What is Not Considered a Default Medium in Google Analytics – In Google Analytics, only three mediums are considered default: organic, referral, and (none) (direct). Any other medium such as cpc, ppc, email, social, or display is not automatically recognized and must be manually tagged with UTM parameters or configured in GA4.
Default Mediums in Google Analytics
Google Analytics automatically assigns only three mediums:
- Organic → Unpaid search engine traffic.
- Referral → Clicks from other websites without UTM tags.
- (none) → Direct traffic (typed URL, bookmarks, apps with no referrer).
What is NOT Considered a Default Medium
The following are not default mediums and require manual tagging:
- CPC/PPC → Paid search traffic.
- Email → Newsletter or campaign traffic.
- Social → Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- Display → Banner ads, retargeting.
- Affiliate → Partner-driven traffic.
- Custom Mediums → Any UTM-defined values outside defaults.
Also Read-What is a Bridge Letter for SOC 2
Why It Matters
- Data Accuracy: Without tagging, paid campaigns may be misclassified as organic or direct.
- Campaign Tracking: Proper UTM tagging ensures traffic is attributed correctly.
- Channel Grouping: GA4 maps recognized mediums into channels; unrecognized ones fall into “Other.”
Examples
- Correct:
utm_medium=cpc→ Shows as Paid Search. - Incorrect:
utm_medium=paid→ May fall into “Other” unless mapped. - Correct:
utm_medium=email→ Shows as Email.
FAQs : What is Not Considered a Default Medium in Google Analytics
What are the only default mediums in GA?
Organic, referral, and (none).
Is CPC a default medium?
No, CPC/PPC must be tagged or auto-tagged via Google Ads.
What happens if I don’t tag email campaigns?
They may appear as referral or direct traffic.
How do I fix unrecognized mediums?
Use proper UTM parameters and update GA4 channel grouping.
Why does GA show “Other” as a medium?
Because the medium value doesn’t match GA’s recognized defaults.