Prevent User From Reading Adwords in Google Analytic
Last Updated: December 31, 2021
Table of contents for why Google Ads (Adwords) and Google Analytics data don't lucifer & how to fix it
I am often asked this question:
"Why doesn't my Google Ads and Google Analytics data friction match?"
and my answer is usually,
"I can't say for sure without start diving into your Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts and checking your website setup"
And this is true.
There is no single straightforward respond to this question and it could have several hours/days to notice a solution to this problem, depending upon your expertise.
First things commencement. It is common and normal to have information discrepancy between Google Ads and Google Analytics data. So no demand to panic.
However, it is not normal to accept a very big data discrepancy between Google Ads and GA data. For example, your Google Ads is reporting 100 clicks from a Google Ads campaign but your Google Analytics is reporting only 10 sessions from that entrada in the same time period.
Earlier y'all take whatsoever action, you need to first measure the level of information discrepancies between Google Ads and Google Analytics.
Measure the level of data discrepancy between Google Ads and Google Analytics
In order to measure the level of discrepancy betwixt Google Ads and GA data follow the steps beneath:
Stride-ane : Navigate to Acquisition > Google Ads > Campaigns report in your GA chief view:
Step-2 : Click on the 'Clicks' tab:
Step-iii: Select 'Clicks' from the 'Select a metric' drop-downwards menu equally shown below:
You lot will now see the following similar report:
Through this report, you can measure the level of discrepancy between ad clicks and GA sessions for all campaigns or for each individual Google Ads campaign.
A small amount of data discrepancy is normal. Only if you come across a lot of difference then it is a cause for concern.
From the screenshot above we can conclude that the Google Ads clicks are far more Google Analytics sessions. So in that location is conspicuously a huge data discrepancy between Google Ads and Google Analytics and nosotros need to dig deeper to observe the cause.
21 causes of data discrepancy between Google Ads and Google Analytics data
Following are the most common reasons for data discrepancies between Google Ads and Google Analytics information:
- Google Ads account is not linked to Google Analytics
- Wrong Google Ads Account linked to Google Analytics
- Multiple Google Ads account linked to the same GA view
- Clicks and Sessions are fundamentally unlike metrics
- A user clicked on the aforementioned ad multiple times
- Google Analytics sessions are not filtered for invalid clicks
- Google Analytics tracking lawmaking missing from landing pages
- Google Analytics tracking code not firing on landing pages
- Multiple Google Analytics tracking code firing on landing pages
- View filters excluding Google Analytics session information
- Manual tagging is non configured correctly
- Google Ads destination URLs are not tagged
- Using both manual tagging and automobile-tagging for Google Analytics
- Using both manual tagging and auto-tagging for non-google analytics purpose
- GCLID parameter dropped considering of redirect
- Google Analytics can non read the GCLID value
- GCLID parameter is throwing fault pages
- Bookmark contains GCLID parameter
- Difference betwixt Google Ads and Google Analytics Conversion Tracking
- Data sampling issue creating data discrepancies
- You are comparing Apples to Oranges
Now you accept got a pretty expert idea of why there is no unmarried direct forward answer.
#ane Google Ads account is not linked to Google Analytics
If your Google Ads account is non linked to your Google Analytics account then all of the traffic from Google Ads can be reported equally organic traffic from Google in GA. You may non see any Google Ads traffic information being reported in your GA reports.
If you have got this event you need to link your Google Ads account to your Google Analytics account .
You can verify whether or not the Google Ads account is linked to Google Analytics by following the steps below:
Stride-i : Navigate to Acquisition > Google Ads > Campaigns report in your GA view.
Step-two : Look for the following notification:
If y'all see such notification and you use Google Ads then you need to link your Google Ads account to your GA account.
Remember that linking Google Analytics to a Google ads account can be done either from Google Analytics or from the Google Ads account side. Personally, I feel information technology is easier to link the ads account from Google Analytics.
Follow the below steps to link your Google Analytics account and Google Ads business relationship.
Pace-1: Log in to your Google Analytics business relationship.
Step-2: Click on the 'Admin' setting on the left-mitt side corner.
Pace-3: Nether 'Property', select the property that you desire to link to your Google Ads account.
Stride-4: Nether 'Product linking' click on the 'Google Ads Linking'.
Stride-v: You lot will now meet a screen like below to configure your Google Ads link group. You will run across all the Google Ads accounts that you take admission to.
Footstep-6: Select the account that you would like to link to and click on 'Continue' as shown below.
