SEO Analytics Are Not Always Accurate

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Part of your search engine optimization strategy is the study of analytics particularly when it comes to where your visitors are coming from and what search terms they are using to find you.

I know some search engine optimization consultants keep a daily watch on sites to track exactly what effects their actions are having on the sites they have been optimizing. It seem that, for about a week, Google analytics had problems with their databases and data displayed was incorrect. The admission from Google was simple and straightforward:

Google Analytics experienced a data processing error from April 30th to May 5th. Almost all of the data has been recovered and is currently being reprocessed. The recovered data will be reflected in your reports within a few days. Please note that a small percentage of data, particularly in the area of e-commerce reporting, was not recoverable from those dates.

If you do rely on Google Analytics then you may see some strange results for that period in early May. Search engine optimization can be an inexact science at the best of times, relying on analytics that may at times be astray on increases the inexact aspects. I wonder how many consultants went back to their strategies to see why they weren’t receiving the expected results?

Sometimes it pays to use an analytics source that has a fee associated with it. When using a free service there is little recourse for any search engine optimization consultant to recoup extra expenditure caused by the incorrect data supplied. At least with a paid service you could expect some level of accountability.

Consultants often rely on analytics to track the progress of the sites that they are working on; poor data can lead to poor decisions. Find an accurate data source and your search engine optimization strategies can at least be undertaken efficiently.