Google Analytics. vs. Twitter Analytics vs. Bit.ly

I like to track stats in a few different ways. Primarily because I find discrepancies in statistics. One that can be a glaring one is Bit.ly vs. Google Analytics.

Looking at Twitter traffic for a site, Google Analytics said that t.co (this is how Twitter reports in GA) only referred 2 clicks. Looking at the bit.ly stats (bit.ly is a link shortener with its on statistics on clicks) for the same time period, it says 259 clicks.  Twitter analytics reported 283 clicks. Standard deviation is one thing, but this is a big difference. 

I like to track clicks on bit.ly because it tracks (with decent accuracy), the number of clicks coming from your Twitter timeline vs. t.co which tracks ALL twitter traffic. I like to know what the Twitter account is driving compared to what all of twitter is driving. That can be a good indicator of the performance of your social marketing campaign. 

Because a link shortner is technically redirecting traffic to you, though them, this can change how GA is looking at your social traffic. Often that traffic is getting reported by GA as direct traffic instead of social, but this doesnt mean that you are not driving traffic from Twitter. Though, what is interesting, if you click a bit.ly link from Twitter you will see it propagate in your url bar as a t.co link. So it should be tracking. 

When you compare the 3 stats: GA 2, Bit.ly 259, Twitter 283.  Twitter and Bit.ly are much closer. Bit.ly tends to have a 10% deviation in link tracking, which s what we are seeing in these stats.  

Of course what is the most interesting is that GA is not reporting the Twitter clicks. Twitter and bit.ly are close, but GA is WAY off.   I have seen this on many accounts, this is just one that is glaring.  

GA was tracking more closely. So I am wondering if though all the updates with Google and Twitter, if something in their API is messed up and tracking t.co as direct instead of social traffic. 

But, if you are wanting to know your stats, best for you to go to analytics.twitter.com to see the traffic coming from your Twitter account. The down side is that does not track traffic coming from ALL the twitterverse to your site.