The Failure of Google Analytics
Analytics software, such as Google Analytics, has provided a lot of advantages to countless different companies seeking to get more out of their websites, emails and other online content. That being said, there are some downsides, and reading too much into this sort of analysis can be dangerous. The results are often misleading and fail to represent the totality of the situation. Unfortunately, far too many businesses fail to take this into consideration, and the result are unwise, costly decisions based solely on this flawed information. This is not to say that Google Analytics is not a useful tool, but it is necessary to be aware of its drawbacks. Most importantly, though Google Analytics can track a large portion of online traffic, there are many limitations when it comes to mobile tracking. According to KissMetrics, “Google Analytics can only track so much from mobile phones, and traffic from mobile applications may not be included.”[i] Email marketing campaigns, in particular, are difficult to track. This could lead some to refocus on other online media outlets despite the fact that they may actually be receiving significant traffic.
Email marketing campaigns can still be massively beneficial for both large and small companies. In fact, they remain one of the best ways to notify clients and consumers about changes, updates, special promotions and general information. There are other means of tracking this activity besides Google Analytics. In fact, the software for monitoring email marketing campaign activity is often provided through the same company that provides the email ad service, making it extremely easy to keep track of everything efficiently and accurately. First of all, this software is able to track which of the recipients opened the email, which recipients both opened and responded and recipients ones never opened them. Furthermore, it is able to determine if certain email addresses are invalid so companies do not have to waste their efforts. This is only the beginning, though, in terms of what this software has to offer. Not only does it track clickthroughs and responses, it can even act on the requests and responses of the recipients. If the recipient unsubscribes, for instance, the software does so automatically without anyone needing to manually do anything. So, these systems are not only more accurate than Google Analytics, in terms of tracking mobile activity, they are also more proactive and useful.
Since mobile Internet usage is at an all-time high and is growing day by day, it is in the best interest of any company that wishes to remain relevant to have an effective means of analyzing this traffic. Failing to utilize email marketing can put your company at definite disadvantage; However, faulty analytics are causing business leaders to believe that their email campaigns are ineffective. While Google Analytics has its place, there is no reason to rely on it as your primary analytics software during a time when mobile Internet use is so prevalent.
[i] Hines, Kristi. KissMetrics. “What Your Analytics Software is Hiding From You.” https://blog.kissmetrics.com/what-analytics-is-hiding/
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