Why is my reporting different to Google Analytics?

[add brief explainer about Webgains report data? I.e. what data do we display/tracked?]

Businesses may notice differences between the data reported by their affiliate marketing platforms and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). These discrepancies can create confusion when evaluating marketing performance, especially when affiliate channels seem to be underreported. Understanding why these inconsistencies happen is essential for accurately interpreting data from both systems.

Some of the key reasons for the discrepancies can include:

• Attribution Models: Last Click vs. Multi-Touch

• Event-Based vs. Conversion-Focused Tracking

• Privacy Regulations and Cookie-Based Tracking

• Real-Time Data Reporting vs. Data Lag

• Ad-Blockers and Script Limitations

• Conversion Definitions: Varying Criteria

Read more in-depth explanations about these reasons: Understanding Discrepancies Between Google Analytics 4 and Webgains

What can we do about it?

The above differences create challenges, but implementing the right solutions can help businesses align data across both platforms, maximizing insights and accuracy.

• Adjust Attribution Settings: Matching GA4’s attribution model with Webgains’ last-click approach can bring affiliate performance data into better alignment, avoiding undervaluing affiliate channels and enabling clearer decision-making.

• Standardize UTM Parameters: Consistent UTM tracking across platforms minimizes misattribution and makes data comparison smoother, enhancing channel evaluations.

• Conduct Regular Data Audits: Routine data checks with tools like Google Data Studio help detect patterns or anomalies, improving cross-platform clarity and catching issues early.

• Implement Server-Side Tracking: Reducing reliance on cookies addresses privacy law impacts and enhances data accuracy, particularly in regions with stringent privacy regulations.

• Use Affiliate Platform Data as Primary Source: Since affiliate platforms are built specifically to track affiliate-driven traffic, relying on their data for affiliate reporting can provide a more accurate picture for evaluating affiliate partnerships.

• Consult with Affiliate Tracking Experts: For persistent discrepancies, expert input can help optimize tracking configurations and uncover hidden issues, ensuring reliable data.

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GA4’s Event-Based Tracking

GA4 tracks user activity through events and sessions, offering a detailed view of individual user actions during a session. Each user interaction, like a page view, click, or form submission, is recorded as a separate event, even if they happen within the same session. While this method provides deep insights into user behavior, it can cause discrepancies with affiliate marketing platforms that focus more on specific conversion-related actions, such as clicks and sales.

Affiliate platforms typically track interactions through unique tracking links or pixels, often tied directly to the affiliate's last click before a conversion. In contrast, GA4’s event-based system can sometimes miss or undercount these interactions, especially if multiple user actions occur in a session, leading to fewer recorded sessions or conversions attributed to affiliate channels in GA4 reports.

Data-Driven Attribution in GA4

GA4’s Data-Driven Attribution (DDA) model uses machine learning to assign credit for conversions across different marketing touchpoints, based on how each channel contributes to a user’s journey. While this approach provides a comprehensive view of how all channels contribute to conversions, it can undervalue affiliate channels.

Affiliate marketing is often involved earlier in the customer journey, driving initial traffic or engagement. However, DDA tends to assign more credit to channels that appear closer to the point of conversion, such as direct traffic or paid search. As a result, affiliate channels may receive less credit in GA4 than they deserve, even if they played a key role in the user’s overall journey.

Why Affiliate Platform Data Can Be More Accurate

Affiliate platforms are designed to specifically track affiliate-driven traffic and conversions, often using cookies or unique tracking parameters tied to affiliate links. These systems are finely tuned to capture affiliate interactions, ensuring that the affiliates are properly credited for their contributions.

In contrast, GA4’s broader tracking system may overlook some affiliate-driven sessions or conversions, especially if multiple marketing channels are involved in the conversion path. This difference in how data is captured and reported is one of the main reasons why affiliate platform data often shows higher numbers of conversions compared to GA4.

Solutions to Reduce Discrepancies

Although discrepancies between GA4 and affiliate platform data are common, there are ways to reduce these differences and gain a more accurate view of your affiliate marketing performance:

1. Adjust Attribution Settings in GA4: One way to bring GA4 more in line with affiliate tracking is to configure it to use a "last-click" attribution model. This model credits the last interaction before a conversion, which is similar to how most affiliate platforms attribute sales. While this won’t eliminate all discrepancies, it can provide a more consistent view of affiliate performance.

2. Use Affiliate Platform Data as the Primary Source: Since affiliate platforms are specifically designed to track affiliate-driven conversions, their data is often more accurate for evaluating affiliate performance. Relying on this data as your primary source for affiliate reporting can help ensure you’re making decisions based on the most relevant metrics.

3. Consult with Affiliate Tracking Experts: If you notice significant discrepancies between GA4 and your affiliate tracking data, it’s a good idea to consult with your affiliate tracking experts. They can help identify potential tracking issues and recommend ways to optimize your setup for more accurate data collection.

4. Avoid Premature Judgments Based on GA4 Alone: Discrepancies don’t always mean that an affiliate channel is underperforming. It’s important not to discredit a channel based solely on GA4 data. Take time to compare both GA4 and affiliate platform data to get a more complete view of your marketing performance before making decisions.

Conclusion

Discrepancies between GA4 and affiliate marketing platforms can arise due to differences in tracking methods and attribution models. GA4’s event-based tracking and Data-Driven Attribution model may result in fewer sessions or conversions being credited to affiliate channels, even when those affiliates played an important role. By adjusting GA4’s attribution settings, relying on affiliate platform data, and working with tracking experts, businesses can reduce these discrepancies and gain a clearer understanding of their affiliate marketing performance.