section in Google analytics to see visitors territories.

 

Cause they are coming via a direct link from Google Maps / Places over the organic SERP's, I bet you've a listing for this site in Google Maps / Google Places ?

Hyper links on Google Maps / Google Places listings are tracked, but will only show within your own Google Account -> My Account -> Google Places | Listing Tracking

Hope I was clear and helpful

 

You're absolutely right, I do have listing on Google Maps / Google Places. Thank you for your help.

 

Thanks for sharing this..I hv little bit idea about that but now after read this thread I got good one..

 

Quoted from http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-basics-direct-referral-or.html

 

You're most welcome

 

I to spotted this and in the end I found that it was from Google maps

 

When you first set up your account and sign in analytics show a dashboard module containing a pie chart of all of your traffic source.