This post is for anyone who works with or helps others work with Google Analytics.

What do (not set) and (not provided) mean?

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We get this question all the time. Hopefully you can use this as a reference in case you forget or someone asks you for an explanation.

(Not Provided) = Organic visits from a keyword search

In 2011 Google switched to a secure server (https) which encrypts search results. Meaning anytime you’re logged into Google (i.e. Gmail, Calendar or YouTube) your searches become protected – Leaving all keyword data as (not provided) in Google Analytics.

We’re noticing most accounts have more than 50% of all keyword information replaced with (not provided).

(Not Set) = A direct visit or a referral from another site

This is a little more complicated, but basically refers to a catch-all for information Google Analytics wasn’t able to identify.

For example, if you see landing page = (not set), it probably means that session didn’t have a page or screen view. The session could have been triggered an Event or an E-commerce hit type. Read this post to learn more about sessions, events and E-commerce hit types.

For more information on (not set) and (not provided) visit this forum from the Google Support Team.

Leave us a comment below, I’d love to hear how high your (not provided) keyword information has reached.

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