Referrer
A source hint that indicates where a visit, open, or install came from.
Formal definition
A referrer is source context transmitted alongside or before a visit, open, or install that indicates where the traffic originated, such as a previous page, store metadata, or campaign source string.
Plain-English explanation
It is the clue that says where the user came from before they landed on your page or in your app.
Examples
- A browser sends the previous page as the document referrer when a user follows a link.
- Android install referrer metadata can include campaign information from the store click that led to installation.
How it works
- A source system passes origin information through headers, parameters, or platform APIs.
- That origin is captured alongside the user session or install record.
- Attribution logic can then use it as evidence when assigning credit.
How Attriax uses it
- Attriax captures referrer-style signals from redirects, external sources, and store-level install metadata.
- Those signals matter most when they are the strongest available evidence for how the user arrived.
- Referrer data is also useful when teams audit traffic quality or debug campaign routing.