Visits a website receives when users follow a push notification link.
Marketing professionals reading about web analytics and tracking traffic sources.
01What it is and how it works
A push notification is a short message that appears on a user’s device, even when the browser or app is not open. When the user taps the notification, the embedded URL opens in a browser or in‑app view. That click registers as a session in your analytics, counted as Push Notification Traffic. The flow is: create a notification → include a tracked URL → user clicks → traffic lands on your site.
People come to your site after clicking a push notification.
02What to do about it
1. Add UTM parameters to every notification URL so you can separate the traffic in your analytics. 2. Verify that the notification service you use supports click‑through tracking. 3. Run an A/B test: send one group a notification with a clear call‑to‑action and another group a generic message, then compare the traffic numbers. 4. Review the click‑through rate (CTR) in the push provider’s dashboard each week and adjust copy or timing if CTR drops.
03How it is measured or noticed
In Google Analytics, look for sessions where the source/medium is set to the name of your push service (e.g., "push_service / notification"). If you used UTM tags, filter by utm_source=push. Most push platforms also show a click count and a conversion count; match those numbers against the analytics data to confirm accuracy. A sudden spike in direct traffic after a scheduled notification send is another clue.
04Common mistakes
- Sending notifications without any URL – you get no traffic to measure.
- Forgetting UTM parameters – you cannot separate push traffic from other sources.
- Assuming every click is a new user – many clicks are repeat visits from the same audience.
- Ignoring users who have disabled notifications – they will never generate push traffic.
05Limits
Push Notification Traffic only exists for users who have opted in to receive notifications and whose browsers support the Push API. If a large segment of your audience uses browsers that block push, the metric will under‑represent interest. It is also easy to confuse push traffic with email click traffic; both can look similar in reports if you do not tag URLs uniquely.
06Worked example
"We saw a 12% lift in daily visitors after adding UTM tags to our push notifications," says the marketing lead.
Frequently asked questions
How does Push Notification Traffic differ from referral traffic?
Usually, push notification traffic comes from users who click a link in a push message, while referral traffic originates from links on other websites. The source/medium in analytics will show the name of your push service for push traffic, whereas referrals show the referring domain.
Should I invest in push notifications for my website?
It depends on your audience and goals. If a sizable portion of your visitors have opted in and you need a direct channel to re‑engage them, push notifications can boost traffic; otherwise the effort may not justify the return.
How is Push Notification Traffic measured in Google Analytics?
Usually, you look for sessions where the source/medium matches the name of your push service, such as "push_service / notification". This lets you isolate the visits that originated from a push click.
Does Push Notification Traffic still work on all browsers?
It depends; only browsers that support the Push API can receive and act on push messages. Users on unsupported browsers or who have disabled notifications will not generate push traffic.
What are the consequences of misattributing Push Notification Traffic?
Usually, misattribution inflates the performance of the wrong channel and hides the true impact of your push campaigns. You’ll notice unexpected spikes in other source reports and lower conversion rates from the push segment.
How long after sending a push does the traffic appear in reports?
Usually, the sessions show up within a few minutes, but full attribution may take up to 24 hours as data is processed. You can monitor real‑time reports for immediate clicks and later check standard reports for aggregated numbers.
Asked out loud
spoken, not typedThe same term in the words somebody uses speaking to an assistant rather than typing into a box — written from the situation, which is why each one carries the situation it came from.
Yes, you can check this by looking at the source/medium for your push service in Google Analytics. The report will show how many sessions started from push clicks, letting you gauge effectiveness before the deadline.
Usually, you can open the analytics app or mobile view and filter by the push service name to see recent sessions. Real‑time dashboards will show clicks within minutes, so you can verify activity on the go.
It depends, but you can create a custom segment that matches the exact source/medium you intended, or adjust the tagging in your push platform and re‑run the report. Correcting the label will separate push traffic from the rest and prevent future confusion.