In the Personal sub-tab of the Applicant tab, you will see Referring URL listed under membership status. This shows the web address (URL) the applicant was on immediately before starting their loan application.
The Referring URL shows where an applicant was online immediately before starting their loan application. It can provide useful context about whether applicants came from a marketing campaign, social media, or another page on your website. However, this information isn’t always available, as technical, privacy, and integration factors often prevent it from being recorded.
Why this is useful
The referring URL can help you understand where applicants came from. For example:
Did they click straight from a marketing campaign such as Facebook or Google Ads?
Did they browse your website first (e.g.
/about-usor/loans) before beginning their application?
This insight can be helpful in understanding customer behaviour and the effectiveness of marketing activity.
Limitations
Sometimes the referring URL will be empty (null) or show as "unknown". This is common and can happen for several reasons:
Direct navigation
If a user types your website address directly into the browser, uses a bookmark, or clicks a link from a non-web source (like an email, SMS, or document), no referring URL is sent.
HTTPS → HTTP
When someone moves from a secure site (HTTPS) to a non-secure site (HTTP), many browsers strip out the referrer for security reasons. While most sites are now HTTPS, this can still occur.
Referrer policy settings
Websites can control how much referrer information is shared. In some cases, the site the user comes from will block or limit what is sent.
Browser privacy features
Modern browsers are increasingly restrictive about sharing referrer data, especially when privacy settings are enabled.
Ad blockers (e.g. uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus) often strip referrer data.
VPNs & privacy tools may remove tracking information.
Private/Incognito browsing sometimes suppresses referrers altogether.
Mobile & in-app browsers
When users open links inside mobile apps (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), the in-app browsers may not pass on full referrer details. Similarly, some banking or other native apps don’t send referrer data at all.
Integrations
Some applications arrive in the Dashboard via your core system rather than directly from your website. In these cases, the application data is passed through multiple systems, and the original referrer is lost.
Manual assessments
If you create a decision directly in the Dashboard using the Assess function, there will be no referring URL because no web application was submitted.
