Probably a basic question.
 

I am writing a script to separate "no referrer" traffic out. To test it I need to visit my own site as a non referring surfer. Can I set my browser to do this, and if so how? And if not, how can I make my surfing activity temporarily hide referring URLs.

Wouldn't that be a type-in?

Maybe using something like the Incognito option in Chrome?

Bingo! Make the page a bookmark/favorite in your browser, then use that link to visit the page.

Be careful, no referrer and blocked referrer are not the same thing.

Personally, I only filter out blocked referrer traffic to outgoing partners.

Thanks for your replies. It would appear that I know bugger all about non referring traffic. And I was not aware that "no referrer and blocked referrer are not the same thing". So how do I tell if a hit is a blocked referrer? I was just going by the fact that the hit came with no referrer, but, yes, obviously that could be typed in traffic and I don't want to kill that. Basically I am trying to not send junk traffic to my exchanges.

I use Trade Expert, it knows the difference. I assume it's something in the HTTP header that is different, but I'm not sure of the details.

Thanks, but that kind of software is no good to me, I need to include the info into my own script, so I need to know what to look for to know it is a blocked referrer.

Just a guess, but a null value for http_referrer would be a type-in or bookmark and no http_referrer parameter at all would be blocked referrer.

It has to be in the HTTP header, that's the only source of referrer data for incoming traffic.

Thanks. Before I posted this thread I did a Google search for "no referrer" and got nothing useful (which was why I posted). This weekend I'll try searching for tutorials on "HTTP header" and see if I get anywhere. I've got a pile of urgent "non adult" web work to do today and possibly tomorrow, but I should be able to get back to the script Saturday or Sunday.

Thanks for the help guys, I've at last found time to get the script finished (turned out to be blindingly simple when I finally got round to it). Chrome can block referrer data. I could not find an "Incognito option" but I eventually found a command line flag I could use to tell it to block all referrer data, and my script appears to be working perfectly.

Not only am I gratefully to you all, but my trades will be grateful too - I am now not sending them useless "no referrer" surfers. And looking at the activity of my "no referrer" surfers, they appear to mostly be content stripper bots, so are doubly unwelcome.

Thanks.