A website without analytics and a website owner unaware of the intricacies involved in the traceability of websites using Google analytics are sure to lag behind in the competitive business world. Although, the God-Like image of Google has made organizations completely dependent on its tools for rankings, analytics and reputation management. But here are six beefy reasons to why you should not use Google Analytics alone.

1. Analysts agree that a single tracking medium is not enough to derive the complete picture. It is wise to use two or three programs in order to see the trends and study the overall impact. It is essential to use a few reliable methods of measurement in order to understand insights, web technologies or demographics at a deeper level without having the risk of missing out on any aspect.
2. Google analytics does not show you the Return of Investment (ROI) since you can only access your page views, visitor trends etc. Analytics is unable to connect the dots between a lead and the actual sale. eH The reason for pointing this out is not to undermine Google Analytics but webmasters must take into notice that they need another tracking program to ensure they have all the statistics.
3. Google Analytics needs a full time technical developer to understand certain aspects. For instance, in case you wish to track the time a potential lead takes to move from the first point to actual conversion across multiple channels via a specific IP or email address, then you need a professional developer to actually create the process and track it.
4. Analytics provides an excellent tracking system for click through rates compared to referral programs. But in case you need more accurate click data that you will have to tag the URL provided with analytics and the “campaigns” section provides a detailed and more accurate report on clicks. It is a well-known fact that analytics does not show clicks from extended sites for e.g. a person clicks on your brand, a new window opens up but analytics reads the new window the same as if someone opened the window by entering the URL which is of course called a “direct” referral.
5.  The number of visits tells you the exact number of people visiting your website but the quality of those visits is not a part of analytics. Other measurements like the number of pages an individual is viewing each time they visit etc are necessary for a detailed analysis.
6. In case you need a complete understanding about which channels to use in order to derive visitors and which one of those channels are effective then a detailed analysis is required. Complete insights into a multi-channel conversion path are not possible with Google Analytics.

Hence, it is best to use two or three tracking programs in order to measure your brand’s reach, overall web presence, engagement and reputation.

Freida Gnomes writes for popular blogs including RINF Webmaster News Portal and she is a Master’s in Business Administration plus a member of the Alumni Association at Panworld University