> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://snowseo.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Traffic
> See exactly how many people are finding your site through Google — and where you're leaving clicks on the table.
Your **Traffic** dashboard gives you a complete view of your website's search performance. It brings together data from **Google Search Console**, **Google Analytics 4**, **PostHog**, and **Plausible** into one unified view — so you can understand your organic traffic and user behavior without jumping between tools.
To unlock the full dashboard, connect **Google Search Console** and **Google Analytics 4**, **PostHog**, or **Plausible** in **Settings → Integrations**. The dashboard has two tabs: **Analytics** (user behavior) and **Search Console** (search performance). Inside Search Console, a provider toggle switches between **Google** and **Bing**.
***
## Chart Controls
Both the **Analytics** and **Search Console** tabs share the same chart control system. Each chart has a header bar with controls to scope the data and customize what you see:
Here's what each control does:
**Time range selector** — A button showing the currently selected range (e.g. "Last 30 Days"). Click it to open a dropdown with presets like Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 90 Days, Last 6 Months, Last Year, or All Time. You can also select a **Custom** range using the calendar to pick specific start and end dates. The maximum range depends on your data source — Analytics supports up to 10 years, Google Search Console supports up to \~16 months (480 days).
**Granularity** — A dropdown that controls how data points are grouped on the chart:
* **Daily** — Each data point is one day (available for ranges up to 180 days)
* **Weekly** — Data grouped by week (available for ranges 90 days and above)
* **Monthly** — Data grouped by month (available for ranges 365 days and above)
If your selected time range only supports one granularity option, the dropdown is disabled with a tooltip explaining why.
**Country filter** — A searchable dropdown with flag icons to filter data to a specific country. This is useful for isolating performance in a target market, checking if changes are global or regional, and comparing metrics across countries. Select **"Worldwide"** to reset the filter.
**Previous period comparison** — Every enabled metric line automatically shows a matching dashed, lower-opacity line representing the same metric from the previous period. For example, if your time range is "Last 30 Days," the dashed line shows the 30 days before that. Hover any data point to see both the current value and the percentage change. This helps you distinguish genuine trends from normal fluctuations — a drop that matches last month's pattern is less concerning than one that doesn't.
**Notes (annotations)** — Click any data point on a chart line to add an annotation tied to that date. Use notes to mark content publishes, site migrations, marketing campaigns, or algorithm updates. Notes appear as small document icons on the chart line at their respective dates. Hovering a data point also shows any note content in the tooltip. All notes are managed through the **Note Panel** dialog where you can add, edit, read, or delete them.
***
The **Analytics** tab shows user behavior data from your connected analytics provider — **Google Analytics 4**, **PostHog**, or **Plausible**. If multiple providers are connected, you can switch between them using the provider badge at the top of the tab.
To enable this tab, connect **Google Analytics 4**, **PostHog**, or **Plausible** in **Settings → Integrations → Analytics & Performance**. Without a connection, this tab will show a setup screen.
***
## Connecting an Analytics Provider
The Analytics tab supports three providers: **Google Analytics 4** (via OAuth), **PostHog** (via API keys), and **Plausible** (via API key). If multiple providers are connected, a provider badge at the top of the tab lets you switch between them freely.
Google Analytics 4 connects via secure OAuth — no manual credential entry required.
Open the user menu at the bottom-left of the dashboard and select **Integrations**, then go to the **Analytics & Performance** tab.
Find Google Analytics in the list and click **Connect +** to expand the connection panel.
In the expanded panel, click **Connect to Google Analytics**. SnowSEO will redirect you to Google's authorization screen.
Sign in with the Google account that has access to your GA4 property and grant SnowSEO read-only permissions. After authorizing, you'll be redirected back to SnowSEO and a success toast will appear.
A dropdown now appears showing all GA4 properties your account can access. Select the property that corresponds to your Brand. The Analytics tab will begin populating with data within a few minutes.
New GA4 connections can take **24–48 hours** to show full historical data. If the Analytics tab looks empty on day one, check back the next day before troubleshooting.
PostHog uses API keys for authentication — you'll need to create them inside your PostHog dashboard.
