What is not considered a default medium in google analytics?

In Google Analytics, a default medium refers to the source through which a user was referred to a website or application. Default mediums include organic search, referral, direct, social, email, and paid search. These are recognized by default in the tracking code of Google Analytics.

However, there are other mediums that are not considered default in Google Analytics. These are typically referred to as "not set" or "not provided." Here's some information about these non-default mediums:

1. (not set): This medium appears in various reports when the tracking code is unable to determine the actual medium used. It usually occurs when there is missing or corrupted data in the referral URL. For example, if a user directly types the website URL in the browser instead of clicking on a link, the medium will be recorded as (not set). This can also happen when a website is accessed through certain social media apps or instant messaging platforms that strip referral information.

2. (not provided): This medium is specific to organic search. It appears when the organic keyword data is encrypted by search engines, particularly Google. Since 2011, Google started encrypting searches for users who were signed in to their Google accounts, resulting in the keyword data being labeled as (not provided) in Google Analytics. This means that website owners cannot see the specific keywords that are driving organic search traffic to their sites.

3. Other non-default mediums: Apart from the above two, there could be other non-default mediums that you may encounter depending on your website setup, tracking configuration, or specific marketing campaigns. These can vary based on how the tracking code is implemented or if there are any customizations made to the medium parameters.

In general, it is important to be aware of these non-default mediums as they may affect the accuracy and comprehensiveness of your data analysis in Google Analytics. It is recommended to regularly review your tracking setup, check for any discrepancies or inconsistencies, and take necessary measures to minimize (not set) or (not provided) data in order to get the most accurate insights into your website traffic.