How to See Referral URL in Google Analytics 4

One of the first things you might notice after switching to Google Analytics 4 is that finding the full referring URL - the exact page that sent traffic to your site - isn't as straightforward as it was in Universal Analytics. GA4 groups referral sources by their domain, leaving you with a list of domains like socialmediasite.com or someblog.com, but not the specific page path. This article will show you exactly how to uncover the full referring URL in GA4 using two different methods so you can see precisely where your traffic is coming from.

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Why Is It So Hard to See Referral URLs in GA4?

In Universal Analytics, the Referrals report was simple: it showed you a list of every single URL that sent you traffic. In Google Analytics 4, the approach is different because GA4 is built around an events- and user-based model, rather than sessions. It prioritizes understanding broader marketing channels and user journeys over granular, session-level details in its standard reports.

By default, GA4's Traffic Acquisition report uses dimensions like "Session source," "Session medium," and "Session default channel group."

• Source: The origin of your traffic, like 'google', 'facebook.com', or the name of a newsletter. It typically shows the domain, not the full page address.
• Medium: The category of the source, such as 'organic', 'cpc' (cost-per-click), 'social', or 'referral'.
• Channel Group: High-level groupings of traffic sources like 'Organic Search', 'Direct', 'Paid Social', and 'Referral'.

While this is great for a high-level overview, it makes it tough to differentiate between traffic from a blog post on coolwebsite.com versus their homepage. Knowing the exact page is crucial for understanding context. Was it a partner’s new blog post, a mention in an industry roundup, or a link in an old forum thread that’s suddenly active again? Finding the full URL helps you answer these questions, spot opportunities, and identify potential spam traffic.

Method 1: Using the Standard Traffic Acquisition Report

The quickest way to find full referral URLs is by adding a secondary dimension to one of GA4’s built-in reports. This method is perfect for quick, on-the-fly checks without needing to build a custom report from scratch.

Step 1: Navigate to the Traffic Acquisition Report

From your GA4 property, go to the left-hand navigation menu and click on Reports. From there, navigate to Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.

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Step 2: Change the Primary Dimension to "Source"

The report will most likely open with "Session default channel group" as the primary dimension. Click the small dropdown arrow next to the primary dimension’s title and change it from "Session default channel group" to Session source. This will update the table to show you the domains sending you traffic (e.g., google.com, bing.com, t.co). This is a start, but we still don't have the full URL.

Step 3: Add "Page Referrer" as a Secondary Dimension

Now for the key step. To the right of the primary dimension dropdown, click the blue plus icon (+) to add a secondary dimension. A search box will appear. Type "Page referrer" and select it from the list under the "Page / screen" section. Please note, do not select "First user source/medium"-- you want "Page referrer" specifically to see the URL.

The report table will now update to show two columns: "Session source" and "Page referrer." You now have the full URL that sent visitors to your site! The table will show you the exact article, social media post, or directory page your users clicked on.

Step 4: Filter for Only Referral Traffic (Optional but Recommended)

Your report is now showing the page referrer for all traffic sources, including organic search, direct traffic, and paid ads. To clean this up and only look at true referrals, you can add a filter.

At the top of the report, click "Add filter." A builder will slide out from the right.

• In the "Dimension" dropdown, search for and select Session default channel group.
• In the "Match Type" dropdown, select exactly matches.
• In the "Value" dropdown, select or type Referral.
• Click the blue Apply button.

Now, your report is filtered to show only traffic that GA4 has categorized as coming from a referral, giving you the clean view you're looking for.

Method 2: Building a Custom Exploration Report

If you find yourself needing to check referring URLs frequently, or if you want to dig deeper into how visitors from specific referrals behave, creating a custom report in the "Explore" section is a much more powerful and sustainable solution. Once built, you can save it and return to it anytime.

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Step 1: Start a New Exploration

In the left-hand navigation, click on Explore. Choose "Blank" to create a new exploration from scratch.

Step 2: Name Your Exploration and Set the Date Range

In the top left, give your new report a descriptive name, like "Detailed Referral Source Report." Below that, set the date range you want to analyze.

Step 3: Import Your Dimensions

In the "Variables" column on the left, you'll see a section called "Dimensions." Click the + icon to search for and import the dimensions you'll need. Import the following (you can search for each one and check the box, then click "Import" once):

• Page referrer: This is the star of our show - the full referring URL.
• Session source: Useful for filtering and high-level grouping.
• Landing page + query string: So you can see which of your pages these referrals are sending traffic to.

Step 4: Import Your Metrics

Right below "Dimensions" is the "Metrics" section. Click the + icon and import the metrics you care about. Good starters include:

• Sessions: The total number of sessions from that referrer.
• Engaged sessions: Helps you see which sources send quality traffic.
• Conversions: To measure which referrals are driving desired outcomes.
• Total users: To see how many unique users came from that referrer.

Step 5: Build the Report Table

Now, you'll build your report in the "Tab Settings" column.

1. Drag Page referrer from your list of imported Dimensions over to the "Rows" box.
2. Drag the metrics you want to see (like Sessions, Engaged sessions, and Conversions) from the "Metrics" list over to the "Values" box.

Your report table will populate on the right, showing a list of every single referring URL alongside the performance metrics you chose. Voila!

Step 6: Refine with Filters

Like the standard report, this view will show all kinds of referrers you might not care about, including self-referrals (your own domain) or payment gateways (like paypal.com after a transaction). We can clean this up.

In the "Tab Settings" column, drag Page referrer into the "Filters" box.

• Set the filter condition to does not contain.
• In the expression field, enter your own domain name (e.g., yourwebsite.com).

You can add additional filters to exclude other domains you don’t want to see. This Exploration report is now saved automatically and will be ready for you next time you need it.

Using Referral Data to Make Better Decisions

Finding the full referrer URL isn't just a technical exercise, it's about gaining actionable insights.

Spot Partnership and PR Opportunities

Did a popular blog mention your brand in a recent post and send a spike of high-quality traffic? The page referrer URL will lead you directly to that article. This is a perfect opportunity to reach out, thank them, build a relationship, and explore opportunities for a more formal partnership.

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Understand True Social Media Performance

While GA4 groups most social traffic under sources like facebook.com or t.co (X/Twitter’s link shortener), the page referrer often reveals more. For example, seeing m.facebook.com/ indicates traffic from Facebook's mobile site, while l.facebook.com represents traffic that went through their Link Shim (a redirect to protect privacy). It gives you clues about the user context, even telling you whether users click through from other user-generated sites or their private messages and profiles, helping you understand where to direct your growth and content efforts.

Identify and Combat Spam Referrals

If you see referrals from strange-looking domains that sent only one session or low to non-existent engagement, it’s most likely crawler or bot spam. Recognizing these helps you clean up your data. You can set up a data filter in your GA4 Admin settings (Admin > Data Collection and Modification > Data Filters) to permanently exclude traffic from known spam domains so they don't skew your metrics over time.

Final Thoughts

Finding the full referring URL in Google Analytics 4 just requires knowing where to look. You can either add "Page referrer" as a secondary dimension in the Traffic acquisition report for a quick check or build a reusable Exploration report for deeper, ongoing analysis. Getting this granular view back is essential for understanding your marketing performance in full context.

We built Graphed because we know that running through multi-step processes to answer a simple question is tedious. Sifting through dimensions and building custom reports just to get an answer consumes valuable time. We help you connect directly to platforms like Google Analytics so you can simply ask, “Show me the top referring URLs by sessions this month,” and get an answer instantly. Rather than digging through menus to find an insight, our goal is to help you get answers in seconds, so you can spend your time acting on what you learn.