SOP 41: Analytics Tool vs. Server Logs — Which Verifies Traffic

SOP 41: Analytics Tool vs. Server Logs — Which Verifies Traffic

The seller's analytics can lie. Server logs cannot. Pick the right tool per claim.

— Use the analytics platform (GA4/Plausible) when you need engagement: sessions, bounce, time-on-page, channel mix. Logs do not show this.
— Use raw server logs (Nginx/Apache access logs) when you suspect inflated numbers. Logs count every hit, including bots GA filters out. Compare: if logs show 3x analytics traffic, much is bot — confirm GA4 bot-filtering is on.
— Use logs to verify referral claims. Grep the Referer field for the named source. No log entries = fabricated channel.
— Default rule: claims about humans = analytics; claims about reality = logs. Demand both for any deal over $25k.

Pass criterion: log-derived organic sessions within 15% of analytics. Outside that band, the gap is unexplained — pause until it is.

Save this — run it every deal.