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Website Analytics and Ad Statistics: Why Do They Not Match Up?

Editorial Staff August 15, 2018

6-minute read Minute Read

Let's talk about the differences between your website analytics and ad statistics.

Pouring money into your advertising campaigns is certainly not an easy responsibility. Each click and impression has a cost and you also want to know how many of those clicks are actually interested visitors!

Looking into analytics is undoubtedly a normal step in the process.

But seeing different data than in your ads stats might puzzle you.

So let's work out why this is happening.

Website Analytics and Ad Statistics - explaining inconsistencies - TWIPLA website intelligence blog

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Seeing Some Statistical Anomalies?

Don't Worry! We Have Some Good News for You!

So you want to understand the inconsistencies between your website analytics and ad statistics?

Of course you do!

But to so so, you undeniably need a comprehensive understanding of your website traffic. This includes understanding the differences between the biggest tracking platforms and simultaneously how they collect data. You'll also need to know how this creates statistical anomalies.

Indeed, there are some cases when your Google or Facebook ads data might not match your Analytics data.

But firstly, it's important to remember that Google tracks clicks whereas Analytics tools instead track sessions. As a result of this, there are several reasons that these metrics may differ:

  1. Firstly, a customer may click your ad multiple times. So when one person clicks an ad multiple times in the same session, AdWords then records multiple clicks while Analytics tools recognize the separate page views as one session.
  2. A person might alternatively click on an ad, and then later, during a different session return directly to the site through a bookmark or a saved link. This would then register as one click in AdWords but multiple sessions in Analytics.
  3. Lastly, someone might click on your ad and then change her mind and prevent the page from fully loading by clicking to another page or by pressing the browser Stop or Back buttons. In this case, Analytics will not register a session, but AdWords still counts this as a click.

It is well known that tracking platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Analytics) track visits, clicks, and traffic differently. Therefore you may see different metrics on different platforms as a result.

If this difference still isn't clear enough, let's clarify things further by looking at some use cases.

Website Analytics and Ad Statistics: Real-life Examples

A good way to understand the differences between the insights from website analytics and ad statistics is to look at some examples.

So here are some common ones:

  • Clicks vs. Sessions: This is undoubtedly a big reason for your statistical anomalies. Some services (e.g., Google Ads) track every click a visitor makes, whereas other services (e.g., Google Analytics) instead only track one click per session
  • Filtering of invalid clicks: Some services also filter out invalid clicks, while others show all clicks
  • Tracking blocked by browser extension: Some browser extensions block tracking by certain tracking services and then prevent these services from collecting data

For more useful information about the difference in tracking methods between Google Analytics and Google AdWords you can also check the Wix blog too, in case you are a Wix customer. But please keep in mind that some of this information applies to other services as well, such as Facebook Analytics or TWIPLA.

If you also want to learn how to improve your overall website content or traffic, check our blog and learn more about what is pay per click or unrequested advertising. And finally, you can also read about our comparison on SEO vs. Pay Per Click Search Network.

Website Analytics and Ad Statistics - explaining inconsistencies - TWIPLA website intelligence blog

Unlock Your Website’s Full Potential

Our advanced website intelligence solution will enable anyone to grow their website quickly - all while also staying data privacy compliant!

GET STARTEDcircle-arrow-right.svg

That's Your Website Analytics and Ad Statistics Inconsistencies Explained!

See, your mind certainly wasn't playing tricks with you.

There are some clear reasons for the statistical anomalies you see as a result of the different approaches that platforms take to analyzing data.

And armed with this information, you're therefore in a better situation to really understand your data and use it to supercharge website performance!

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