Plain-language questions
Ask for organic traffic share per month, customer or product in the SQL Explorer with AI. The AI writes the SQL, you see the query and run it yourself; the AI only receives metadata.
KPI · Marketing
Organic traffic share: formula and example.
Organic traffic share is the percentage of sessions on your website that come from the unpaid search results of search engines such as Google and Bing. It shows how dependent you are on paid channels and how well your search engine optimisation (SEO) is working. Organic traffic costs no ad budget per click, though it does take time and content.
Organic traffic share formula
Sessions from organic search ÷ total number of sessions × 100%
Worked example
In September, Acme Groothandel's website had 18,000 sessions, of which 7,200 came from organic search. Organic traffic share is 7,200 ÷ 18,000 × 100% = 40%.
Fictitious figures for Acme Groothandel, a sample wholesaler.
How to read this KPI
A higher share means more visitors find you through search engines without you paying per click. Look at the absolute number of organic sessions as well as the share: the share falls automatically when you advertise more, even if organic traffic stays the same. Compare with the same month last year, as search traffic is often seasonal.
Pitfalls with organic traffic share
- Looking only at the percentage, while an increase in paid traffic automatically lowers the organic share.
- Including searches for your own brand name without looking at them separately.
- Letting traffic the analytics tool cannot trace count as direct, so organic traffic is underestimated.
SQL & DAX
Calculating organic traffic share in SQL and DAX
Two examples on a fictitious data warehouse for Acme Groothandel: a PostgreSQL query and a measure for a Power BI model. Adjust table and column names to your own model.
SELECT date_trunc('month', session_date) AS month,
SUM(sessions) AS sessions,
SUM(sessions) FILTER (WHERE source_medium ILIKE '%/ organic') AS organic_sessions,
ROUND(100.0 * SUM(sessions) FILTER (WHERE source_medium ILIKE '%/ organic')
/ NULLIF(SUM(sessions), 0), 1) AS organic_share_pct
FROM web_sessions
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;Organic Traffic Share =
DIVIDE(
CALCULATE(
SUM(WebSessions[Sessions]),
FILTER(VALUES(WebSessions[SourceMedium]), CONTAINSSTRING(WebSessions[SourceMedium], "/ organic"))
),
SUM(WebSessions[Sessions])
)In ENABLE
Tracking this KPI in ENABLE
In your Power BI dashboard
Define the KPI as a measure in your Power BI model and show it in the portal, with "Last refreshed" next to it. Access profiles and optional row-level security decide who sees which figures.
Custom dashboards (pilot)
Add the KPI as a tile to a custom dashboard, compared with last year. The Dashboard Builder is a pilot and can be switched on per client.
Monthly targets
With the built-in Targets app you set a target for the KPI per month, so you see actuals and target side by side.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate organic traffic share?
Divide the number of sessions with organic as the medium by the total number of sessions and multiply by 100%. With 7,200 organic sessions out of 18,000, the share is 40%. In GA4, you find sessions by source and medium in the acquisition report.
What is the difference between organic and paid search traffic?
Organic search traffic arrives through the regular search results, paid search traffic through ads above or beside those results. You do not pay per click for organic traffic, but you do for paid. The two complement each other and are often analysed together.
How can you increase organic traffic?
You increase organic traffic by creating pages that answer your audience's questions well and are technically easy to find. Google Search Console shows which queries you already appear for but get few clicks on. That is often where the quickest gains are.
Further reading
- KPI libraryMarketing KPIs: formulas and examplesMarketing KPIs set reach, cost and conversion side by side. They become truly useful once you link ad and web data to leads and revenue from your CRM and accounting system.Read more
- ResourcesHow to build a KPI dashboard: steps and examplesA KPI dashboard is an overview of the key figures you use to steer towards your goals, such as revenue, margin, on-time delivery or absenteeism. A good KPI dashboard does not start with the software, but with the decisions it needs to support. You then choose a limited number of KPIs, define them, sketch the dashboard and only then build it.Read more
- SolutionPower BI dashboard portal: share dashboards securelyShare your Power BI dashboards securely in your own portal, with role-based access.Read more
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