Step-7: Now, click on 'Link configuration'. You are requested to provide a link group title and also select the view in which y'all want to see your Google Ads data.
Step-eight: Finally, click on 'Link accounts'.
You have now successfully linked your Google Analytics and Google Ads business relationship data.
As well, make sure that you just enable advanced settings when y'all are using auto-tagging. This is considering changing those settings will not affect anything. Nevertheless, if you are using manual tagging and enable the additional settings, information technology will change the settings by default.
Depending upon the business requirement of your company, select auto-tagging or manual tagging in the avant-garde settings pick.
Besides, note that in guild to link your Google Ads account to your Google Analytics property you need to have the necessary access levels.
- You demand to take authoritative access to the Google Ads account that you want to link.
- You need to have edit permission for the Google Analytics account that you desire to link from.
Linking your Google Ads account to your Google Analytics account helps you greatly in agreement what people do on your website after they click on your Google ads.
You lot can understand the behaviour of Google Ads visitors in terms of site usage (pageviews, bounce rate, avg. session duration, etc), goal conversions and ecommerce transactions.
This type of insight helps immensely in optimizing ad copies, keywords and landing pages of your Google Ads campaigns.
Post-obit are some other advantages of linking your Google Ads business relationship with your Google Analytics account:
- You tin can import Google Analytics goals and sales information directly into Google Ads.
- You can import Google Analytics remarketing audiences into Google Ads.
- You can run dynamic remarketing campaigns in Google Ads.
- You can import website usage information (like bounce rate, boilerplate session duration, etc) from GA into Google Ads.
- You get more accurate data in your GA reports esp. in your multi-channel funnel reports.
- You get accurate data in various attribution reports in Google Ads.
- Improved Google Ads reporting in Google Analytics view.
- Better insights through the MCF reports
Following is a short video on the benefits of linking your Google Ads and GA business relationship:
#ii Wrong Google Ads account linked to Google Analytics
If you have got access to multiple Google Ads accounts then there is a possibility that you lot accidentally linked the wrong Google Ads account to GA. Make sure that the correct Google Ads account is linked to Google Analytics.
The offset step in getting reliable Google Ads information in your Google Analytics account is by correctly linking to your Google Ads account. Follow this Google Analytics article, which provides detailed steps on linking your Google Analytics account to your Google Ads business relationship.
#3 Multiple Google Ads business relationship linked to same GA view
Avoid linking multiple Google Ads accounts to the same GA view as this can increment data discrepancies betwixt Google Ads and Google Analytics.
In some instances, you might demand to link multiple Google Ads accounts to the same GA views. In that example, go through the same steps that you followed for single linking separately and you are all set. But make certain you lot are linking the correct Google Ads account to the GA view.
#4 Clicks and sessions are fundamentally dissimilar metrics
In that location is always a very strong probability that the number of clicks on your Google ads does non match with the number of resulting Google Analytics sessions.
This is because 'clicks' and 'sessions' are fundamentally different metrics.A click is a striking (user'southward interaction) whereas a Google Analytics session is a group of hits recorded for a user in a given time period.
On pinnacle of that, Google Ads study 'clicks' whereas Google Analytics report ' sessions'.
In some cases, there is a delay in the clicks on an advertisement, and the sessions that are registered in your Google Analytics reports.
For example, I may click on an advertisement and, for some reason, the page did not load. In the meantime, I may determine to hit the back button earlier the Google Analytics tags even load. In such a case, in that location is one click and zero sessions. This is call session latency.
Additionally, in some cases, you may find that the returning users to your site are attributed to one entrada from which they originally came from. In such cases, we tin can await to see more than sessions than clicks for that specific campaign. This concept is related to the lifetime of a campaign.
In Google Analytics, every time a campaign source is changed, the existing Google Analytics session expires and a new session starts.
If you are using Google Ads machine-tagging, then each ad click has its own unique GCLID value. So multiple clicks on the same advertizement will change the GCLID value associated with the ad which will cause the existing GA session to expire and a new session to brainstorm.
So if Google Ads is not filtering out multiple clicks on the same advertizing then, in that case, the number of advertisement clicks would be equal to the number of GA sessions.
If a user is excessively clicking on the same advertizing over and over again so Google Ads may choose to filter out excessive clicks. But Google Analytics still won't filter out multiple GA sessions generated from such invalid ad clicks. So in that example, one click tin can result in multiple GA sessions.
If you are manually tagging Google Ads campaign URLs, then each ad click tin take the same campaign source.
