Google Analytics Tracks More Than Google

The name “Google Analytics” makes it sound like it only tracks visitors coming from Google.

It doesn’t.

Google Analytics can see traffic coming from several sources. That can include Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, social media websites, and other places.

How to Find Bing and DuckDuckGo Traffic

Log into Google Analytics and select your website.

Then:

*  Click Reports in the left side column

*  Open Acquisition in the left side column

*  Select Traffic acquisition.

*  Choose the date range you want to examine.

*  Change the primary dimension to Session source / medium.

*  Look for Bing or DuckDuckGo.

The “source” tells you where the visitor came from. The “medium” describes the type of traffic.

If Bing or DuckDuckGo appears in the report, congratulations. Someone managed to find your website without Google being involved.

Image below is a screen shot of my aquarium website’s Google analytics data taken over a 30 day period:

How Much Traffic Are They Sending?

Bing and Duckduckgo don’t have nearly as much traffic as Google so the numbers will be small. You might find 1, 5, 10, or 20 visits.

When your website has enough time spent using Google analytics you can change your date range from the last 30 days to the last six months or even the last year. That can make smaller traffic sources and trends easier to spot.

Really, you’re just trying to answer one question: Are Bing and DuckDuckGo sending people to my website? How many? (Wait, that’s two questions).
And if one of those visitors calls, requests an estimate, or becomes a customer, I doubt you’ll care which search engine they used to get there.

Search Engines That You May Never Heard Of.

List was compiled by ChatGPT

• Brave Search — Independent search index with a strong privacy focus.
• Startpage — Provides Google-based results with an emphasis on privacy.
• Mojeek — UK-based search engine with its own independent index.
• Kagi — Paid, ad-free search engine with extensive customization.
• Marginalia Search — Focuses heavily on smaller, independent websites.
• SearXNG — Open-source metasearch software that can pull results from multiple sources.
• Swisscows — Privacy-oriented search engine based in Switzerland.
• MetaGer — German privacy-focused metasearch engine.
• Qwant — French search engine with a privacy focus.
• Ecosia — Search engine known for directing profits toward climate projects.
• Yep — Search engine created by the company behind Ahrefs.
• Presearch — Search platform built around decentralization and privacy.
• Gibiru — Privacy-oriented alternative search engine.
• Search Encrypt — Privacy-focused search service.
• Wiby — Designed to uncover simpler, older-style websites that mainstream search often buries.
• Million Short — Lets you remove popular websites from results to uncover lesser-known sites.
• Dogpile — Old-school metasearch engine that combines results from other search engines.
• WebCrawler — One of the oldest surviving names in web search.
• Yandex — Major search platform associated primarily with Russia and surrounding markets.
• Naver — Major South Korean search platform that’s relatively unfamiliar to most Americans.

More Information:

• 12 Alternative Search Engines to Try (Instead of Google) – Semrush

Google Reviews and Local SEO