This is a reverse-lookup dictionary for [Google Analytics], a handy, free access analysis tool that lets website and smartphone site owners view the data they want to know from a variety of angles.
If you've just started using Google Analytics, we recommend starting here: 〜Basic Information Edition〜 is available here.

This time, our topic is "the paths visitors took to reach your website."
We'll show you how to use Google Analytics to check what routes customers took to arrive at your website.

Everyone talks about SEO, but how many people actually reached your website or mobile site through organic search? You're working hard on social media like Facebook and Instagram, but how much traffic does that actually bring to your website or mobile site? Other sites link to you, but how much is that really helping? You'd like to know, right?

This time, we'll show you how to check the breakdown of these "visit paths" to your website or mobile site.

1. Go to the Google Analytics login screen and log in.

Search for "Google Analytics," or go to https://www.google.com/intl/ja_jp/analytics/index.html, click the "Log in" button, and enter your Google account ID and password.

2. After logging in, click the blue text that says "All Website Data."

After logging in, you should see your website name or URL displayed.
Click the blue text below it that says "All Website Data."

3. From the menu on the left, click "Acquisition" → "Overview."

In Google Analytics, the menu appears on the left side of the screen (on a PC). You click the menu item you want to view each time; this time we want to see the breakdown of visit paths, so go to "Acquisition" → "Overview."

4. A graph and what looks like a ranking table will appear in the main screen.
This ranking table shows the data on how customers arrived at your website, listed from most to least common.

The visit paths are written in English, and they mean the following:

Organic Search…organic search (visitors who entered keywords in Google search)
Direct…direct visits, such as from bookmarks or by typing the URL directly
Referral…visits via a reference somewhere else (for example, a link list on some website, or a link someone posted on their blog)
Social…visits from social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

That's what each one means.

If you'd like more detailed information, click each item to view the detailed data.

"We worked hard on SEO expecting most visits to come from organic search, but actually more visitors came from social media," or "We paid for a banner, but hardly anyone came from it"—by looking at the breakdown of these visit paths, you can realistically see which channels you should focus your efforts on.

If most of your visits come from organic search, also check which search keywords bring in the most visitors.
(This article explains how to check which search keywords bring in the most visitors.)