Open the user menu at the bottom-left of the dashboard and select **Integrations**, then go to the **Analytics & Performance** tab.
Find PostHog in the list and click **Connect +** to expand the connection panel with the setup form.
Enter your PostHog instance host — for example, `https://us.posthog.com`, `https://eu.posthog.com`, or your self-hosted URL. The `https://` prefix is required.
In your PostHog dashboard, go to **Project Settings → Project API Key**. Copy the key (it starts with `phc_`) and paste it into the **Project API Key** field in SnowSEO.
Still in PostHog, click your avatar → **User API Keys** → **Create personal API key**. Give it a name like "SnowSEO" and copy the key (it starts with `phx_`). Paste it into the **Personal API Key** field in SnowSEO.
Find your numeric Project ID in PostHog under **Project Settings**. Paste it into the **PostHog Project ID** field.
Once all four fields are filled, click **Connect to PostHog**. SnowSEO will validate the credentials and show a success toast on completion.
Unlike GA4 which can pull up to 16 months of historical data, PostHog data availability depends on your PostHog plan's data retention period. SnowSEO will show whatever range your PostHog instance has available.
Plausible uses an API key for authentication — you'll need to create one inside your Plausible dashboard.
Open the user menu at the bottom-left of the dashboard and select **Integrations**, then go to the **Analytics & Performance** tab.
Find Plausible in the list and click **Connect +** to expand the connection panel with the setup form.
Enter your Plausible instance host — for Plausible Cloud this is `https://plausible.io`, or your self-hosted URL. The `https://` prefix is required.
[Access your API Key Settings](https://plausible.io/settings/api-keys), click **New API Key**, select **Stats API** as the type, give it a name like "SnowSEO", and copy it — it's only shown once.
Your Site ID is the domain you registered in Plausible (e.g., `yourdomain.com` — without `https://`). Find it on your Plausible Sites list.
Once all three fields are filled, click **Connect to Plausible**. SnowSEO will validate the credentials and show a success toast on completion.
Plausible is privacy-first and cookieless, so session duration and new/returning visitor data is estimated rather than cookie-tracked. The numbers are accurate but calculated differently from GA4 or PostHog.
***
## User Metrics (3 Stat Cards)
These are your core engagement metrics — check them first when you open the Analytics tab.
The number of unique visitors to your website in the selected period. (Shown as "Unique Visitors" when using PostHog.) This is your reach metric — how many people actually came to your site.
The percentage of single-page visits where the user left without any interaction. A lower bounce rate means your content is engaging enough to explore further.
The average time a user spends on your website. Higher duration typically means your content is holding attention — a strong quality signal for both users and search engines.
**Pageviews** isn't a stat card, but it's available as a toggle on the trend chart below.
***
## Main Trend Chart
The chart visualizes your analytics metrics over time. Use it to spot trends, seasonality, and the impact of your content and marketing efforts.
**Metric toggles** — Three pill-style buttons above the chart let you toggle individual metrics on or off:
* **Users** (purple dot) — Toggle the unique visitors line
* **Pageviews** (blue dot) — Toggle the total page views line
* **Bounce Rate** (green dot) — Toggle the bounce rate line
At least one metric must remain active. Click a label to hide or show its line — useful when you want to focus on a single metric without visual clutter.
**Multi-dimension filters** (Analytics only) — A **Filter** button that opens a popover with 7 dimensions you can drill into:
| Dimension | What it filters by |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Channel** | Traffic source type (Direct, Organic Search, Paid Search, etc.) |
| **Referrer** | Specific external websites sending traffic |
| **Campaign** | UTM-tagged marketing campaigns |
| **Device Category** | Desktop, Mobile, or Tablet |
| **Browser** | Specific browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) |
| **OS** | Operating systems (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android) |
| **Page** | Specific page paths on your site |
Click any dimension to see a searchable list of values with checkboxes. Multiple values within a dimension use OR logic; filters across dimensions use AND logic. The Filter button shows a badge with the active filter count. A "Clear Filters" button resets everything. You can also click the filter icon that appears on hover in any data card row (Channels, Sources, Pages, Devices, or Countries) to instantly set that dimension's filter.
