SmallBusinessNewz

Microsoft has an informative post up on its adCenter blog looking at why PPC numbers and web analytics reports don't always match. While the post is written with Microsoft adCenter in mind, even author Charles Thrasher notes that variables apply to other search engines.

Common reasons number don't match include:

- Missing or improperly configured tracking URLs
- Missing landing page tags
- Clicks versus cookies
- Broadly matched search keywords
- Invalid clicks
- Recency
- Redirects

Thrasher of course elaborates on each of the above reasons that numbers don't match. "A rule of thumb — never compare the absolute numbers from one web analytics product against another," he says. "Instead, look for trends that mirror or contradict each other and further examine the underlying definitions."

We're seeing a lot of good advice on handling web analytics coming from Microsoft and Google. You might recall a few months ago, Microsoft shared the "seven biggest mistakes" which are:

1. Improper Implementation
2. No Goals Setup
3. No Segmentation
4. Paying Too Much Attention to Irrelevant Data
5. Not Setting up Milestone Events Documentation
6. Not Combining Quantitative Data with Qualitative Data
7.  Not Taking Action On the Data

Google shared some do's and don'ts for profiles, and Avinash Kaushik Google Analytics Evangelist is frequently offering good tips, particularly with regards to bounce rate.