Google analytics vs clicktracking
- Thread starter flamingo
- Start date
Adam80Johnson
Member
Hi @flamingo,
Google Analytics gives statistics which differs from affiliate trackers. For example, Google Analytics shows how long user stays on your page, where he clicks more often, how much time did it take for him to make a conversion, etc.
At the same time, Google Analytics can't detect fraud or bot visits, and trackers like AdsBridge - can.
Tracker also has useful functions. For example, landing page builder, auto optimization, additional options for traffic monetization.
Speaking about tracking conversions, it is easier to do with affiliate tracker. Let's see why.
Affiliate marketing is mostly about taking the offer from affiliate network and promoting somewhere on the traffic source. Affiliate trackers have ready to use S2S postback templates of many networks they work with. It fully automates the process of conversion tracking.
Working with Google analytics you need to put a pixel on the offer page. I don't think there is an affiliate network which would allow putting any additional code to its offers.
On the other hand, if you promote own website, Google Analytics is probably the best option.
Google Analytics gives statistics which differs from affiliate trackers. For example, Google Analytics shows how long user stays on your page, where he clicks more often, how much time did it take for him to make a conversion, etc.
At the same time, Google Analytics can't detect fraud or bot visits, and trackers like AdsBridge - can.
Tracker also has useful functions. For example, landing page builder, auto optimization, additional options for traffic monetization.
Speaking about tracking conversions, it is easier to do with affiliate tracker. Let's see why.
Affiliate marketing is mostly about taking the offer from affiliate network and promoting somewhere on the traffic source. Affiliate trackers have ready to use S2S postback templates of many networks they work with. It fully automates the process of conversion tracking.
Working with Google analytics you need to put a pixel on the offer page. I don't think there is an affiliate network which would allow putting any additional code to its offers.
On the other hand, if you promote own website, Google Analytics is probably the best option.
Thomas@Trackhouse
New Member
@Adam80Johnson hit the nail of the head. Great explanation! If I may add to it..
Google Analytics is amazing if you can indeed add a pixel on the offer page. Then not only can you track clicks, but
you can set up and track all sorts of custom events if you're handy with a bit of HTML and Javascript.
On the other hand, if you have a lot of offers, there's nothing better than an affiliate tracker to keep everything in one place. As Adam mentioned, 2-3 clicks and you can bring an offer from a network to your tracker.
However there is no harm to use both in some cases. Sometimes, a little bit of insight into custom events can
go a long way! Learn what users are doing and optimize accordingly.
Google Analytics is amazing if you can indeed add a pixel on the offer page. Then not only can you track clicks, but
you can set up and track all sorts of custom events if you're handy with a bit of HTML and Javascript.
On the other hand, if you have a lot of offers, there's nothing better than an affiliate tracker to keep everything in one place. As Adam mentioned, 2-3 clicks and you can bring an offer from a network to your tracker.
However there is no harm to use both in some cases. Sometimes, a little bit of insight into custom events can
go a long way! Learn what users are doing and optimize accordingly.
Graybeard
Well-Known Member
You have to be authorized for your GA code to be added added.
GA is useless for affiliate's traffic sent to remote websites with the exception of certain white labels that allow you to add the code to your affiliate white label. Or, some other injection of your code -- IT pros know how to do this by the affiliate referrer parameter. Unfortunately, most offer owners are IT doorknobs or want to conceal the referrals to their site (so they can shave?[could be])
GA is very good for tracking on your own website or blog that you *own* on your own server.
GA is useless for affiliate's traffic sent to remote websites with the exception of certain white labels that allow you to add the code to your affiliate white label. Or, some other injection of your code -- IT pros know how to do this by the affiliate referrer parameter. Unfortunately, most offer owners are IT doorknobs or want to conceal the referrals to their site (so they can shave?[could be])
GA is very good for tracking on your own website or blog that you *own* on your own server.
Last edited:
What about www.statcounter.com?
Thomas@Trackhouse
New Member
Think stat counter is great if you own a site with multiple pages. Definitively a good choice for a webmaster. Similar to google analytics. But if you're tracking a lot of different offers from different sources, it doesn't cut it. That's where affiliate trackers shine for sure.
Adam80Johnson
Member
I guess, AdsBridge can also be mentioned as a 'click tracking' software.
Have you ever tried it?
Have you ever tried it?
trackingdesk
Active Member
@flamingo you are 100% correct. Google Analytics is probably the most powerful tool out there. It does have a lot of bot filtering options, and can provide in-depth measurement of pretty much everything that happens on your site. Yet, when it comes to affiliate marketing, it's not a platform that is typically used to track conversions, but it's definitely possible (i do it), without even adding the google analytics code on the offer page (i can explain that later if you want)
One of Google Analytics key feature, which is is often overlooked by many is the ability that GA gives you to build audiences and share them to your Google Ads account, so you can run re-targeting campaigns.
An audience like:
Visitors, from US/NY, who viewed Page X, had a Call To action Event to Offer XX, but did not generate any conversion.
Now imagine that you own a blog with 1000 pages, where you run 200 or 500 offers, from 10 different affiliate networks, that you have a newsletter, and that your blog has a plugin that auto link keywords to affiliate offers.
How would you actually make sense of your traffic? How would you make sense of the value of your content, categories, traffic sources without running Google Analytics?
And now imagine that you can join your complete website analytics with conversions originating from your affiliate networks and see exactly how your website actually performs, which sources organic, referral, social etc.. generate engagement, sales, revenues?
Wouldn't it be quite cool?
Then, you can try to take this scenario further, if you have your Facebook Pixel, and see simultaneously the same data through Facebook Analytics.
What would be your next step? Build custom audience in facebook or in Google Analytics? Or do it in both?
One of Google Analytics key feature, which is is often overlooked by many is the ability that GA gives you to build audiences and share them to your Google Ads account, so you can run re-targeting campaigns.
An audience like:
Visitors, from US/NY, who viewed Page X, had a Call To action Event to Offer XX, but did not generate any conversion.
Now imagine that you own a blog with 1000 pages, where you run 200 or 500 offers, from 10 different affiliate networks, that you have a newsletter, and that your blog has a plugin that auto link keywords to affiliate offers.
How would you actually make sense of your traffic? How would you make sense of the value of your content, categories, traffic sources without running Google Analytics?
And now imagine that you can join your complete website analytics with conversions originating from your affiliate networks and see exactly how your website actually performs, which sources organic, referral, social etc.. generate engagement, sales, revenues?
Wouldn't it be quite cool?
Then, you can try to take this scenario further, if you have your Facebook Pixel, and see simultaneously the same data through Facebook Analytics.
What would be your next step? Build custom audience in facebook or in Google Analytics? Or do it in both?
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