Everything PR News
PR News

Businesses Still Using Traffic as Main Indicator of Performance in Google Analytics

EPR Editorial TeamBy EPR Editorial Team2 min read
Businesses Still Using Traffic as Main Indicator of Performance in Google Analytics
Share
Google Analytics is a service that’s been available for many years now. You'd think that businesses went from traffic to other indicators in analyzing their online presence. You'd generally be wrong, as 73% of businesses are still using traffic in their reports, according to a new study. The DBD Media survey of 50 e-commerce sites showed some other interesting facts. For instance, 67% of websites haven’t integrated social media tracking. This is not very good as it shows companies are not monitoring which piece of their content is shared and where. Let's not forget that social media monitoring could also prevent companies from getting into a crisis, allowing them to quickly see what is said about them. 73% of businesses don't track newsletter sign ups or account registrations, even if this could in fact provide a database with customers or potential customers. Another not so flattering finding for the companies is that 33% of websites with on-site search function do not track site search keywords that could in fact help them optimize their online presence.
“Google Analytics is today’s most popular web analytics package for ecommerce businesses. A wealth of companies and agencies rely on it to measure website performance,” said Axelle Ros from DBD Media. “But GA’s ability to extract accurate and insightful data is deeply affected by its initial setup, both in terms of code and interface configuration.”
Another study, the fifth annual Online Measurement and Strategy Report, carried out by Econsultancy in association with Lynchpin, and which surveyed 700 client-side and supply-side respondents, shows the main barriers that stop companies from really using Google Analytics at its best. The main reason is lack of budget and of resources (50% of the mentions).  Lack of strategy was quoted as second reason, by 31%, and siloed organization / lack of co-ordination came third in the list with 26% of the mentions. 24% of the respondents said that lack of understanding, not knowing what to measure, stops them from using analytics to their full power; lack of senior buy-in and ownership was mentioned by 21%, while 20% mentioned too much data as main reason. Another important reason is the difficulty of finding staff, mentioned by 13% (the same percentage indicating poor technology). So it would seem that in fact companies have a hard time finding specialized people in this field – as they also said they don't know what to measure – and money is still the main reason that allows or prevents things from happening. Money makes the world go round, the lyric from the Cabaret song, still rings so true.
EPR Editorial Team
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
EPR Editorial Team - Author at Everything Public Relations

Other news

See all
The Hospitality Crisis Playbook: How Hotels, Airlines, Cruises, and Restaurants Handle the First 24 Hours in 2026
EPR Editorial Team · 05/12/2026

The Hospitality Crisis Playbook: How Hotels, Airlines, Cruises, and Restaurants Handle the First 24 Hours in 2026

The traditional 72-hour crisis response window has dramatically compressed. This playbook details how hospitality brands manage the first 24 hours of a crisis in 2026, including specific trigger taxonomies, case studies, pre-crisis infrastructure, and the impact of AI citation persistence.

The Publisher Extinction Event: A Named-Casualty Report on How AI Search Dismantled the Open Web in 18 Months
EPR Editorial Team · 05/12/2026

The Publisher Extinction Event: A Named-Casualty Report on How AI Search Dismantled the Open Web in 18 Months

The first publisher casualties of the AI era are already in the ground. This report details how AI search and Google's AI Overviews have led to a publisher extinction event, with named casualties across the industry and massive declines in traffic and revenue.

Daily AI Use Is Now the Strongest Predictor of Consumer Optimism in America — Stronger Than Party, Race, Gender, or Age
EPR Editorial Team · 05/12/2026

Daily AI Use Is Now the Strongest Predictor of Consumer Optimism in America — Stronger Than Party, Race, Gender, or Age

Daily AI use is now the strongest predictor of consumer optimism in America, stronger than party, race, gender, or age. This behavioral shift, driven by a new "AI Power User" cohort, is rapidly changing consumer research, marketing funnels, and brand visibility, with implications for businesses and communications.

Never Miss a Headline

Daily PR headlines, weekly long-form analysis, and our proprietary research drops — straight to your inbox.