***
## Data Sections (2-Column Grid)
Below the chart, the Analytics tab organizes your data into several insight panels:
A pie chart and list showing your traffic by channel:
| Channel | What it includes |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| **Direct** | Users who typed your URL directly or used a bookmark |
| **Organic Search** | Traffic from search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) |
| **Organic Social** | Traffic from social media platforms |
| **Paid Search** | Traffic from paid search ads |
| **Paid Social** | Traffic from paid social media campaigns |
| **Email** | Traffic from email campaigns |
| **Referral** | Traffic from other websites linking to yours |
| **Affiliates** | Traffic from affiliate partners |
Each channel shows its session count and percentage change. Hover over any channel to filter the chart and data by that source.
If your Organic Search channel is low, your SEO content needs attention. If Direct is low, your brand awareness efforts may need a boost. Use this breakdown to diagnose where your traffic strategy is working.
The **Sources** section tells you *where* your traffic is actually coming from — beyond just "search engine" or "social media." Two sub-tabs give you different levels of detail:
* **Referrer** — A ranked list of every external website sending traffic to yours, with favicons and session counts. Each row has a horizontal bar showing proportional volume and a filter button to narrow your chart by that source. Click **"All Referrers"** to open a searchable dialog for deeper analysis.
* **Campaign** — Shows UTM-tagged campaign data so you can measure the ROI of specific marketing initiatives. If you tag your newsletter links, social posts, and ads with UTM parameters, each campaign appears here with its session count.
**Use this section to:**
* Identify which external sites are driving the most traffic — then strengthen those relationships
* Measure whether a specific marketing campaign (e.g., a product launch email) actually drove visits
* Discover unexpected referrers that could become partnership or PR opportunities
* Spot a sudden spike from a new referrer — it could mean someone influential linked to you
If you see a referrer sending significant traffic that you're not actively partnered with, reach out to them. A single mention from a niche authority site can drive more relevant traffic than weeks of SEO work. Also make sure your team is consistently using UTM parameters on all external links — without them, the Campaign tab stays empty.
The **Pages** section helps you understand *how users flow through your content*. Three sub-tabs give you different angles on the same data:
* **Top** — Pages ranked by pageviews. This is your popularity list. The pages at the top are your most-viewed content. Ask yourself: are these the pages that matter most to your business goals?
* **Entered** — Pages ranked by entrances (how many sessions started on this page). These are your landing pages — they're the first impression users get of your site. Your homepage, top blog posts, and key landing pages should dominate this list.
* **Exited** — Pages ranked by exits. Some exit is normal (users finish reading and leave), but a high exit rate on pages meant to drive conversion (checkout, signup, contact) is a red flag — it means users are leaving without taking the next step.
Each row shows a page path with a horizontal bar for proportional volume, plus a session count. Click the external link icon to open the page in a new tab, or use the filter button to scope the chart to that page's performance. Click **"All Pages"** for a searchable full dialog.
**What to look for in each tab:**
* **Top** — Identify your content winners. Double down on topics that resonate by creating more related content or updating these pages to keep them fresh.
* **Entered** — If a page has high entrances but high exits too (check the Exited tab), users are landing and leaving without engaging. Improve the page's call-to-action and internal links.
* **Exited** — A high exit rate on a page that should generate leads (like a pricing page or demo request form) means something is broken. Test your form, check page load speed, and review your messaging.
The Pages section works best when you cross-reference tabs. A page that ranks high in **Top** (lots of views) and **Entered** (many users start here) but also high in **Exited** is leaking visitors. That's your highest-ROI fix: improve the CTAs and internal links on that page to keep users flowing deeper into your site.
The **Devices** section reveals *how* your audience is accessing your site. Three sub-tabs cover the full technical picture:
* **Browsers** — A ranked list of browsers your visitors use (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.), each shown with its browser icon and session count. If you see an unexpected browser in the top ranks, test your site there.
* **OS** — Which operating systems your audience runs (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, etc.), with OS-specific icons. This helps you decide where to invest in platform-specific optimization.
