How accurate is Google Analytics?

[SoftwareMS]

Hello

Yesterday we checked it and we had X amount of visitors during the last 4 days. Today it was checked again and we are seeing completely different figures from yesterday.

Does anybody know how accurate Google Analytics is?

Does anybody know why or how the figures change?

[Bisje]

Usualy I build in a delay of 24 hours for the days/periods I want to check.
The last weeks they seem to update faster, but with my delay I never saw changing data.
I tried a lot of different counters but analytics is definitly one of the most performant. (in my eyes of course you're free to have another opinion)

[temi]

Naz,
I bet your hosting company provide some sort of stats as part of you hosting package, why not check on that stats? Webalizer is the one that come with my hosting packge, is pretty good.

Hello

Yesterday we checked it and we had X amount of visitors during the last 4 days. Today it was checked again and we are seeing completely different figures from yesterday.

Does anybody know how accurate Google Analytics is?

Does anybody know why or how the figures change?

[melkior_inactive]

Google Analytics has an incomprehensible output. I admire people who use it since there are better solutions.
I agree with Temi, your host's solutions might be better for this. Webalizer is just one of them and it's great.

[SoftwareMS]

We use Google but for some reason it plays up.

Usually it always provides acurate figures but was playing up today. Will try again tomorrow or day after.

[Nonactiveuser8999]

Why don't you check awstats from your cpanel, I am sure that is more accurate than any other counter

[bharatlogic]

Hi, I agree SoftwareMS, google analytics is not at all reliable. Few days back I presented some numbers to stakeholders based on google analytics. now on other day when i need to send them again these numbers google is showing opposite numbers (decrease in numbers.) How we can use them for making decisions, it really makes u fool if changes everyday like moon.

I have noticed everyday the numbers in GA decrease to some extent. positive trends turn into negative. earlier i thought may be im wrong in observing but later now its regular trend i have verified GA do show you different numbers on different days.

Google made me let down before stakeholders when the trend for same month become positive to negative in next login session after 2 days.

How come a billion dollar company build such a unreliable crab tool? God save managers like me from google.

[mickeyy]

Awstats works off of server logs while Google Analytics is third-party JavaScript (and only counts visitors that have JavaScript enabled by their web browsers). While nearly all web browsers have JavaScript capability, the difference between those who don't and those who do are search engine spiders and other bots which crawl your site.