So multiple clicks on the same ad may non change the campaign source and hence the existing GA session may not elapse and no new GA session volition begin. In other words, multiple clicks on the same ad past the same user, may non generate multiple GA sessions, if you lot accept manually tagged your Google ads.
If Google Ads in non filtering out multiple clicks on the aforementioned ad then, in that case, the number of advertising clicks could be greater than the number of resulting GA sessions.
If a user is excessively clicking on the aforementioned ad over and once more and so Google Ads may choose to filter out excessive clicks. In that case, the number of advert clicks could be equal to the number of resulting GA sessions provided you have manually tagged the Google Ads campaigns.
#half dozen Google Analytics sessions are not filtered for invalid clicks
Google Ads filter out invalid clicks just Google Analytics can't filter invalid sessions resulted from such advertisement clicks.
Then Google Analytics will track and written report sessions fifty-fifty for invalid clicks. If your Google Ads account is getting a lot of invalid clicks (perchance because of click fraud or spambot assault) you will see a lot more than GA sessions than advertizing clicks .
#7 Google Analytics tracking code missing from landing pages
If the landing page of the Google ad doesn't incorporate Google Analytics tracking code, then Google Analytics will not be able to track sessions but Google Ads will nevertheless rails and report on ad clicks. In that case, the number of advertizing clicks could exist more than the number of GA sessions.
If your website doesn't have tracking code implemented properly and so the campaign data is lost if someone lands on your page.
Make sure to add Google Analytics tracking code on all your Google Ads landing pages. Information technology is recommended that you implement Google Analytics with a tag management solution similar Google Tag Manager.
Use a website crawler like 'Screaming frog SEO Spider ' to detect pages with missing GA tracking lawmaking. You can besides employ tag auditing tools similar ' Tag Inspector' to find such pages.
Note: If your website does not apply template files then you lot are more than likely to notice web pages with missing GA tracking lawmaking.
#eight Google Analytics tracking code not firing on landing pages
Whenever Google Analytics tracking lawmaking does not burn down for some reason on the landing page of a Google advertizing, Google Analytics does not track the session resulted from an advertisement click but Google Ads will notwithstanding rail and written report on the ad click.
In that instance, the number of advertising clicks could be more the number of GA sessions .
Following are the events in which your Google Analytics tracking code will not fire:
#1 Google Analytics tracking code is not a valid lawmaking.
#2 A user has disabled JavaScript, Cookies and/or images via browser settings.
#3 A user is using Google Analytics opt-out add on which disable Google Analytics.
#4 Redirects in landing pages may preclude the Google Analytics Tracking code from being executed.
#5 Some server or customer-side error may forbid the GA tracking code from beingness executed.
Utilize Google Tag Assistant' to place such bug.
#9 Multiple Google Analytics tracking code firing on landing pages
This outcome has get more common lately, equally more and more marketers have started using Google Tag Manager (GTM).
Often marketers forget to remove the hardcoded GA tracking code from the website one time they showtime using GTM.
Equally a issue, the tracking code is fired twice on each landing folio, once via the code, hardcoded on the page and once via GTM. So every click on a Google ad tin trigger two GA sessions . In that case, y'all may see a lot more than sessions than advert clicks.
Make certain that the Google Analytics tracking lawmaking is fired only once on a page. Y'all tin can identify this issue by using 'Google Tag Assistant' and by learning to install Google Tag Manager correctly via this commodity: Google Tag Managing director Implementation and Deployment Guide.
#ten View filters excluding Google Analytics session information
View filters can remove some or a lot of GA session data from your view. And so when you compare the session data from a filtered view, with Google Ads click data, you are more probable to run into a lot of data discrepancy.
The solution to this trouble is to always employ the unfiltered view when comparing Google Ads and Analytics data.
You can also create split up views that only capture Google Ads traffic. Below is the filter configuration to capture Google Ads data in a separate view.
Step-1: Log in to your Google Analytics account.
Step-2: Click on the admin settings on the left-hand side.
Pace-3: Under 'View', click on the 'Filters' selection.
Step-four: Click on 'Add Filters' and select 'Create new filter'.
Footstep-five: In the 'Filter information' section, enter the filter name, for instance, 'Include only CPC Traffic'.
Step-6: Filter type should exist 'Custom' and opt for 'Include'. Under 'Filter field' select 'Campaign medium' as shown beneath:
Step-vii: In the filter pattern select 'cpc'.
Pace-viii: Click on 'Save'.
Calculation this filter in Google Analytics will capture all the cpc information in one view.
#11 Transmission tagging is not configured correctly
In guild to import Google Ads data into Google Analytics, y'all need to tag the Google Ads destination URLs. You can do that either manually or through auto-tagging.
