Common problems of GA4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a new version of Google Analytics that has a different data model and features than the previous Universal Analytics (UA). GA4 is designed to help you measure and understand your users across devices and platforms, as well as to prepare for a more privacy-centric future. However, GA4 also comes with some challenges and problems that you may encounter when using it. Here are  common problems of GA4 and some possible solutions for them:

Custom campaigns not being tracked:

   If you want to track how your users come to your website from different sources, such as social media, email, or ads, you need to use custom campaigns. These are URLs that have parameters attached to them, such as utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign. To create and track custom campaigns in GA4, you need to use the Campaign URL Builder¹ and set the toggle to GA4. Then, you can use the generated URL for your campaign and see the data in the Campaigns reports in GA4. If you don’t see the data, make sure the URL matches exactly what you entered in the Campaign URL Builder.

Offline campaigns not being tracked:

If you have offline marketing campaigns, such as TV, radio, or print ads, you may want to track how they drive traffic to your website. To do this, you need to use a unique URL for each offline campaign and measure how many users visit that URL. You can use the Campaign URL Builder¹ to create these URLs, or you can use a URL shortener service, such as bit.ly or goo.gl, to create shorter and easier-to-remember URLs. Then, you can see the data in the Campaigns reports in GA4.

GA4 tracking code not working:

If you don’t see any data in your GA4 property, or if you see data that is inconsistent or inaccurate, you may have a problem with your GA4 tracking code. To check if your GA4 tracking code is working, you can use the Google Tag Assistant extension² for Chrome, which can help you diagnose and troubleshoot common issues with your tags. You can also use the DebugView report in GA4, which shows you the events and parameters that are sent to your GA4 property in real time. You can access the DebugView report by clicking on the Debug icon in the left menu of your GA4 property. To enable the Debug mode, you need to install the Google Analytics Debugger extension³ for Chrome, or use the ?_ga=2.123456789.1234567890.1234567890-1234567890.1234567890 parameter in your URL.

Some pages do not collect data:

If you see that some pages on your website do not collect data in GA4, you may have one of the following issues:

• • You did not install the GA4 tracking code on those pages. To fix this, you need to make sure that the GA4 tracking code is present and working on every page of your website. You can use the Google Tag Assistant extension² or the DebugView report⁴ to check this.
  • You have a filter or a data stream configuration that excludes those pages. To fix this, you need to check your filters and data streams settings in GA4 and make sure that they do not exclude any pages that you want to track. You can access the filters and data streams settings by clicking on the Admin icon in the bottom left corner of your GA4 property, and then clicking on Data Streams or Data Filters under the Data Settings column.

Subdomain is showing up within referral data:

If you have a website that has subdomains, such as blog.example.com or shop.example.com, you may want to track them as part of the same website, rather than as separate sources of traffic. To do this, you need to set up cross-domain measurement in GA4, which allows you to track users across multiple domains and subdomains. To set up cross-domain measurement in GA4, you need to do the following steps:

• • Add all the domains and subdomains that you want to track to the same data stream in GA4. You can do this by clicking on the Admin icon in the bottom left corner of your GA4 property, and then clicking on Data Streams under the Data Settings column. Then, click on the data stream that you want to edit, and scroll down to the More Tagging Settings section. Click on Additional URL Domains, and add the domains and subdomains that you want to track, separated by commas.
  • Update your GA4 tracking code to include the domains parameter, which specifies the list of domains and subdomains that you want to track. You can find the updated tracking code in the Data Stream details page, under the Global Site Tag section. Copy and paste the code to every page of your website, replacing the existing GA4 tracking code. The domains parameter should look something like this: gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX', { 'domains': ['example.com', 'blog.example.com', 'shop.example.com'] });
  • Optionally, you can also set up a filter in GA4 to remove the domain or subdomain from the page path, so that you can see the full path of the page without the domain name. For example, instead of seeing blog.example.com/post1, you can see /post1. To do this, you need to create a new filter in GA4, and choose the Modify option. Then, select the Page Location dimension, and use a regular expression to replace the domain or subdomain with an empty string. For example, you can use the following regular expression: https?:\/\/(www\.)?(example\.com|blog\.example\.com|shop\.example\.com)\/. You can test your regular expression using the Test Filter option, and then save the filter. You can access the filters settings by clicking on the Admin icon in the bottom left corner of your GA4 property, and then clicking on Data Filters under the Data Settings column.

