What Are External Search Terms in Analytics?

Answer

External search terms are keywords used on search engines that lead visitors to your website. In some cases, these terms may appear as “Not provided” due to privacy restrictions.

Definition

External Search Terms

Search terms that have been used on external search engines to reach your website.

Note: In some cases, external search terms are listed as "Not provided". This occurs when searches are carried out on a secure Google webpage (HTTPS) and where the keyword is not passed along when the user clicks on a search result. We are sorry that we cannot provide this information – but it is unfortunately out of our hands.

FAQ

What are external search terms?

Keywords users type into search engines before visiting your site.

Why does it say “not provided” in search terms?

Search engines may hide keyword data for privacy reasons, especially on secure (HTTPS) searches.

Can I recover “not provided” keywords?

No, this data is intentionally withheld by search engines and cannot be accessed.

Is “not provided” an error?

No, it is expected behavior due to privacy protections.