Analyzing Discrepancies in Website Traffic Using Mixpanel

James S. · 2025-05-01 10:54:28.231529+00

Can you help me sense check website clicks using Mixpanel please. I have another website measurement tool that is telling me I'm receiving significantly more traffic from paid campaigns (using UTMs and click IDs) Why would Mixpanel not pick up this traffic?

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Analyzing Discrepancies in Website Traffic Using Mixpanel | Mixpanel Community

2 comments

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kapa.ai
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Hi James S., Please stand by as I search the Mixpanel knowledge base for an AI-powered answer. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. In case AI cannot answer your question, feel free to reach out to Mixpanel support at mixpanel.com/get-support. If you have follow-up questions for this thread, please tag me again with your question: @kapa.ai <follow-up question> 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
kapa.ai
APP
·
·
Understanding Discrepancies in Tracking Website Clicks in Mixpanel
There are several reasons why Mixpanel might show different traffic numbers from your other measurement tool, particularly for paid campaigns. Here are the most common causes:
Ad Blockers and Do Not Track Settings
Client-side tracking in Mixpanel can be unreliable, potentially losing events for 30-50% of your users due to ad blockers and privacy settings. This is one of the most common causes of discrepancies.Debugging documentation notes that: > Client-Side Tracking can be unreliable, you may lose events for 30-50% of your users. You can resolve this by sending events through a proxy, but it requires a bit more effort.
Implementation Method
The way you've implemented Mixpanel tracking can significantly impact data collection: 1. Client-side vs. Server-side tracking: Server-side tracking is more reliable as it bypasses ad blockers. If you're using client-side tracking, consider switching to server-side.2. Autocapture configuration: If you're using Autocapture, check if it's properly configured to track all clicks and page views.3. UTM parameter tracking: Ensure your implementation correctly captures UTM parameters. Mixpanel's JavaScript SDK should automatically track UTM parameters, but this needs to be properly configured.
Specific Solutions to Consider
1. Implement server-side tracking: As recommended by Mixpanel, server-side tracking is "more reliable and easier to maintain than web/mobile tracking."2. Check UTM tracking implementation: Make sure your Mixpanel setup is correctly capturing UTM parameters. The JavaScript SDK documentation explains how UTM parameters should be tracked.3. Verify your attribution settings: If you're using Mixpanel's attribution features, ensure they're properly configured to attribute conversions to the right touchpoints.4. Use a proxy for client-side tracking: If you must use client-side tracking, consider implementing a proxy to bypass ad blockers.5. Check for different calculation methods: Your other tool might calculate metrics differently. As noted in the debugging documentation:
Two systems will always track data differently due to their nature. It might very likely be that the systems will never track exactly the same data.If you need more specific help, I'd recommend reviewing your implementation details and comparing the exact configuration of both tools to identify the specific source of the discrepancy.
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.

kapa.ai
APP
·
·
Hi James S., Please stand by as I search the Mixpanel knowledge base for an AI-powered answer. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. In case AI cannot answer your question, feel free to reach out to Mixpanel support at mixpanel.com/get-support. If you have follow-up questions for this thread, please tag me again with your question: @kapa.ai <follow-up question> 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
kapa.ai
APP
·
·
Understanding Discrepancies in Tracking Website Clicks in Mixpanel
There are several reasons why Mixpanel might show different traffic numbers from your other measurement tool, particularly for paid campaigns. Here are the most common causes:
Ad Blockers and Do Not Track Settings
Client-side tracking in Mixpanel can be unreliable, potentially losing events for 30-50% of your users due to ad blockers and privacy settings. This is one of the most common causes of discrepancies.Debugging documentation notes that: > Client-Side Tracking can be unreliable, you may lose events for 30-50% of your users. You can resolve this by sending events through a proxy, but it requires a bit more effort.
Implementation Method
The way you've implemented Mixpanel tracking can significantly impact data collection: 1. Client-side vs. Server-side tracking: Server-side tracking is more reliable as it bypasses ad blockers. If you're using client-side tracking, consider switching to server-side.2. Autocapture configuration: If you're using Autocapture, check if it's properly configured to track all clicks and page views.3. UTM parameter tracking: Ensure your implementation correctly captures UTM parameters. Mixpanel's JavaScript SDK should automatically track UTM parameters, but this needs to be properly configured.
Specific Solutions to Consider
1. Implement server-side tracking: As recommended by Mixpanel, server-side tracking is "more reliable and easier to maintain than web/mobile tracking."2. Check UTM tracking implementation: Make sure your Mixpanel setup is correctly capturing UTM parameters. The JavaScript SDK documentation explains how UTM parameters should be tracked.3. Verify your attribution settings: If you're using Mixpanel's attribution features, ensure they're properly configured to attribute conversions to the right touchpoints.4. Use a proxy for client-side tracking: If you must use client-side tracking, consider implementing a proxy to bypass ad blockers.5. Check for different calculation methods: Your other tool might calculate metrics differently. As noted in the debugging documentation:
Two systems will always track data differently due to their nature. It might very likely be that the systems will never track exactly the same data.If you need more specific help, I'd recommend reviewing your implementation details and comparing the exact configuration of both tools to identify the specific source of the discrepancy.
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.

2 comments

Understanding Discrepancies in Tracking Website Clicks in Mixpanel

Ad Blockers and Do Not Track Settings

Implementation Method

Specific Solutions to Consider

Understanding Discrepancies in Tracking Website Clicks in Mixpanel

Ad Blockers and Do Not Track Settings

Implementation Method

Specific Solutions to Consider