Search code examples
google-analyticsweb-analytics

GA - Inconsistencies in Total Number of Users and New Users

I have two puzzling cases in GA which I hope someone can enlighten me on.

1) Under Audience->Overview, why does the figure under All Users (Fig 1) changes when a new segment is added to the report (Fig 2)?

enter image description here (Fig 1)

Fig 2 (Fig 2)

The new segment does not have to be new/returning visitor; the All Users figure changes on other segments as well. Note that the Sessions and Pageviews under the All Users segment do not change (correctly I believe).

Is this a bug in GA?

2) Using the same report with additional segments, why is the Number of New Users different from the Number of Sessions by New Users (Fig 3)?

Fig 3 (Fig 3)

As explained by this post, a new user who visits the site a second time will be counted as a returning visitor, so his second and succeeding sessions should now be counted as sessions being done by a returning visitor.

Doesn't this mean that the number of new users should be the same as the number of sessions done by new users? Are there exceptions (perhaps using a different browser or device) that will skew the results?

Thanks

Solution

  • 1 per Eike's comment - including segments causes the numbers to be recalculated and may be slightly different from the precalculated report numbers.

    2 is caused by sessions overlapping midnight. GA creates new sessions, and they have the same user and 'New User' flag associated with them, so it looks like 2 sessions with 'New User' settings but it is only 1 user.