Referrer data: Parse.ly vs. Google Analytics

If you are seeing different referrer data between Parse.ly and Google Analytics (GA), it is likely a result of the distinct ways each tool tracks referrer data.

Page referrers (Parse.ly) vs. session referrers (GA)

Parse.ly’s referrer data is based on the previous page the visitor viewed. Google Analytics’ referrer data is based off of the session in which the page was viewed.

Example: A visitor navigates from Google to an article on your site, then to another article on your site.

• Parse.ly: The first article would have Google as a referrer. The second article would be classified as an internal referral, because the visitor navigated to the second article from the same site.
• GA: Both articles viewed would have Google as the referrer, because the articles were viewed during a single session and Google was the referrer for the session.

URL referrer (Parse.ly) vs. referrers based on campaign parameters (GA)

Another referrer tracking difference between Google Analytics and Parse.ly is how each tool handles campaign parameters as a referrer source.

Example: A visitor clicks on www.yoursite.com/article1/?utm_source=facebook.com on Twitter.

• Parse.ly: The referrer will be registered as Twitter, because the visitor clicked through to the article from Twitter.
• GA: Google Analytics may use the utm_source parameter of the URL to establish the referrer, meaning Facebook would be registered as the referrer.

One reason Parse.ly doesn’t reconcile campaign parameters with the referral source is because it is insecure. Anyone can link to a URL with specific campaign parameters, even if the site doesn’t use campaign parameters. As a result, a third party could manipulate your site’s referrer data.