* **Devices** — Device category breakdown showing Desktop, Mobile, and Tablet with device icons and session counts. This is your most important tab for understanding how users experience your site.
Each row has a filter button to scope your chart data by that specific browser, OS, or device category. Click the expand button to open a searchable full dialog.
**Use this section to:**
* **Prioritize browser testing** — If 80% of your users are on Chrome and Safari, those are the only browsers you need to test thoroughly for every deploy.
* **Audit your mobile experience** — A high mobile share with low engagement (check Duration and Bounce Rate in the stat cards) suggests your mobile UX needs work. Check page speed, font sizes, tap targets, and form usability on mobile.
* **Spot platform trends** — A sudden shift in OS distribution (e.g., iOS spiking) might correlate with a marketing campaign, a seasonal pattern, or a competitor's outage. Understanding the "why" helps you optimize for the right audience.
Most B2B sites see 30–50% mobile traffic, while B2C and media sites can see 60–80%+. If your mobile share is above 50% but you're not testing your mobile experience regularly, you're almost certainly losing conversions. Run your top 5 entry pages through the **Page Speed Analyzer** in SEO Tools and fix the mobile-specific issues first.
A pie chart showing the split between new and returning visitors, with absolute counts and percentage changes.
**What this tells you:**
* A **high new-visitor share** (70%+) means you're good at driving fresh traffic but may lack retention or community stickiness.
* A **high returning-visitor share** (40%+) means your content keeps people coming back — a strong signal of quality and audience loyalty.
* A **growing returning share** over time is a positive sign that you're building an audience.
Most content sites sit around 60–80% new visitors. If your returning visitor rate is below 20%, consider adding newsletter signups, content series, or community features to bring people back.
The **Countries** section shows you where your visitors are located geographically. Two view modes help you explore the data:
* **Map view** — An interactive world map (powered by react-simple-maps) color-coded by traffic volume, from light gray (low traffic) to purple (high traffic). Hover any country to see its visitor count. Use zoom (+ / -), pan, and reset controls to explore specific regions. The map is your quickest way to spot unexpected geographic clusters at a glance.
* **List view** — A ranked list of countries with flag icons (from flagcdn.com) and session counts, ordered by traffic volume. Each country row includes a filter button to scope your chart by that country. Click **"All Countries"** to open a searchable full dialog with every country that has sent you traffic.
**Use this section to:**
* **Validate your target market** — If you're targeting the US but most of your traffic comes from India or the UK, your SEO strategy may need adjustment. Check your keyword targeting and content language.
* **Discover hidden audiences** — A country sending significant traffic that you never optimized for could be a localization opportunity. If Germany sends you 15% of your traffic but all your content is in English, a German-language version could double that number.
* **Spy on content resonance** — A sudden spike from a specific country usually correlates with a viral mention, a local news link, or a seasonal trend in that region. Check your referrer data to understand what caused it.
Don't assume your home country dominates just because you target it. Open the **List view** and check your top 5 countries. If a non-target country ranks in the top 3, you have an opportunity: consider writing content tailored to that region, or at minimum check whether your page speed is acceptable for users in that country. If your server is US-based and a European country is your #2 market, a CDN could significantly improve load times and engagement for those users.
The **Search Console** tab shows your organic search performance — your real search data, not estimates. At the top, a provider toggle switches between **Google** and **Bing**. The Google view, powered by **Google Search Console (GSC)**, is described below; see **Switching to Bing** at the end of this tab for the Bing provider.
**Google Search Console is the most important integration in SnowSEO.** Without it, the platform cannot display your real search traffic, historical keyword positions, or organic performance data. Connect it as your very first step after adding a brand.
***
## Connecting Google Search Console
Open the user menu at the bottom-left of the dashboard and select **Integrations**, then go to the **SEO & AI Tools** tab.
Find Google Search Console in the list and click **Connect +**.
A secure OAuth window will open. Sign in with the Google account that has access to your site's GSC property and authorize SnowSEO.
Choose your site from the dropdown. Make sure it matches the domain you used when creating the Brand — an `www.acme.com` property won't show data for a Brand set to `acme.com`.
