Recognizing search traffic: Google reveals the referer values for Analytics and logs

Google has published a new page in the Search Central documentation that explains how you can recognize visitors from Google Search. The page names the origin value in the HTTP header "Referer" that a click from web search, from the Google app, and from Discover sends along. The entry in the documentation updates is dated November 12, 2026.

Analytics programs and server logs evaluate exactly this header. The page also says why the clicks in Search Console and the visits in your analytics program can differ from each other.

Which origin values does Google send?

Web search sends https://www.google.com/ or the address of a local Google domain, such as https://www.google.co.uk/. The Google app on Android sends the same values, but for links in a browser tab it sends an address like android-app://com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox/https/www.google.com. The Google app on iOS sends the Google domain or a local domain. In Germany, the Referer then contains something like https://www.google.de/; the page does not mention any country restriction.

According to Google Search Central, Discover sends the values of the surface on which the content appears, that is, the Google app or web search. Google Images sends the same values as web search. A Referer with google.com therefore does not by itself prove that a visit comes from web search.

Google Search uses "origin" as its Referrer-Policy. With "origin," the Referer contains only the scheme and host, so no path and no parameters, and the search term is missing. You can find search queries only in the Search Console performance report. In addition, browsers or operating systems can remove the header, for example in private mode or with strict privacy settings.

Why do Analytics and Search Console differ?

The page names four causes:

• Measurement time: Search Console counts a click as soon as someone clicks the link. Analytics counts a visit only when the target page has loaded and the tracking code is running.
• Blockers and consent: Extensions, ad blockers, consent settings, or privacy options can block scripts, remove parameters, or suppress the Referer.
• Redirects: Client-side redirects can replace the Referer with their own address. Redirects that do not preserve the query string discard parameters such as gclid, and a stricter Referrer-Policy removes the Referer entirely.
• Paid or organic: Search Console counts only organic clicks. Depending on the setup, Analytics may also include paid clicks from Google Ads.

What this means for you

Check in your analytics program whether visits with a Google Referer land in the organic search channel. If they appear under referral or direct traffic instead, check the channel rules, the referral exclusions, and the filters. In server logs, it is best to compare the "Referer" field with the values above and to count only requests for landing pages, because images, CSS files, and JavaScript send your own page as the Referer.

Also test your short URLs and redirects to see whether they preserve the query string and which Referrer-Policy they send. It is best to record the difference from the Search Console clicks as its own metric, because consents and ad blockers change it. For search terms, the performance report remains the only source.

Google listed the new page in the Search Central documentation updates on November 12, 2026.

Sources

• Google Search Central: Identify Google Search traffic in your web analytics or server logs
• Google Search Central: Added documentation on identifying traffic from Google Search (12 November 2026)