If the manual tagging of destination URLs is non correct then Google Analytics may choose to ignore the entrada tracking variables and treat Google Ads traffic as Google organic traffic. This would result in a lot of discrepancies between Google Ads and Google Analytics data.
The solution to this problem is to avoid using manual tagging. Use auto-tagging instead. Google also strongly recommends using auto-tagging for Google Ads campaigns.
#12 Google Ads destination URLs are not tagged
In order to go Google Ads information into Google Analytics, y'all need to tag your Google Ads destination URLs either via automobile-tagging or manually.
If you do not tag your Advertisement URLs then Google Analytics can written report Google Ads traffic as traffic coming from Google organic search.
This can happen if you lot have disabled auto-tagging but then forgot to manually tag your ads URLs or when your auto-tagging is non working for some reason.
#thirteen Using both manual tagging and auto-tagging for Google Analytics
Following is an instance of Advertisement URL which uses both manual and auto-tagging:
https://world wide web.abc.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=automobile-insurance&utm_content=text-ad&utm_campaign=auto-insurance-promo-feb&gclid=CLjTpNrg8NIC
If you are tagging Google Ads destination URLs both manually and via motorcar-tagging for the purpose of importing Google Ads data into Google Analytics then this could create serious data discrepancy problems.
You lot may likewise see multiple/ duplicate entries for Google Ads in your GA view:
When you employ motorcar-tagging, Google automatically tags the campaign source and medium of your Google ads as google / cpc.
But if y'all are also using manual tagging, y'all may over a long period of fourth dimension, tag the same campaign source and medium differently as: google/ppc, google/PPC, google/CPC, Google/CPC etc.
In GA, traffic source names are case sensitive. And so Google is different from google and Google. Similarly, traffic medium names are case sensitive. So cpc is different from CPC, Cpc.
If you are not consistent with the names and spellings of the values of your campaign tracking variables so you are near likely to see multiple/duplicate entries in your GA view.
The best practice is to avoid using both manual and auto-tagging at the same time. If y'all are using machine-tagging, make sure that no URL is manually tagged.
#14 Using both transmission tagging and auto-tagging for non-Google Analytics purpose
There are situations when you have to use both manual and auto-tagging. For instance, if you lot want to track Google Ads traffic data in Kissmetrics in addition to Google Analytics, then you have to use both manual and motorcar-tagging.
Kissmetrics can not excerpt whatever campaign data from the GLCID parameter. So GCLID is pretty much useless for kissmetrics. It can get campaign data just through campaign tracking variables ( UTM parameters ).
Then y'all need to use manual tagging for sending Google Ads data to Kissmetrics and auto-tagging for sending Google Ads data to Google Analytics.
If you are using both transmission and auto-tagging and so GA tin can discard campaign tracking parameters (UTM parameters) in favour of GCLID.
In order to stop this, follow the steps below:
Stride-1 : Navigate to the 'Admin' section of your GA view and then click on 'Property Settings' under the 'Property' column:
Footstep-2 : Check the box " Allow manual tagging (UTM values) to override auto-tagging (GCLID values) for Google Ads and Double Click Search Integration ":
#15 GCLID parameter dropped because of redirect
Sometimes redirect can cause a GCLID parameter to exist dropped from the landing page URLs (quite mutual in case of redirect from desktop to mobile website).
When the GLCID parameter is dropped, the machine-tagging doesn't piece of work and Google Ads campaign data is not sent to Google Analytics.
In guild to exam whether the GCLID parameter is dropped or not, follow the steps below:
Step-1: Add ' ?gclid=test ' to the end of the original destination URL of your Google Ads Ad.
For east.g. https://world wide web.abc.com/ ?gclid=examination .
If glcid=test is not the first parameter, then add ' &gclid=exam ' to the end of the destination URL of your Google Ads Ad.
For due east.g. https://world wide web.abc.com/?source=google &gclid=test
Step-ii: Copy-paste the modified URL into the address bar of your browser window and and then press the 'enter' central:
Step-3: If the URL of the resulting page does non display 'gclid=exam' and so information technology means the redirect did not comport the GCLID parameter from the original URL to the terminal URL.
For instance:
Permit says the destination URL with motorcar-tagging is:
https://www.abc.com/?gclid=exam
when the redirect occurs, the terminal URL becomes:
https://www.abc.com/tops/
instead of:
https://world wide web.abc.com/tops/?gclid=examination
To resolve this issue y'all can do two things:
#1 Prevent the redirect from occurring .
