If you're seeing different numbers between Google Analytics and Simple Analytics, don't worry, we've got some explanations. One reason could be that we show unique page views, which we call "visitors" for simplicity, while Google focuses on visitor numbers.
We have documentation on how those unique page views are calculated and how we collect them. You can find those here. However there are reasons for the seeing different numbers in Simple Analytics vs Google Analytics.
Let's find out!
- Ad Blockers
- Robot traffic
- Cookie banners
- Simple Analytics vs Google Analytics
The UK Government chose Simple AnalyticsJoin them
Ad Blockers
The Google Analytics script is blocked by most ad blocker software, and more and more people nowadays use ad blockers. Our script is blocked less. We are a privacy-friendly analytics tool and are considered less intrusive by ad blockers. This means we can record more pageviews and are more accurate than Google.
We also provide an "adblocker bypass" to make sure every website visit is recorded properly. We created a video showing how to set this up in Simple Analytics.
Robot traffic
In some instances, Simple Analytics page views are lower. This is because we try to block robots quite heavily. Some robots still manage to go through, but most of them are blocked. So if you see lower numbers in Simple Analytics, it usually means that we block a bit more robots than Google Analytics does.
Last but not least are cookie banners. We don’t use cookies or any trackers, for that matter. This means you do not need to show a cookie banner on your website when using Simple Analytics. You are still 100% GDPR-compliant and can track every website visitor without permission.
Simple Analytics vs Google Analytics
It makes a lot of sense that your page views are higher in Simple Analytics than in Google Analytics if you block Google Analytics by default (by using ad blockers), and people can opt out or click no on the cookie banner.
An alternative method to evaluate the differences between Google Analytics and Simple Analytics is by comparing Google Analytics sessions to Simple Analytics visitors. These metrics may not be identical, but they are expected to be relatively similar.
When analyzing the data, it's important to focus on these specific metrics rather than comparing unique visitors on one platform to visitors on the other. This information aims to clarify potential reasons for variations in the numbers.
If there is a significant difference, please contact us, and we can work together to address the issue.