We are certified Google Analytics 4 (GA4) specialists who have been conducting GA4 audits since its launch. Our in-depth knowledge and experience position us as trusted partners in optimizing your GA4 implementation for maximum performance.
Below, we will share how we conduct our Google Analytics 4 audit process.
Understanding GA4 Audit
A GA4 audit is a systematic evaluation of your Google Analytics 4 setup to ensure its accuracy, completeness, and effectiveness in tracking and analyzing user interactions. It involves assessing various components to guarantee that your analytics platform aligns seamlessly with your business goals and objectives.
Our GA4 Audit Process
Verification of Tracking Code Installation
First, we have to ensure that your GA4 property is set up correctly and that the tracking code is implemented on all relevant pages of your website or app.
To perform this verification, we examine the source code of each webpage to confirm that the GA4 tracking code snippet is correctly embedded.
We also utilize browser extensions and debugging tools to inspect network requests, ensuring that data is being transmitted to the GA4 servers as intended.
Another crucial step in verifying the proper installation of the tracking code involves accessing the Real-Time section in Google Analytics 4. We perform various actions, such as navigating different pages, submitting forms, or triggering events.
By closely monitoring the real-time reports within GA4, we can assess whether the data is being captured accurately and in real-time.
Migration from Universal Analytics
You must undergo a deliberate transition if you migrate from Universal Analytics to GA4.
While Universal Analytics requires hard-coded events with specific variables like Category, Action, Label, and Value, GA4 treats all these interactions as events. Notably, the introduction of Enhanced Measurement in GA4 revolutionizes the tracking landscape.
This feature is accessible through Admin > Property > Data Streams > Enhanced Measurement. It enables us to measure interactions such as scrolls, outbound clicks, site searches, video interactions, and file downloads even without additional code implementation.
It’s essential to acknowledge that GA4 employs a distinct data model compared to Universal Analytics, resulting in the non-migration of historical data. Hence, we recommend backing up valuable historical data from Universal Analytics.
This proactive measure ensures that crucial insights and historical context are preserved, facilitating a seamless transition to the enhanced capabilities of Google Analytics 4.
Admin and Property Settings Review
Reviewing admin and property settings in Google Analytics 4 ensures that your analytics platform is aligned with your business goals and accurately reflects your organizational structure.
Within the Admin section of GA4, we check the organizational setup, user permissions, and user management. This involves confirming that the right stakeholders have appropriate access levels and that your team members are organized into logical hierarchies.
Proper user management enhances data security and maintains a transparent chain of responsibility within your analytics infrastructure.
In property settings, we check configurations related to data streams, data retention, and integration with other Google products. Verifying the accuracy of data stream setups is crucial for comprehensive data collection while optimizing data retention settings aligns with regulatory compliance and tailors data storage periods to your specific needs.
Moreover, we examine the integration with various Google products, including Google Ads and Google Search Console, to guarantee a smooth data flow and facilitate comprehensive reporting.
Data Collection Assessment
We use the DebugView report to ensure accurate and comprehensive data collection on your website or app. DebugView monitors events and event parameters in real-time. It assures that data is being collected correctly during the setup of events. To enable debug mode, navigate Admin > Properties > DebugView.
The Seconds stream displays events logged in the last 60 seconds, offering real-time insights. The Minutes stream archives events over the last 30 minutes, and the right column showcases the Top Events logged in the same time frame and user properties for the selected device.
Timestamps associated with each event and the ability to view parameters provide a granular understanding of data collection.
Maintaining data integrity during the debug mode is essential by filtering out unnecessary traffic. We implement strategic filters to exclude developer traffic, ensuring that data collected during debug mode does not negatively impact your report data.
Conversion Tracking Goals Evaluation
A GA4 conversion encapsulates any pivotal activity crucial to your business, from form submissions and email newsletter sign-ups to product purchases or transactions. This comprehensive approach allows us to tailor the assessment to your business objectives.
Contrasting with Universal Analytics, where conversions were marked upon goal completion, GA4 offers a more dynamic and flexible approach to conversion tracking. GA4 defines conversions directly within the reporting interface based on captured events.
Accessing the conversion reporting is simplified in GA4, with a dedicated “Conversion” tab in the “Reporting” menu.
