Why do I see a discrepancy between Bucksense console and Google Analytics?

If you are using the Pixel (Image or iFrame) as tracking method for your campaigns, and, you are also tracking the conversion on Google Analytics, you could see differences between the Bucksense and Google Analytics reports.
This is dued to the fact that the two platforms use different reporting criteria that can generate some discrepancy.
The tracked metric in Bucksense is related to the clic on the banner, while Analytics tracks the site visit.
The conversion attribution model for Bucksense is based on the most recent view/click on the banner.
In Analytics it is the same, but the conversion is attributed to direct traffic if no ad is clicked leading to the session.

First of all, make sure you have correctly implemented the Bucksense Pixel in your success/conversion page.

How to check the Bucksense Pixel implementation

  • The Pixel needs to be implemented in the </body> tag of the HTML code, in this way you are sure the script is correctly loaded and it doesn’t create any conflicts on rendering the contents of your page
  • Wait a while. Pixel activation can take a few minutes
  • The pixel must be placed on all pages of the site without make any changes
  • You just need to copy it from Bucksense console and then paste it in your site
  • The changes made at the formatting level can affect the script’s activation and ability to fire

How to check the Google Analytics implementation

  • The Google Analytics JavaScript code must be placed on each final page
  • Your final destination URLs must have UTM tracking codes to correctly assign the traffic source to Bucksense
  • Make sure there are no redirects in the destination URLs
  • Make sure to track the same conversion event in Bucksense and Google Analytics
  • Check if you have set filters that can remove or modify the campaign tracking

Most common cases of discrepancy:

  • An user clicked on the banner, but he stopped or left the page before it loaded (Bucksense clicks > Google Analytics)
  • The user has disabled the Google Analytics tracking (Bucksense clicks > Google Analytics)
  • The referrer URL can’t be tracked in Google Analytics since the user comes from an HTTPS url and lands on an HTTP url (Bucksense clicks > Google Analytics)
  • An unique user clicked several times on the banner (Bucksense clicks > Google Analytics)
  • An user left the page before the Google Analytics tracking code was executed (Bucksense clicks > Google Analytics)
  • The user is browsing through an in-app browser and is detected as two different users in Google Analytics (Bucksense clicks/conversions > Google Analytics)
  • A visitor clicked a banner, then with a different session returned directly to the site (Bucksense clicks < Google Analytics)