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Why Google Analytics no longer tracks referring sites accurately

Google Analytics is not tracking 30 to 60+% of your visitors from referring web sites. There are several reasons Analytics reports inaccurately low numbers but the most important of which is the fact that Google no longer TRIES to track everyone...

The many ways Google Analytics will not or cannot track people...

Respecting your Privacy...
Google has agreed to allow PRIVACY to individuals and has even admitted* Analytics no longer tracks all referrals! *Unfortunately, they have admitted this on the phone - they will provide nothing in writing to support this. But they did admit this to us TWICE on the phone recently!

Windows 8 and 10 Default: Do Not Track...
Windows 8 and now 10 are now shipped with a default setting of "Do Not Track while browsing". Microsoft is no friend of Google and is happy to allow you "not be tracked" by Google Analytics -the largest web tracking software. Windows 8 & 10 account for about 24% of current users.

Mobile Devices & Tablets...
Mobile Devices now account for 30+% of all traffic and Google Analytics has problems tracking Mobile (if at all). Tablets are now over 17% of all traffic and also can be problematic.

No Javascript? No data...
Here’s an even bigger problem: not everyone enables Javascript. Most computers now have ad-blocking software, anti-virus software, anti-malware software, and/or privacy browser software installed. All of these will block the JavaScript code Google Analytics needs to track them. Many computers simply disable JavaScript as some javascript can be malware (bad). All of these reasons will result in "no visitor tracked".

No cookie? No data...
Visitors are not tracked unless they accept a "cookie". If the browser doesn’t accept cookies (blocked) or their firewall blocks or deletes cookies – their visit does not count and there is no data. Unlike old-school web stats that analyze the log files on your server, Google Analytics needs cookies to work properly. If the visitor’s computer, browser, firewall, or server rejects cookies, (as more and more are daily for privacy reasons) it’s a huge void in your data.

REFERER...
GA uses software that uses the "REFERER" (intentionally misspelled in the HTTP specs) browser header, which the browser is supposed to send to each URL showing which URL it came from. The key is "supposed to send" but there is no requirement that it does. Reasons why "Referers" are not sent include: security settings within the browser, third-party privacy software installed that prevents the sending of the information, or the user is browsing in a "privacy mode" or "incognito".

Bottom Line...
Between Windows 8/10 default not tracking, mobile searches... not tracking anyone that has Java Scripts and/or cookies turned off... antivirus and anti malware software that prevents browsers from being tracked... Google Analytics is statistically to valid to compare sites referrals but far from a 100% accurate tool to track all users.

Support Documents:
Your data in Google Analytics may not be as accurate as you think. If you have a high volume of visits, your data could easily be off by 10-80%, or even more. Shocking right? Link to can you trust your Google Analytics Data

Why Is Google Analytics Inaccurate? Read story here

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5 common problems with Google Analytics...

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