Internal Referrer

Web Analytics Tips: Internal Referrer:- The internal referrer is a page URL that is internal to the website or a web-property within the website as defined by the user.

Typically the internal referrer shares the same URL domain as the page URL that was requested. Often relative URLs are a strong indicator of local or internal content. However there are many situations where this is either not true or not sufficient. The website may have many different domains or use domains to track special promotions or link off line activity. It may use external transaction engines to manage shopping carts or finances that should be treated as internal to the website.

A hosted website may share the same domain as other websites and the file path must be used to distinguish internal from external content. Likewise a large site may have many properties that the user wants to track as separate entities or roll up into one overall website entity.

Most analytic tools will attempt to take all these factors into consideration and allow the user to enter precisely the domains and URL paths that should be considered internal to the web property. Determining what is internal to a web property or website is a key element of being able to track activity onto and off the site.
contributed by, Web Analytics Tips