Google AdSense retires session-related metrics and announces a new traffic source breakdown

​Google announced that session-related metrics in AdSense reporting have now been retired. This includes all metrics that rely on ad sessions, such as "Ad sessions," "Ad session RPM," etc.

For comprehensive session-level data and user behavior analysis, consider using Google Analytics. According to Google, it offers a wide range of metrics, dimensions, and segments that reveal more about your audience and website traffic.

​On 26 September 2025, Google announced a new traffic source breakdown in reports. This breakdown helps you better understand where your visitors come from, so you can make informed decisions about your content.

What is the traffic source breakdown?

According to Google, the traffic source breakdown categorizes the sites that send traffic to your pages. It separates traffic into two main groups: direct traffic and traffic from popular platforms.
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• Direct traffic means visitors came straight to your page, or their source wasn't identified.
• Traffic from popular platforms includes visitors who came from search engines, social media sites, or other well-known sites.

This breakdown helps you see the origins of your page traffic at a glance.

The traffic source breakdown is now accessible. You can use it for reports issued on or after July 21, 2025.

This breakdown is only completely compatible with AdSense for Content (AFC). Traffic source coverage for AdSense for Search (AFS) traffic is limited. Google does not recommend utilizing this breakdown for the AFS part of publisher inventory.