Data typically appears within a few minutes. For established sites, SnowSEO can pull up to **16 months of historical data** — so you'll see trends immediately, not just today's numbers.
### Managing Your GSC Connection
Once connected, you can:
* **Switch properties** — if your Google account has access to multiple sites.
* **Reconnect** — if your access token expires or you need to switch accounts.
* **Disconnect** — removes the integration. Historical data already imported is retained.
***
## Search Metrics (3 Stat Cards)
Think of these as your SEO vital signs. Check them first whenever you open the Search Console tab.
How many people actually clicked through to your site from Google search results. This is your most important metric — it means real visitors showed up.
How many times your pages appeared in search results, even if nobody clicked. High impressions with low clicks = you're showing up but not winning the click.
Your average ranking spot across all pages and queries. Lower is better — position 1 is the top result. Aim for most pages in the top 10.
**CTR** (click-through rate) isn't a stat card, but both CTR and average position are available as toggles on the trend chart below.
***
## Main Trend Chart
The graph shows your clicks, impressions, CTR, and position over time with full interactivity.
**Metric toggles** — Four pill-style buttons above the chart, each with a colored dot, let you toggle individual metrics:
* **Clicks** (purple dot) — The number of actual search clicks
* **Impressions** (blue dot) — How many times your pages appeared in search results
* **CTR** (green dot) — Click-Through Rate percentage
* **Avg. Position** (orange dot) — Average ranking spot
At least one metric must remain active. Toggle lines on or off to focus on what matters most — for example, hide Impressions and Position to get a clean view of Clicks vs CTR trends.
***
## Ranked Keywords
Below the chart, the **Ranked Keywords** table shows all the search queries driving traffic to your site.
Keywords sorted by click volume. Each row shows the keyword, branded/non-branded badge, clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position.
**What to look for:**
* Keywords with **high impressions but low CTR** → your title or description isn't compelling enough. Rewrite the meta title and description.
* Keywords with **good position but low volume** → the keyword is too niche. Expand the topic or target a related higher-volume term.
**Actions per keyword:**
* **Track/Untrack** — Add the keyword to your Rank Tracking list with one click.
* **Add to Topic Cluster** — Assign the keyword to a relevant topic for topical authority tracking.
* **Show Pages** — See which pages on your site are ranking for this keyword.
Keywords whose position, clicks, or impressions are improving. This is your momentum list — these terms are responding well to your SEO efforts.
**Action:** Double down on these — create more content around the same topics and strengthen internal links to the winning pages.
Keywords whose performance is declining. Early detection of decay lets you intervene before rankings drop significantly.
**Action:** Investigate each keyword — check if competitors have published better content, if your page needs updating, or if technical issues have emerged.
Lower-volume, highly specific keywords that collectively drive meaningful traffic. These often have higher conversion rates because the search intent is very specific.
**Action:** Identify long-tail patterns and create content that clusters around those specific intents.
***
## Device Breakdown
A half-donut chart showing your traffic split by device type:
| Device | Color | What to look for |
| ----------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Mobile** | Purple | Most sites see 50–70% mobile traffic. Low mobile share? Your mobile experience needs work. |
| **Desktop** | Blue | Higher desktop share often correlates with B2B audiences and longer session durations. |
| **Tablet** | Yellow | Usually a small share (5–15%). A sudden drop or spike here might indicate a design or usability issue. |
Use the metric toggle above the donut to switch between Clicks, Impressions, CTR, and Avg. Position for the device breakdown.
If mobile CTR is significantly lower than desktop CTR, your pages may not render well on phones — check load times, font sizes, and tap target sizes.
***
## Countries
An interactive map and list view showing where your Google search traffic comes from geographically.
* **Map view** — An interactive world map (color-coded by click volume, from light gray to purple gradient). Hover any country to see its click count. Zoom, pan, and reset controls are included.
* **List view** — A sorted list of countries with flag icons and click counts. Expand to a full dialog for deeper analysis.
**Use this section to:**
* Confirm your content is reaching your target country
* Discover unexpected international audiences
* Spot ranking gains or losses in specific regions after algorithm updates
***
## Ranked Pages
A table showing how your individual pages perform in Google Search.
