Learning Adobe Analytics as a Google Analytics User

You take pride in being a Google Analytics expert, but now you have been asked to learn Adobe Analytics. Don’t let it throw you off your game! We have you covered.

Here are three things to know to help bridge your understanding as you explore Adobe Analytics as a Google Analytics user:

1. Training Resources

To get started, you can visit the Adobe website and YouTube channel to access training PDFs, videos, and webinars. For more comprehensive training, Adobe offers paid courses that you can attend in person or online.

As you know, practice makes perfect. As you go through the training, practice what you have learned in a test account. You can either set up a sandbox environment in your organization’s account or, similar to the Google Analytics demo account, you can try to register as a Solutions Partner and gain limited time access to an Adobe Analytics test account.

Keep in mind that Google Analytics comes with a lot of pre-built reports whereas Adobe Analytics does not. When setting up Adobe, start with your key business questions. You will learn more by investigating specific questions rather than tinkering around through the settings.

2. Account Structure Differences

The account structures of Adobe and Google are relatively similar:

Adobe Analytics                                                                      Google Analytics

You are likely used to how Google Analytics divides their reports up into Real Time, Acquisition, Audience, Behaviour, and Conversion. Comparatively, Adobe has 10+ default categories to sort reports (see screenshot below). If you prefer fewer categories, you can take additional steps to customize the menu and sort into fewer reports.

As you dig deeper into the account structure you will notice that Adobe divides its ‘dimensions’ and ‘metrics’ into two categories: Traffic and Conversion. This is to help you better understand what they are used for so that you can create targeted reports.

Although there are many differences between Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics, below are some of the basic terms compared:

For a more in depth comparison, feel free to download our term comparison cheat sheet to have on your desk while you familiarize yourself with Adobe Analytics.

3. Debugging Tools

The following debugging tools will be helpful for you as you begin implementing and testing Adobe Analytics. These are comparable to the Google Tag Assistant Chrome plugin.

• Adobe Experience Cloud Debugger (Chrome only)
• Omnibug (Chrome and Firefox)

If you encounter any additional roadblocks, check out the Adobe Analytics Community forum to find answers from experienced Adobe users.

In a perfect world, analysts would be experts in both Adobe and Google Analytics. Being fluent in both strengthens your analytics skill set, allowing you to be a tool agnostic contributor so that you can choose the right tool for the task at hand.

Want to learn more about Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics? ClickInsight is a Google Marketing Platform Certified Company for Analytics, Tag Manager, Optimize, and Data Studio, and an Adobe Analytics Community Partner. Message us to learn more about our custom training offerings.