UTM parameters for internal campaigns are skewing the data:

If you use UTM parameters to track your internal campaigns, such as banners, pop-ups, or newsletters, you may be skewing your data in GA4. This is because UTM parameters are used to track external sources of traffic, such as social media, email, or ads. When you use UTM parameters for internal campaigns, you are overriding the original source of the user, and creating a new session. This can affect your metrics, such as bounce rate, session duration, and conversions. To avoid this, you need to use a different method to track your internal campaigns, such as custom events or custom dimensions. To do this, you need to do the following steps:

• • Create a custom event or a custom dimension in GA4 to track your internal campaign. You can do this by clicking on the Admin icon in the bottom left corner of your GA4 property, and then clicking on Custom Definitions under the Property column. Then, click on Custom Events or Custom Dimensions, and create a new event or dimension with a name and a description. For example, you can create a custom event called internal_campaign_click, or a custom dimension called internal_campaign_name.
  • Update your GA4 tracking code to send the custom event or the custom dimension to GA4 when a user clicks on your internal campaign. You can do this by using the gtag function, and passing the event name or the dimension name and value as parameters. For example, you can use the following code to send a custom event: gtag('event', 'internal_campaign_click', { 'internal_campaign_name': 'banner1' }); or the following code to send a custom dimension: gtag('set', 'internal_campaign_name', 'banner1'); gtag('event', 'page_view');
  • Optionally, you can also set up a filter in GA4 to exclude the UTM parameters from the page location, so that they do not affect your reports. For example, instead of seeing example.com/page1?utm_source=banner1&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=summer, you can see example.com/page1. To do this, you need to create a new filter in GA4, and choose the Modify option. Then, select the Page Location dimension, and use a regular expression to replace the UTM parameters with an empty string. For example, you can use the following regular expression: \?utm_[^&]+. You can test your regular expression using the Test Filter option, and then save the filter. You can access the filters settings by clicking on the Admin icon in the bottom left corner of your GA4 property, and then clicking on Data Filters under the Data Settings column.

Filters not working properly:

Filters are a powerful feature in GA4 that allow you to modify or exclude the data that you collect and report. However, filters can also cause problems if they are not set up correctly or if they conflict with each other. Some common issues with filters are:

Filters are applied in the wrong order. Filters are applied in the order that they appear in the filters list, from top to bottom. If you have multiple filters that affect the same dimension or metric, you need to make sure that they are applied in the right order, otherwise you may get unexpected results. For example, if you have a filter that excludes traffic from a certain country, and another filter that modifies the country name, you need to apply the exclude filter first, and then the modify filter. Otherwise, you may end up excluding the wrong country or modifying the country name after it has been excluded. To change the order of the filters, you can use the drag and drop feature in the filters list. You can access the filters list by clickingon the Admin icon in the bottom left corner of your GA4 property, and then clicking on Data Filters under the Data Settings column.

Filters conflict with each other. If you have multiple filters that affect the same dimension or metric and they conflict with each other, you may get unexpected or incorrect data in your reports. For example, if you have one filter that includes traffic from a certain source and another filter that excludes the same source, the filters may conflict, and you may end up with inconsistent data. To avoid filter conflicts, you need to review and test your filters carefully to ensure they work together as intended.

Filters are too restrictive. Filters that are too restrictive can lead to data loss and incomplete reporting. For example, if you have a filter that excludes traffic from a specific IP address, but that IP address is used by legitimate users, you may miss out on important data. It’s essential to strike a balance between filtering out spam or unwanted data and preserving the data you need for analysis.

Filters are not properly tested. It’s crucial to thoroughly test filters before implementing them in your GA4 property. You can use the Test Filter option when creating or editing filters to ensure they work as expected. This will help you avoid unintended consequences and errors in your data.

Data sampling: GA4 may apply data sampling to your reports when dealing with large data sets. Data sampling means that GA4 takes a sample of your data and uses it to estimate the overall metrics. This can lead to imprecise reporting, especially when working with complex queries or when your data exceeds certain limits. To minimize data sampling, you can consider using a combination of filters, segments, and date ranges to work with smaller data sets. Additionally, upgrading to GA4’s premium version can increase the data sampling threshold.

Data discrepancies with other analytics tools: When comparing data between GA4 and other analytics tools, you may notice differences. These discrepancies can be due to variations in how each tool collects, processes, and reports data. It’s essential to understand the differences and use them as a reference rather than assuming one tool is entirely accurate. Ensure your GA4 configuration is correctly set up, and you’re using standardized tracking methods to reduce discrepancies.

Limited historical data: GA4’s data retention policy allows for a shorter historical data window compared to Universal Analytics. GA4 retains data for 14 months by default, whereas Universal Analytics retained data for a longer period. This means you may have limited access to historical data if you transition from Universal Analytics to GA4. To address this, consider exporting your historical data from Universal Analytics before the transition, and regularly back up your GA4 data.

Data privacy and consent compliance: As GA4 is designed to align with privacy regulations and user consent requirements, it may require more attention to ensure compliance. You must properly configure data collection settings, consent management, and data retention policies to meet your region’s specific privacy laws, such as GDPR or CCPA.

In conclusion, while Google Analytics 4 offers numerous advantages and improvements, it also presents some common challenges. To overcome these problems, it’s crucial to follow best practices for implementation, regularly review your tracking setup, and stay informed about updates and changes in the platform. Additionally, monitoring and testing are essential to ensure your data is accurate and reliable.