Cookies help us display personalized product recommendations and ensure you have great shopping experience.

By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    sales and data analytics
    How Data Analytics Improves Lead Management and Sales Results
    9 Min Read
    data analytics and truck accident claims
    How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for interior designers
    Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
    8 Min Read
    image fx (67)
    Improving LinkedIn Ad Strategies with Data Analytics
    9 Min Read
    big data and remote work
    Data Helps Speech-Language Pathologists Deliver Better Results
    6 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: 2 Ways Your Data Might Be Skewed Without Your Knowledge
Share
Notification
Font ResizerAa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Big Data > Data Quality > 2 Ways Your Data Might Be Skewed Without Your Knowledge
Big DataData QualityExclusiveSecurity

2 Ways Your Data Might Be Skewed Without Your Knowledge

Larry Alton
Larry Alton
6 Min Read
Skewed data
Shutterstock Licensed Photo - By Tatsiana Tsyhanova
SHARE

Every marketing decision you make is backed by some kind of data, whether it’s a statistic, a report, or a trend. To make the right decisions, it’s important for that data to be as accurate as possible.

Contents
1. You’re unaware of how data is sourced and calculated2. Selection biasGo as close to the source as possible

It’s not enough to take the conclusion of your reports at face value. Each program you use to calculate data has limitations, and it takes a keen eye to spot these limitations.

You know what your programs are calculating, but it’s vital to understand a program’s limitations regarding what it’s not calculating. Bad data costs you money and can be caused by program errors as well as errors in perception. Therefore, knowing what your programs aren’t calculating allows you to more accurately perceive what you’re looking at.

Here are some ways flawed data might be influencing your decisions without your knowledge:

More Read

seo and data analytics
Data Analytics is Crucial for Scaling SEO
Do Customers REALLY Want to Know What’s Inside the Black Box?
The Data Consumption Dilemma: 4 Pitfalls to Avoid
From Machines to Crops to Animals: Big Data Turns Traditional Farming Upside Down
How to Scale Your Big Data Project Effectively

1. You’re unaware of how data is sourced and calculated

The more you know about how your data is gathered and calculated, the better. This gives you the ability to spot discrepancies and other possible errors. It also gives you the ability to look at your reports and know exactly what you’re looking at rather than relying on the description.

For instance, when you look at your Google Attribution reports, the data looks clean and precise. It’s hard to imagine a big company like Google could produce reports with flawed data. In truth, the data itself isn’t flawed. The real problem is the limited parameters within which the data is processed.

There’s a discrepancy between what the data actually represents, and what you think it represents. Google Attribution only uses Google campaign data to measure the influence on marketing decisions. If you’re doing anything other than Adwords, it won’t be reflected in Google Attribution. That’s fairly obvious. However, there’s a much bigger issue that most people won’t spot right away; an issue MediaTwo spotted immediately.

AdWords and Analytics conversion tracking only report up to 90 days before the lookback window expires,” Trey Dickert from MediaTwo explains. “That means that if someone came to a brand’s site 91 days ago, then did a branded search and converted on day 91, it would be reported as if that customer came to the site once and converted on the same day.

That’s not something to take lightly. The only thing this data will do for you is keep you throwing more money into Google’s marketing services. Meanwhile, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t seen an increase in revenue.

It’s difficult to justify making decisions based on flawed data. If you can’t rely on Google’s data, you’ll need to find another source.

This is something to be aware of with every tool you use, no matter what big names are behind it or how popular it is. No tool is exempt from the possibility of producing flawed data.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say, but it comes at a price.

If you’re having a difficult time figuring out where your programs fall short, craft a small experiment with data input you can control as much as possible. You’ll be able to spot gross inaccuracies much faster with a small amount of data you can manually calculate to compare.

2. Selection bias

How many surveys have you been asked to participate in that produce the officially recognized statistics on topics like health, consumer preferences, and finances? If the answer is never, it shouldn’t surprise you. Surveys are one of the most unintentionally biased forms of data collection we have.

Selection bias is one of the major flaws associated with the increased availability of big data,” Kevin Sheetz from Powerlytics says. “Many businesses only capture a small piece of the pie when it comes to data available to their segment or industry, and this means their data and subsequent analysis are skewed. Much of the data companies use to make critical business decisions is incomplete, inaccurate, and of poor quality, and, as you can expect, this leads to inaccurate analysis and benchmarking.

If you’re relying on someone else’s marketing research to determine your whole marketing strategy, keep in mind that their reports might be influenced by skewed data. Do your own research.

Go as close to the source as possible

Just like a private investigator, you want to go as close to the source as possible. Find out where the data you’re using comes from, how it was gathered, and how it was crunched. If it’s potentially flawed, that doesn’t mean it’s completely useless. Even flawed data can provide clues toward trends.

TAGGED:skewed data
Share This Article
Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn
Share
ByLarry Alton
Follow:
Larry is an independent business consultant specializing in tech, social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

sales and data analytics
How Data Analytics Improves Lead Management and Sales Results
Analytics Big Data Exclusive
ai in marketing
How AI and Smart Platforms Improve Email Marketing
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive Marketing
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive
AI supply chain
AI Tools Are Strengthening Global Supply Chains
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive

Stay Connected

1.2kFollowersLike
33.7kFollowersFollow
222FollowersPin

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

ai is improving the safety of cars
From Bolts to Bots: How AI Is Fortifying the Automotive Industry
Artificial Intelligence
data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?