Dark Social

What is Dark Social?

Dark social refers to the sharing of content through private channels such as messaging apps, email, or any other means that web analytics programs cannot track. This type of sharing is often invisible to the public and is not measured by regular analytics tools, which makes it a significant portion of social traffic. Dark social examples include:

• Links sent via private messages on social media platforms.
• Emails that share links with friends or colleagues.
• Text messages that contain URLs.

Why is Dark Social Important?

Understanding dark social is crucial because it can give insights into how people privately share and talk about your content or products. Recognizing the impact of dark social can help you:

• Better understand your audience’s sharing habits and preferences.
• Adjust your marketing strategy to target your audience more accurately.
• Increase the effectiveness of your campaigns by acknowledging all ways people share content.

How Can You Measure Dark Social?

While it's challenging to track dark social directly due to its private nature, you can take steps to estimate its impact. Here are some methods:

• Look at direct traffic to your website and consider that some of it may be from dark social.
• Use trackable links in your content to help identify where traffic is coming from when possible.
• Encourage users to share content through trackable sharing buttons on your website.

By implementing these strategies, you can gain a better understanding of how much of your site’s traffic comes from dark social and adjust your plans accordingly.