Comparing Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics

Background

I am currently learning to use Google Analytics, but I am aware that there are many types of analytics software on the marketing. This week, I want to look at a major competitor - Adobe Analytics. By researching Adobe Analytics and reviewing online tutorials, I have come up with some important distinctions between the two tools that I would like to share.

Major Differences at a Glance

The first difference prospective users will notice between Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics is price - Google Analytics offers a free version whereas Adobe Analytics does not. The premium version of Google Analytics is advertised to start at $150,000 per year, whereas there is no readily available price quote from Adobe.

Another important difference is in required customization. Because Adobe Analytics is a more expensive, involved platform, it requires that panel and data collection customization be completed in order for the software to function (Ingle, 2015). Additionally, Adobe Analytics allows for the tracking of 250 total variables, while Google Analytics Free only allows for a total of 40.

The last immediate difference between the tools lies in the ability to export reports and data to associated programs. Google has a large array of associated websites and programs, such as Data Studio, Tag Manager, Docs, Surveys, Google +, etc. This web of free services helps augment Google Analytics functionality and exportability for easy sharing. However, it should be noted that Adobe also has its own grouping of associated software that can be used for importing and formatting data into digestible reports; some examples include: Adobe Marketing Cloud (for backing up, storing, and sharing data), Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Campaign, etc. It stands to reason that while Adobe offers professional grade, integrated suite of software and solutions, the cost to an organization to purchase the associated software would likely be prohibitive for all but large organizations.

Calculative Differences 

While style, organization, and interface differences are likely to be the most noticeable at first, differences in data calculation will actually result in different data. Below are some examples of ways that data might vary between Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics.

1.) "Time per visit" data can vary between the tools due to a difference in how the final page of the session is calculated. Analytics software cannot track the amount of time spent on the final page of the session, as no more clicks are made within the domain and the software cannot track the closing of browsers or browser tabs. For this reason, the final click made in order to access the last page of the session is the final reliable data point the software can collect. 

One important difference between the tools is that Google Analytics calculates the time on the final page of the sessions as "0," while Adobe Analytics does not calculate any time for the final page (Kavanagh, 2015). This affects the data because Google Analytics would produce lower "time per page" data for the page that is the last page of any user's session. This could highlight a negative trend accurately; if a page is broken or not engaging, it could be a common place for visitors to end their session. However, the page could be very helpful and provide the visitor with all the information they need, negating the need for the visitor to traverse the domain any further. This difference in methods would also affect time per visit data in the case of bounces; Google Analytics would record the start of a new session and record a new visitor, but the time for that visit would be recorded as "0," even if the visitor spent 5 minutes on the entry page before leaving. Adobe Analytics would simply not record any time for that visit, but still record the visitor and bounce data.

2.) Another important distinction I found deals with the calculation of natural search referrals vs. direct traffic. Melissa Kavanagh for Fueltravel.com did some great research and was able to ferret out the reason for differences in these numbers between Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics for the same web domain. It seems that Google Analytics registers a higher percentage of natural search visitors and sessions due to the way it collects cookie data. The cookie data regarding the referrer for that visitor's first visit is used for all visits within a six month period. An example would be if a visitor first visited a website through a Google search for throw pillows. Let's say the visitor revisits the same website four more times over a period of months by typing in the URL to the site's homepage - if the analytics team is using Google Analytics, they will record a higher number of "natural search" visits, due to the original cookie information. If the team is using Adobe Analytics, each visit will be categorized based on the referrer or direct traffic status of each visit/session.

Takeaway

This was just a quick analysis of some important differences between both analytics tools I found through research. I have limited experience with Google Analytics, personally, but I have never had the privilege of using Adobe Analytics. It should be noted that there are several other free, affordable, and paid analytic services available, such as Woopra, Clicky, Mint, and KISSmetrics. Working within your organization's budget and ascertaining the depth of data collection and analysis you need is key to finding the best fit.

References

Ingle, S. (2015, September 23). What's the difference? Comparing Google Analytics and Adobe Sitecatalyst. Retrieved from http://www.paceco.com/insights/analytics/google-analytics-adobe-sitecatalyst-comparison/

Kavanagh, M. (2015, September 30). Two surprising ways Google Analytics differs from Adobe Analytics. Retrieved from http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/two-surprising-ways-google-analytics-differs-from-adobe-analytics/