TL;DR
Direct Traffic represents the number of visitors and page visits coming to a website by directly typing the URL, or clicking the URL from an offline or un-recognized source: such as SMS, Whatsapp, Telegram or offline documents.
What is Direct Traffic?
Direct Traffic refers to website visitors who landed on a website by typing the URL into the browser, using bookmarks or clicking the link in an offline document that opens the browser.
Most website analytics tools will place the Traffic coming from unknown sources under Direct Traffic as well.
What is Direct Traffic coming from?
Direct Traffic can be caused by the following visitors' actions:
- Directly Type the website URL in the browser
- Access the website by clicking on a saved bookmark
- Access the website by clicking the hyperlink placed in offline documents: .txt, PDF, Word, etc.
- Social media channels show the Traffic under referrals, but the Traffic coming through some mobile apps owned by social media channels will show up in analytics as direct Traffic.
- Dark Social sources will also show up as direct Traffic: like visits from an Outlook or Thunderbird email, SMS, Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger services.