Is google analytics accurate?

mxracer170 · 04-08-2007, 04:43 PM

According to google analytics my site is getting pretty good traffic for a new site, about 125 visitors per day but my sales have been in the toilet lately. Is the info on google analytics accurate? If it is I think there may be a bug in my shopping cart somewhere.

**John Scott** · 04-08-2007, 05:02 PM

Google analytics is javascript based, so that does exclude quite a few users.

mxracer170 · 04-08-2007, 05:12 PM

So my site is actually getting more visitors than analytics is showing?

Ar3d · 04-08-2007, 11:42 PM

for me it was but if your not satisfied use another stat like statcounter. dont lean on the number of traffic you have instead try to look up the services or products you offered. analytics is just a stat showing the number of visitor not number of ROI.

sheena · 04-09-2007, 01:39 AM

Our site is getting more visitors than analytics. I think Google analytics is accurate but they analyze only the google backlinks. We used the statcounter to track visitors and it provide us good result.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxracer170

So my site is actually getting more visitors than analytics is showing?

Janna122003 · 04-09-2007, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxracer170

According to google analytics my site is getting pretty good traffic for a new site, about 125 visitors per day but my sales have been in the toilet lately. Is the info on google analytics accurate? If it is I think there may be a bug in my shopping cart somewhere.

If you're getting good traffic it doesn't mean that your sales will also increase. Maybe you're not getting targeted traffic. Try to post on forums related to your site to get more targeted traffic.

lifeofegypt · 04-10-2007, 12:44 PM

You are right about the traffic, if it ain't targeted then it doesn't even matter. It's all about conversions and sales. I would rather generate a low volume of traffic with a high conversion rate than have hundreds of visitors that do not want to buy.

Johan007 · 04-11-2007, 02:19 AM

I predict non JS users count for less than 1-5%

ianternet · 04-11-2007, 08:24 AM

i use analytics - and there is a lot of javascript calculation on my page so sometimes it doesnt take into affect - but I mean it give me a good overall view

ianternet · 04-11-2007, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxracer170

According to google analytics my site is getting pretty good traffic for a new site, about 125 visitors per day but my sales have been in the toilet lately. Is the info on google analytics accurate? If it is I think there may be a bug in my shopping cart somewhere.

also - can I ask how you are getting traffic? I just like to know everyones strategy

WebGeek182 · 04-11-2007, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxracer170

According to google analytics my site is getting pretty good traffic for a new site, about 125 visitors per day but my sales have been in the toilet lately. Is the info on google analytics accurate? If it is I think there may be a bug in my shopping cart somewhere.

Getting traffic doesn't guarantee conversions...you have to have a site that makes it easy to convert. Is your site easy to navigate and user friendly? If not, try to reduce clutter and simplify. Is it attractive and have quality content? these are the kinds of things that affect conversion rates. If you really need good data on conversion, I'd recommend having a test group evaluate your site and see what they say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johan007

I predict non JS users count for less than 1-5%

I would agree.

brealmz · 04-11-2007, 10:06 AM

for me google analytics is next to perfection. it doesnt mean that when you have visitors you will have sales. even if the number of visitors was above your expectation. you still have to analyze your visitors. are they targetted? what keywords brings your visitor to your site? is your traffic organic? did your visitor visit your cart? all that things can be answered using google analytics.

my advise is to set conversion goals in your shoping cart page you so will see if someone attempts to buy your product.

cessai · 04-11-2007, 10:23 AM

IMO, it may not be 100% accurate but it is close to that. there's no such thing as perfectly accurate tool

and high traffic does not always mean great sales

Avinash · 04-11-2007, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johan007

I predict non JS users count for less than 1-5%

Second that. IMO, you are giving much weight on non-JS browser users. If you must track each and every visitor, use Awstats (if you are a cPanel user).

I've no personal experience with statscounter so can't really tell how perfectly it works.

tdd1984 · 04-11-2007, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Scott

Google analytics is javascript based, so that does exclude quite a few users.

what do you use john?

**John Scott** · 04-13-2007, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cessai

IMO, it may not be 100% accurate but it is close to that. there's no such thing as perfectly accurate tool

and high traffic does not always mean great sales

I don't trust any external tracking. Server side tracking is a must, IMO.

WebGeek182 · 04-13-2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Scott

I don't trust any external tracking. Server side tracking is a must, IMO.

I agree.

I don't trust external tracking alone, but it does provide some data that server-side tracking can't. Likewise, server side tracking provides some data that external tracking can't.

I've found that to really capture all the data, it's necessary, at least for my purposes, to use server side tracking in tandem with external tracking, which allows me to compare and combine my data, for a more complete picture.