You can do that by manually updating all of your original ad destination URLs to final URLs.
For example, if your original ad destination URL is https://www.abc.com/ but it redirects to https://www.abc.com/tops/ and then utilize the later URL as your ad destination URL.
This way, no redirect volition take place when a user clicks on an advertisement and hence no GCLID parameter volition be dropped.
#ii Configure your server to let redirects to acquit GCLID parameter from the original URL to the final URL .
For example:
Let says the destination URL with auto-tagging is:
https://world wide web.abc.com/?gclid=test
when the redirect occurs, the concluding URL becomes:
https://www.abc.com/tops/?gclid=test
Here the URL has inverse only the GCLID parameter remains intact. That ways your redirect is able to carry the GCLID parameter from the original to the destination URL.
#16 Google Analytics cannot read the GCLID value
Sometimes GA tin can't read the GCLID value fifty-fifty when you can come across the value in the browser address bar.
This tin can happen when:
#1 Google Analytics Tracking code on the landing folio is not valid.
#2 GA tracking code is valid but is not fired for some reason.
#iii GA tracking lawmaking is embedded in an IFRAME and the IFRAME is not a parent frame. If the GA tracking code is embedded in a child frame then it tin not read the GCLID value, as a child frame can not read the address URL of a parent frame. So brand certain the GA tracking code is always embedded in the parent frame.
#iv Your web server is altering or truncating the GCLID parameter. In lodge to test, whether or non your server is truncating the GCLID parameter, follow the steps below:
Step-i : Add the following GCLID parameter to the end of the destination URL of your Google advertisement:
gclid=TeSter-123-ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz-0123456789-AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLl For example: https://www.abc.com/?gclid=TeSter-123-ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz-0123456789-AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLl.
The value of this GCLID parameter is 100 characters which is the maximum value a GCLID parameter can store.
Step-2: Copy-paste the modified URL into the address bar of your browser window and press enter.
Footstep-3: If the entire value of the GCLID parameter remains intact, and so it means your server is non truncating the GCLID value.
#17 GCLID parameter is throwing error pages
This can happen when the presence of the GCLID parameter in a URL breaks the URL rewrite dominion.
You would need to configure your web server so that it accepts the GCLID parameter.
#eighteen Bookmark contains GCLID parameter
Sometimes a user bookmark a landing folio and the page URL also contains the GCLID parameter.
In that case, when a user returns to your website via the bookmark, Google analytics record a session resulting from an advertizing click only no advertizement click is recorded and reported by Google Ads.
If a lot of users return to the website via such bookmarks so Google Analytics can record more sessions than advertisement clicks reported by Google Ads .
#19 Departure betwixt Google Ads and Google Analytics conversion tracking
I have explained the difference between Google Ads and analytics conversion tracking in this article: Difference betwixt Google Ads and Google Analytics Conversion Tracking
#20 Data sampling consequence creating data discrepancies
Data sampling in Google Analytics can hands skew your GA sessions information and as a effect, you may run into a lot of discrepancy between Google Ads clicks and GA sessions.
#21 You are comparing apples to oranges
If everything else fails, you are most likely comparing apples to oranges.
When y'all wait at the analytics data for long data ranges (six months or more than), you lot could be comparing apples to oranges. This is considering so much would have changed during that time frame from website size, traffic volume, marketing campaigns and yes analytics setup.
- Maybe vi months ago, your analytics account wasn't linked to your Google Ads account.
- Maybe 3 months agone, conversion tracking wasn't set up in Google Ads.
- Maybe iv months ago at that place was some problem with machine-tagging.
- Maybe iii weeks ago, you applied a filter to your GA view which started excluding all of the internal traffic.
And then when you overlook all of these historical changes made to your Google Ads and GA accounts and yous outset comparison Google Ads clicks with GA sessions, you are likely to see information discrepancies.
Another article you lot volition notice useful: Blue Print for Google Analytics Implementation
#1 Why digital analytics is the key to online business success.
#2 The number 1 reason why nearly marketers are not able to scale their ad and maximize sales.
#three Why Google and Facebook ads don't work for nigh businesses & how to make them work.
#iv Why y'all won't get any competitive advantage in the marketplace just by knowing Google Analytics.
#v The number 1 reason why conversion optimization is not working for your business.
#half-dozen How to advertise on whatsoever marketing platform for FREE with an unlimited upkeep.
#7 How to learn and master digital analytics and conversion optimization in record fourth dimension.
Source: https://www.optimizesmart.com/why-adwords-and-google-analytics-data-dont-match-how-to-fix-it/
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