The click count on a short link and the visits Google Analytics shows for the same tags are counted in different places, so they rarely match. Neither one is wrong, since they measure different moments.
The short link counts each time a person follows it to your site. Google Analytics counts a visit when the page has loaded, its tracking code has run, and the visitor’s browser has let it send the visit.
Why Google Analytics usually shows fewer
- Cookie banners. If your site asks for consent, visitors who say no, or never answer, often aren’t counted in Google Analytics at all. The short link still counts their click.
- Ad blockers and privacy browsers. Many of them block Google Analytics, but they can’t stop the click on your own domain from being counted.
- People who leave before the page loads. A click on a slow page, or one someone backs out of right away, is counted as a click but may never reach Google Analytics.
- Repeat clicks. The short link counts every click, including the same person clicking twice, while Google Analytics may count that as one visit.
Why the short link can show fewer
- Bots and link previews aren’t counted on short links. Facebook, X, Slack and other apps load a link when it’s posted to build the preview, and search engines and uptime checkers follow links too. Google Analytics leaves most of those out as well, but not always.
- Visits from the full link. If the same tags were also shared as a full link, or someone copied the full address after landing, Google Analytics counts those visits under the same campaign. The short link only counts clicks on itself.
Different days
Short link clicks are counted by day in UTC, while Google Analytics uses the time zone set in your property. Around midnight, a click can land on a different day in each.
Which number to use
Use the short link’s clicks to see how many people acted on a post, flyer or email, since it’s the more complete count of people clicking. Use Google Analytics to see what those visitors did once they got there. To see which links led to sales or form entries, Conversion Bridge shows those next to each short link’s clicks.