Analytics Aren't Everything

Published 3 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader,

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I posted something about this in my business account's Instagram stories (@sarahmoonco) recently, but I thought I would share this observation with my favorite folks—my newsletter reads.

Analytics aren’t the full story.

This is why I very intentionally use the phrase “data informed,” not “data driven” when I talk about my approach to marketing. If we’re letting incomplete data drive the bus, we head down a dirt road to nowhere.

Here’s another reason why so much data that I see is flimsy at best, per a fabulous article I came across in my regular reading:

“And then there’s the biggest complication of all: people. Real-world user behavior is unpredictable in ways that models struggle to capture.
An organic user who reads four blog posts over six weeks before converting will often show up in GA4’s funnel explorations as having touched organic. But if the final session came through a branded search or a direct visit, from a reporting perspective, organic may get little or no credit. Yet without those earlier touchpoints, the conversion likely wouldn’t have happened at all.
Anyone who has looked closely at funnel explorations in GA4 has probably seen versions of this story. So, the contribution was actually real. However, the system can’t fully see it. No model can perfectly account for the complexity of real human behavior.
None of this means that something is broken in your setup. It means the tools are working exactly as designed with their limitations.”

Non-techy people tend to have a ton of qualitative research and analysis skills that get usurped by techy folks pushing the “well the data says” narrative.

This happens a ton with digital agencies that only look at the quantitive side and never even ask the questions about the gaps in the picture. They tick the boxes, create fancy reports, and call it a day.

Questions to ask yourself when analyzing data—even if you're not a numbers nerd:

  • Is the data I have running contrary to the experience I’m having with real clients or leads?
  • Does the data say that something is performing radically differently than another data source I have? (e.g. my email newsletter form told a very different story that Google Analytics did because a huge percentage of my website visitors have strict cookie settings)
  • How many sources are being pieced together to paint the picture?
  • Does the data presented feel right to you? (Sometimes we can't put our fingers on what's wrong, but we know something isn't quite right.)
  • Is the data sending you in a direction you’re excited about? Or is it making you uneasy? (Sometimes you need to look at more sources.)

You know more than you think—don’t let the spreadsheet jockeys tell you otherwise.

Talk soon,

Sarah

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