You may notice discrepancies between Google Analytics (GA) and 6sense Ad Campaign Analytics for the same campaign. These differences are expected.
GA and 6sense operate independently and use different tracking and measurement methodologies. Because the platforms measure different activities using different data sources, we do not recommend directly comparing 6sense Ad Campaign Analytics with GA.
The table below explains the key differences.
Aspects | Google Analytics | 6sense Ad Campaign Analytics |
|---|---|---|
Tracking Methodology | Tracks user sessions through a GA tracking pixel that stores and retrieves session data using browser cookies on pages where the pixel is implemented. | Tracks ad impressions and clicks recorded by 6sense ad servers when a user views or clicks an ad. |
Platform KPIs | Basic campaign KPIs are sessions, bounce rates, pageloads, session time. | Basic campaign KPIs are impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), account reach, account engagement, account view through rate (VTR). |
Bot clicks | Excludes known bots and spiders using Google Research and the IAB Spiders and Bots List in session counts. | Reports audited, bot‑free clicks |
More Clicks than Sessions | If a user clicks an ad multiple times, GA may attribute those clicks to a single session. | Every ad click is counted, even if the same user clicks the ad multiple times. |
If a user clicks an ad but stops the landing page from loading, GA records no session because the page did not load. | If a user clicks an ad but stops the landing page from loading, 6sense still records one click. | |
More Sessions than Clicks | Sessions time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. If a user returns to the landing page after the timeout period, GA records a new session, even though the visit originated from the same ad click. | 6sense does not track landing‑page sessions. Once an ad click is recorded, it remains a single click, regardless of how many sessions occur afterward. |
More Pageloads than Clicks | If a user reloads or refreshes the landing page, GA records an additional page load. | If the user reloads or refreshes the landing page, 6sense Ad Campaign Analytics won’t record a click again. |
To understand why 6sense and Google Analytics report different numbers, refer to the attached PDF.
FAQ
What’s the difference between a click and a session?
A click is recorded when a user clicks an ad.
A session begins when a user visits a website.
A click may start a session, but not all sessions originate from ad clicks.
How does Google’s bot and spider filtering differ from 6sense filtering?
GA filters only known bots and spiders. As a result, GA session metrics may still include some unknown or automated activity.
6sense uses stricter filtering. In addition to bot detection methods similar to GA’s, 6sense requires each click to be audited and reconciled before it is counted.
When might GA count a session that 6sense does not count as a click?
This can occur in several scenarios:
Creative auditing and validation
Creative verification and fraud-detection vendors routinely scan ads throughout a campaign’s lifecycle. 6sense excludes impressions and clicks from these vendors, while GA may record resulting visits as sessions.
Click‑tracking chain disruptions
If a disruption occurs but still resolves to the landing page, GA may record a session even though the click is not recorded by 6sense.
Privacy and ad‑tracking restrictions
A visitor’s privacy settings or cookie‑consent choices may block ad‑tracking but allow GA tracking on the landing page domain, resulting in a session without a corresponding click.
How do these scenarios appear in GA data?
These sessions typically show:
High bounce rates
Low engagement time per session
You may reduce some of this noise by excluding the page referrer https://storage.googleapis.com/ in your GA analysis. However, other ad‑tech infrastructure providers may still appear as referrers due to how ad creatives handle redirects.
For example, a user may click an ad on a publisher site such as CNN.com, but after multiple ad‑serving redirects (often 5–8 hops), GA records only the final referrer rather than the original publisher source.