Google Analytics is a great statistical package that can be downloaded and implented on a site within twenty minutes. The metrics provided by Google Analytics allow for in-depth analysis of your content and how your visitors relate to it. Developers, content writers, and SEO professionals can use the data collected to improve optimization, readability, and functionality of a site. The browser your visitor uses, the city they live in, the network they are using…it’s all there. Best of all, Google Analytics is free. The only catch?….
It’s not completely accurate.
Google Analytics underreports website traffic for a number of reasons.
1. Google’s opt-out policy allows the option to browse sites without reporting information to Google Analytics
2. Visitors who have disabled Javascript will not be counted
3. Many mobile phone and smartphone browsers are not javascript enabled
4. A higher percentage of internet users are using anonymous IP addresses and proxy servers to cloak their information and data
5. Problems with the implementation of Google Analytics code or compatibility issues with other code on site
What is the percentage of underreporting on Google Analytics? It is highly variable by site, but has been estimated at between 1% and 10%. This is too much, if you are relying on Google Analytics to pass on information about your site to potential website visitors or partners. You can find out your actual website statistics via your web server files or through your hosting company interface. It may be worth the effort and/or cost to switch to a more advanced stats package.
Clark Schultz Blog 