Discrepancies between email clicks and data in Google Analytics
Discrepancies between the email clicks tracked in Encharge and the Users/Sessions you see in Google Analytics are common. This comes from the way links are tracked in Encharge and the way Google Analytics tracks sessions.
How email clicks are tracked in Encharge
When a person clicks on a link in one of your emails, they are instantly redirected to the link tracking domain of Encharge (or your domain if you've added and verified it), then immediately sends them to the end link. When a person is redirected to the link tracking domain, a new link click is captured in your account. You can view link clicks and other email engagement data on the Metrics page in your Encharge account.
How Google Analytics users and sessions are tracked
A session is a group of user interactions (clicks, page visits, form submissions, etc.) with your website that take place within a given time frame (set by default to 30 minutes). A single user can have multiple sessions and a session can expire after 30 minutes of inactivity or at midnight.
When a person clicks on a link in your emails, several things need to happen before a session is recorded. The browser page must load and all JavaScript files (including Google Analytics) must be downloaded, among other technical things.
What causes discrepancies
The difference between the way Encharge tracks clicks and the way Google Analytics records users and sessions can cause discrepancies in the data.
Some of the most common scenarios that can lead to discrepancies include:
- A person clicked a link in your email multiple times during the same Google Analytics sessions. This could lead to multiple clicks recorded by Encharge, but just a single one in Google Analytics.
To get a more precise number, look at the Unique Clicks in Encharge which shows the unique people that have clicked on a link (i.e., only one URL click per person is recorded) – this number should be closer to the Google Analytics data. - A person clicked a link in your email and was redirected to your website. They were then inactive on your site but later visited your site once more. Google Analytics will record multiple sessions, while Encharge will record one click only.
For that reason, it would help to look at the unique User data in Google Analytics instead of sessions. - A user clicked a link in your email once and closed their browser before the page and Google Analytics had a chance to load. Encharge will record a click, while Google Analytics will not record a session or a user.
- A person clicks an email link from their desktop browser, and later clicks the same link on their email. Google Analytics will record two users (due to opening the website from different browsers) and two sessions or more. Encharge will record two clicks, as well, but it will record only one unique URL click.
- Google Analytics tracking code is not installed correctly on your website or the page. Encharge will record a click, but Google Analytics will not record a user or a session.