Organic vs paid traffic mix
Owned/earned-heavy = defensible, lower CAC risk.
- Formula
- Sessions from channel / total sessions, per channel
- Unit
- %
- Models
- All models
| B2B | Public SaaS panel (Direct): ~54% of sessions · Public SaaS panel (Organic search): ~26% of sessions · Public SaaS panel (Paid search): ~1.7% of sessions | SimilarWeb via Mike Sonders |
What it is
Organic vs. paid traffic mix measures the share of web sessions attributed to each acquisition channel — organic search, paid search, direct, referral, social, and others — as a percentage of total sessions.
How to calculate it
Divide sessions from a given channel by total sessions for the period, expressed as a percentage. This is typically pulled from a web analytics platform (e.g., GA4) or a competitive intelligence tool (e.g., SimilarWeb). Each channel's share should sum to 100%.
Why it matters
Channel mix reveals the health and sustainability of a company's acquisition strategy. A business heavily reliant on paid channels is more exposed to cost inflation and platform changes; one with strong organic and direct share has built durable demand. For B2B SaaS, high direct traffic often signals strong brand awareness or repeat visits from prospects deep in a sales cycle.
Benchmarks & pitfalls
SimilarWeb data analyzed by Mike Sonders across a B2B public SaaS panel shows: Direct approximately 54%, Organic search approximately 26%, and Paid search approximately 1.7% of sessions. This is directional — not a rigorous published study — and should be used as a trend benchmark, not a norm. The biggest pitfall is that "Direct" traffic is an attribution catch-all that absorbs untagged email clicks, bookmarks, dark social, and other unattributed sources, making it appear dominant even when the true source is something else. Organic search share is the most actionable figure to track over time as an indicator of content and SEO investment compounding.