Why are Sitefinity Cloud page views different than the page views from Google Analytics?

Page view discrepancies between Sitefinity Cloud and Google Analytics are expected. The two systems collect and filter data using different methods and criteria.

How Sitefinity Cloud counts page views

In Sitefinity Cloud, page views are based on server-side HTTP requests that meet strict production criteria.

A request is counted as a page view when it:

• Targets a Production domain
• Uses the GET method
• Returns a 200 (OK) response
• Has content type html
• Is identified as likely human traffic
• Does not originate from uptime health checks
• Is not part of the Sitefinity Admin UI or media documents

Traffic identified as AI agents or automated bots is excluded. In addition, Sitefinity Cloud includes WAF and bot protection that may block suspicious traffic before it reaches the application layer.

This means Sitefinity Cloud reflects validated server-side traffic, after filtering and protection mechanisms are applied.

For full technical criteria, refer to the Page Views and API Calls documentation in the Management Portal.

How Google Analytics counts page views

Google Analytics collects data client-side through JavaScript tracking tags embedded in each page.

When a visitor loads a page:

• A JavaScript tag runs in the browser
• Data is sent to Google’s collection servers
• Cookies are used to track sessions and users

Google Analytics 4 automatically excludes known bots and spiders. However:

• Users who block JavaScript are not tracked
• Users who reject cookies may not be fully tracked
• Ad blockers or privacy tools can prevent tracking entirely
• Traffic blocked by WAF before page load may never trigger the tag

Google Analytics measures browser activity. Sitefinity Cloud measures validated server requests.

Why numbers differ

Common causes of variance include:

• Server-side filtering vs client-side tracking
• Bot protection and WAF blocking
• Cookie consent rejection
• Ad blockers and browser privacy settings
• JavaScript disabled in the browser
• Differences in bot detection logic

Because the two systems operate at different layers of the stack, deviations in reported page views are normal.

If reconciliation is required, review:

• Host filtering
• HTTP status codes
• Production vs non-production domains
• Bot filtering settings in both systems
• Time zone and date range alignment

Differences do not indicate data loss. They reflect fundamentally different measurement approaches.