Can an HTTPS site be the referrer for an HTTP site?

When site A uses the HTTPS protocol and site B uses HTTP, the referrer is not passed along when going from site A to site B. As a result, the source of the visit to site B will be Direct access.

This behavior is enforced by browsers for security/privacy reasons: when navigating from a secure page (HTTPS) to a non-secure page (HTTP), referrer information is typically suppressed to avoid leaking potentially sensitive URL details to an insecure destination.

How to preserve referrer and source attribution

If you need to identify your site’s referrers despite the difference in protocol, use one of the following approaches:

• Move the destination site to HTTPS (recommended). Referrer information is retained when navigating from HTTPS → HTTPS, so standard traffic source attribution will work as expected.

• Use marketing campaign tracking. Add campaign parameters to links so visits can be attributed even when the browser does not send a referrer header (for example, when going from HTTPS to HTTP).