Pages sorted by organic performance. Each row shows the page URL, clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position.
**Actions per page:**
* **Page Audit** — Navigate directly to that page's audit report to check for technical issues.
* **Page Analytics** — Click the **Visitors** count on any row to open a right-side drawer with detailed per-page analytics (Users, Pageviews, Bounce Rate, Avg. Duration, Traffic Trend mini chart, Top Sources, Devices breakdown). (The Actions column itself contains the **Page Audit** button.)
**What to look for:**
* Pages with **high impressions but low CTR** → optimize the title or meta description.
* Pages in **positions 5–15** → these are high-opportunity pages. Small improvements can push them into the top spots.
* Pages with **very low CTR and poor positions (20+)** → needs stronger SEO (content, backlinks, or intent match).
Pages that are improving in search performance — climbing positions or gaining clicks.
Pages that are losing ground in search results. Investigate content freshness, competitor activity, and technical issues.
***
## Keywords by Avg. Position
A donut chart showing how your tracked keywords are distributed across position buckets:
| Bucket | What it means |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Top 3** | Best possible visibility — significantly higher CTR |
| **4–10** | Page 1 of Google — good visibility but room to grow |
| **11–20** | Page 2 — occasional clicks, high opportunity with small improvements |
| **21–49** | Low visibility — needs content and authority improvements |
| **50–100** | Very low visibility — long-tail potential |
| **100+** | Not effectively ranking |
Click any bucket to see the specific keywords in that range in a data table on the right. Each keyword row includes actions to Track/Untrack, Add to Topic, or Edit.
An insight text above the chart tells you how many keywords have recently moved into the Top 3 — your best indicator of SEO momentum.
Focus on keywords in the 4–10 and 11–20 buckets. Moving a keyword from position 11 to position 10 (from page 2 to page 1) can double or triple its click-through rate.
***
## Switching to Bing
At the top of the Search Console tab, a provider toggle lets you switch between **Google** and **Bing**.
The **Bing** provider is still rolling out. Once you connect **Bing Webmaster Tools** (from **Settings → Integrations → SEO & AI Tools**), this view shows your Bing impressions, clicks, and crawl insights — giving you a complete picture of your search performance across both major search engines in one dashboard.
***
## Frequently Asked Questions
The **Analytics** tab shows user behavior data from Google Analytics 4, PostHog, or Plausible — how people *behave* once they're on your site (sessions, pageviews, bounce rate, duration, traffic sources, device usage). The **Search Console** tab shows your organic search performance from Google Search Console — how people *find* you in search results (clicks, impressions, CTR, keyword positions). They answer different but complementary questions.
Several factors can reduce CTR even at high positions: Google Ads taking up space above results, AI Overview summaries answering the question directly, and Featured Snippets showing another site's answer at position zero. Focus on making your title and meta description stand out, or try to win the Featured Snippet.
The **Search Console** tab pulls data from **Google Search Console** (keyword positions, clicks, impressions, CTR). The **Analytics** tab pulls from **Google Analytics 4**, **PostHog**, or **Plausible** (session data, user behavior, traffic sources). Both need to be connected for the full picture.
Yes. The **Ranked Pages** table (under the Search Console tab) shows performance for each of your pages in search results. You can also click into any page from there to see its detailed page analytics.
Not necessarily. Google Search Console alone provides keyword positions, clicks, and impressions — that's the Search Console tab. Adding GA4, PostHog, or Plausible unlocks the Analytics tab with user behavior data, traffic source breakdown, and content ROI reporting. Start with GSC — it's the most important one.
Google Search Console takes 24–48 hours to fully process data. The numbers you see for "today" are partial — they fill in over the next day or two. This is normal and applies to both the Search Console and Analytics tabs.
A few things to check:
* Make sure you selected the correct GSC property (the domain must match exactly, including `www` or non-`www`).
* New connections can take up to **24 hours** to begin syncing.
* Your GSC account must have at least **Restricted** access to the property.
Traffic and impression data syncs from Google Search Console daily. You'll typically see yesterday's data available by mid-morning each day. Analytics data from GA4, PostHog, and Plausible follows a similar schedule.