Match trends between ODP and Google Analytics

  • Updated

Because Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) and Google Analytics capture and process information differently, match the trends between the two platforms instead of matching metrics.

Sources of inconsistencies

If you see unexpected results when analyzing the trends of the two platforms, several factors could be causing the differences:

Attribution method

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ODP attribution is based on email opens and email clicks. Google Analytics cannot see when ODP emails are opened and relies on clickthrough information for attribution. If a click has not occurred or the proper UTM information is not present in the clicked URL, the revenue attribution differs.

When ODP reads the UTMs present in a URL, it caches those values for all events submitted for at least 60-days with a cookie. The cookies persist over direct sessions, and any other source can overwrite the stored value.

Data update times

Update_Time.png Because ODP and Google Analytics do not refresh at the same pace, compare reporting periods that are at least 24 hours old to ensure that all comparable data has been collected and processed in both platforms.

Identification of customers

Stiching.png ODP combines the identities of known customers and anonymous visitors across devices, but Google Analytics does not, resulting in situations where Google Analytics identifies a "new" customer or visitor but ODP recognizes them from another device and marks them as "returning."

Code placement

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ODP and Google Analytics depend on separate tracking codes. Based on the placement of these codes on your pages, one code can load and register events while another does not.

For example, if your ODP code is placed higher on your pages, it may load before a customer leaves a page, while the Google Analytics code set lower on the page may not.