Top 8 Reasons For Mismatch Between Google Analytics And Search Console Metrics

When it comes to measuring website performance, Google Analytics and Search Console are two powerful tools that every website owner should be using. Google Analytics is a web analytics service that tracks user behavior on your website, while Search Console is a webmaster tool that helps you monitor how your website performs in Google search results. Although both tools are designed to provide you with valuable insights about your website, there may be some discrepancies between the metrics reported by each tool. In this post, we'll explore the reasons why there may be a mismatch between Google Analytics and Search Console metrics.

Why does Google Console and Google Analytics data never match?

1. Different tracking methods

One of the main reasons for the mismatch between Google Analytics and Search Console metrics is that they use different tracking methods. Google Analytics tracks user behaviour on your website, such as page views, bounce rates, and session durations, using a tracking code that you install on your website. On the other hand, Search Console tracks how your website performs in Google search results, such as the number of clicks, impressions, and average position, by analyzing search data from Google's index.

Since Google Analytics and Search Console use different tracking methods, they may not always report the same data. For example, Google Analytics may report a higher number of page views than Search Console because it counts page views from all sources, while Search Console only counts page views from Google search results.

2. Timeframes

Another reason for the mismatch between Google Analytics and Search Console metrics is that they use different timeframes. Google Analytics may report data based on when the user visited the website, while Search Console reports data based on when Google crawled the website. This means that data may not match up exactly, especially if your website has frequent updates or changes.

For example, if you make changes to your website after Google has crawled it, the changes may not be reflected in the Search Console data until Google crawls your website again. This can result in a delay in data reporting and a mismatch between the metrics reported by Google Analytics and Search Console.

3. Data sampling

Google Analytics uses data sampling to estimate data for large datasets. Data sampling involves analyzing a subset of data and then extrapolating the results to estimate the entire dataset. This can result in slightly different numbers than the actual data, especially if your website has a large amount of traffic or data.

Search Console does not use data sampling, which means that the data reported is based on the actual data collected by Google's search engine. Therefore, you may notice some discrepancies between the metrics reported by Google Analytics and Search Console, especially for larger datasets.

4. Filtered data

Google Analytics and Search Console may apply different filters to data. For example, Search Console may exclude traffic from certain countries or devices, while Google Analytics may not. This can result in a mismatch between the metrics reported by each tool, especially if you have set up different filters in each tool.

To minimize these discrepancies, it's important to ensure that the filters you apply in each tool are consistent and that you understand the impact of each filter on the metrics reported. This will help you to get a more accurate view of your website's performance.

5. Attribution models

Google Analytics uses different attribution models to assign credit to different marketing channels. Attribution models determine how credit is assigned to different touchpoints in the customer journey, such as the first touchpoint, the last touchpoint, or a combination of touchpoints.

This can result in different metrics for the same traffic source, especially if you have set up different attribution models in each tool. Therefore, it's important to ensure that the attribution models you use in each tool are consistent to avoid discrepancies in the metrics reported.

6. JavaScript

Google Analytics relies on JavaScript to collect data about user behaviour on your website. However, if a user has disabled JavaScript in their browser or if there are errors with the JavaScript tracking code, the data collected by Google Analytics may be incomplete or inaccurate. Search Console, on the other hand, does not rely on JavaScript and uses Google's search engine data to report on website performance.

7. Caching

If your website uses caching to speed up page load times, it may affect the data reported by Google Analytics. Caching stores a version of your website's pages and serves them to users instead of generating a new version each time. This can result in duplicate page views or other discrepancies in the data reported by Google Analytics. Search Console, on the other hand, does not rely on page views and reports on how your website performs in Google search results, so caching should not have a significant impact on the data reported.

8. Non-HTML Pages

The search console is primarily designed to report on how your website performs in Google search results, which includes indexing and ranking all types of content on your website, including non-HTML pages such as PDFs, videos, and images. However, Google Analytics is focused on tracking user behaviour on HTML pages, so it may not provide accurate data for non-HTML pages. For example, Google Analytics may not be able to track user behaviour on a PDF file that a user downloads from your website.

Therefore, if your website has a significant amount of non-HTML content, it's important to use other tools or methods to track user behavior on those pages, such as event tracking or using specialized analytics tools for specific types of content. By doing so, you can ensure that you have a more comprehensive view of how users are interacting with your website, regardless of the type of content they are engaging with.

Conclusion

From an SEO perspective, it's especially important to use both tools in conjunction with each other to get a comprehensive view of website performance. Search Console provides valuable data on how your website appears in Google search results, including impressions, clicks, and average position. Meanwhile, Google Analytics provides detailed insights into user behaviour on your website, including traffic sources, user demographics, and conversion rates.

By being aware of these additional reasons for the mismatch between Google Analytics and Search Console metrics, website owners can take steps to ensure they are using the tools effectively and getting the most accurate data possible.