Why are my Google Analytics sessions showing “direct/none” instead of my paid ad traffic?

Ad traffic is misclassified as direct/none when ad redirect URLs are missing UTM tracking parameters, when cross-domain navigation strips referrers, or when rigid browser cookie policies block GA attribution tags.

“Nine times out of ten, it’s missing UTM parameters, or a cookie policy quietly blocking attribution before GA can log it. I’ll find the leak and have your ad traffic tracked properly within 24 hours for $99.”
— Jeff Bollettino, Managing Director, Ignite Conversions