Data Retention Settings Check
In the Data Retention settings, event data retention can be configured for “2 months” or “14 months”.
Additionally, the option to toggle “Reset user data on new activity” allows you to dynamically reset the event data retention period with each subsequent session, offering an adaptable approach based on user interactions.
While this feature doesn’t impact the aggregated and standard reports within GA4, it does have implications for custom reports created via the “Explore” section.
Enhanced Measurement Verification
Enhanced Measurement is a collection of automatic event-tracking tools that enable marketers and analysts to collect extensive data with minimal customization or code editing. In Universal Analytics, tracking events beyond pageviews required meticulous setup adjustments.
To check Enhanced Measurement settings in GA4, navigate to Admin > Data Streams and select the web data stream. There, you’ll find a dedicated section called Enhanced Measurement.
This feature is enabled by default, automatically tracking various events, including page views, scrolls, outbound link clicks, site searches, video engagements, file downloads, and form interactions.
Internal Traffic Exclusion
If left unfiltered, internal traffic can distort the accuracy of your analytics data and hinder a clear understanding of your website’s genuine visitor behavior and overall traffic volume.
To address this, we will go through the process of defining internal traffic within the tagging settings of a Data Stream. Once configured, the Google Analytics 4 tracking code, activated on your website, seamlessly incorporates a parameter labeled “tt=internal” to every request. This parameter, denoting “traffic type,” is a distinctive identifier.
The default Internal Traffic Filter, conveniently located in Admin > Data Settings > Data Filters, is preconfigured to exclude all hits containing the “traffic_type=internal” parameter (tt=internal). When the filter is activated, Google Analytics 4 blocks off data related to internal traffic.
Product Connections Audit
Google Analytics 4 also introduces a streamlined process for linking additional Google products under the Product Links section. This enables users to integrate tools like Google Ads, BigQuery, and Google Search Console seamlessly.
Product Links serve as the nexus for integrating diverse Google tools. These links empower users to harness the synergies between various products for a more holistic approach to data analysis.
We navigate to the desired product within the Product Links section and initiate the connection by selecting the blue “Link” button at the screen’s top-right corner.
Custom Dimensions and Metrics Review
Custom Dimensions have undergone a remarkable transformation from Universal Analytics to GA4.
In Universal Analytics, these dimensions were somewhat intermediate and often overlooked by many marketers. However, the narrative has shifted with the advent of GA4, where Custom Dimensions have evolved into a fundamental functionality, becoming essential even for beginners.
The process of working with custom dimensions in GA4 is notably straightforward. We send custom data to GA4 and register a parameter as a custom dimension if you intend to utilize or visualize that parameter in regular GA4 reports.
Moreover, GA4 introduces flexibility in its use, particularly for those who leverage BigQuery for in-depth data analysis. If your aim is to stream data to BigQuery and perform comprehensive analytics there, there is no imperative need to register dimensions explicitly. Even unregistered parameters seamlessly find their way into BigQuery, which is convenient for analysts.
E-commerce Events and Goals Analysis
Proper configuration is essential to leverage the power of eCommerce events in GA4. Unlike the traditional method where eCommerce data is automatically collected, GA4 requires a deliberate setup to start gathering information on eCommerce events.
This setup process involves integrating specific tracking mechanisms on your website. Once eCommerce event tracking is configured correctly on your website, the insights and data can be accessed through dedicated reports under the Monetization section in the left-hand menu of GA4.
The Monetization reports in GA4 offer a wealth of information related to eCommerce events. From product views to purchases and even refunds, businesses can delve into detailed analytics, gaining insights into customer behavior, product popularity, and the overall success of eCommerce goals.
Conclusion
Our Google Analytics 4 (GA4) audit process is a cornerstone for organizations seeking to maximize the potential of their data-driven strategies.
We understand the challenges of setting up and optimizing Google Analytics 4. As certified GA4 specialists, our extensive experience in conducting GA4 audits positions us as trusted partners dedicated to fine-tuning your GA4 implementation for optimal performance.
If you encounter any hurdles or need assistance, feel free to reach out to us. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that your GA4 implementation empowers your business with accurate and actionable insights.