Definition
A self-referral happens when your own domain appears as a referral source, usually due to broken cross-domain tracking or misconfigured analytics.
Example
Users go from marketing.metrickittools.com to checkout.metrickittools.com and analytics reports the checkout domain as the referrer.
How to use it
- Self-referrals can inflate direct/returning behavior and distort attribution.
- Check checkout flows, redirects, and subdomain tracking first.
- Audit internal links that strip UTMs or overwrite source parameters.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring self-referrals and assuming the attribution model will fix it.
- Changing analytics settings without re-testing the funnel end-to-end.
Why this matters
This term matters because it affects how you interpret performance and make budget decisions. If you use inconsistent definitions or windows, ROAS/CPA can look "better" while profit gets worse.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "Self-referral" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Sanity-check with a related calculator from the same category on MetricKit.
- Read the related guide (e.g., UTM + GA4 attribution: practical tracking for paid ads (without lying to yourself)) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- Break-even CVR Calculator: Compute the CVR required to break even (and hit a target) given CPM, CTR, AOV, and contribution margin.
- Click-through Conversion Rate Calculator: Calculate click-through conversion rate (click-to-conversion CVR) and estimate required clicks for target conversions.
- ROAS Calculator: Calculate Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and estimate contribution profit after ad spend.
- Break-even ROAS Calculator: Estimate the break-even ROAS based on contribution margin assumptions.
- Target ROAS Calculator: Estimate a target ROAS to cover variable costs plus a desired margin buffer.
Guides
- UTM + GA4 attribution: practical tracking for paid ads (without lying to yourself): A practical guide to UTMs and GA4: consistent source/medium/campaign tagging, conversion deduplication, and common attribution traps.