GA4 Frequently Asked Questions

Learning Objective

After reading this guide you should have a better understanding of:

• What GA4 is

• The differences between GA4 and UA

• Solutions to common queries

Contents

General

How do I verify GA4 events are firing and tracking on my property?

Please refer to the GA4 Debugging guide.

Why does the data being captured in GA4 not match up to the data in Universal Analytics (UA)?

GA4 and UA will never match as GA4 is a new product that processes data and attributes sales in a fundamentally different way from UA. 

For example, GA4 uses events to report user activity while UA relies on pageviews. GA4 also uses machine learning to process data and provide insights that simply do not exist in UA.

In UA depending on the session timeout settings, purchases at midnight were counted as a new session while GA4 does restart sessions at midnight.

There will be a discrepancy between UA and GA4, ranging between 5% to 25%. Additionally, due to the complexity of GDPR consent tracking and customer behaviour, a 50% data discrepancy is considered normal.

Can I run both Universal Analytics (UA) and GA4 at the same time?

Yes, but data will stop being processed for UA on July 1st, 2023.

I have set up my GA4 account, but no data is showing

When configured, data can take 24 - 48 hours to be verified and populated within your GA4 property.

When will UA processing end?

1st July 2023. After this date, no new hits will be recorded in UA.

After 1st July, how long will UA data be available?

Google has advised that historic UA data will be available for at least 6 months. For more information, please contact Google Support.

Can I migrate to Google Tag Manager (GTM) if I use your integration?

Yes, of course, although support of any property set up via GTM is strictly limited. If you wish to have support, it is advised to use our integration.

I’ve heard the terms Phase 1 and Phase 2 used, what does this mean?

Due to the evolving nature of GA4 (not just our integration, but the GA4 platform in general), we made the decision to split the role out up into two distinct parts.

Phase 1 (rolled out in June 2022) covered key events such as:

• add_to_cart

• begin_checkout

• add_shipping_info

• shipping_tier

• add_payment_info

• purchase

Phase 2 (rolled out in March 2023) covered additional events such as:

• view_item_list

• select_item

• view_item

• remove_from_cart

• select_promotion

• generate_lead

• newsletter_subscriber

• sign_up 

• login

• cro_experiment

• consent 

• cro_website_error

GA4 is missing functionality that was in UA

GA4 is constantly evolving. Google continues to add new metrics and features, most of which can be found detailed here:

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9164320?hl=en

However, if a feature is missing there is, unfortunately, nothing to be done. GA4 is different by design and should not be compared directly to UA.

How do I know GA4 is capturing events?

Once you have collected data for over 48 hours you should be able to see ecommerce events being presented in your main events report but you will be able to see events firing in the real-time report after you have finished onboarding.

You can find this information by navigating to the following in GA4 property: Report > Real-time

Scroll down the Real-time Overview page and you can see a panel named Event count by Event Name, you should be able to see the following e-commerce events being captured:

• add_to_cart

• begin_checkout

• add_shipping_info

• purchase

Does GA4 have anything like UA goals?

GA4 only supports conversion events, whereas UA supported five goal types: destination, duration, pages/session, smart goals, and event goals.

In each standard GA4 property there is a limit of 30 conversions, so planning your event naming convention is important so to not waste valuable conversions.

Please note that GA4 event names should be all lowercase and use underscores to ensure that you do not have multiple instances of the same event name that may slightly differ (avoid using Uppercase or Spaces). The examples can be seen below:

Correct:

• sign_up 

Incorrect:

• Sign Up

• SIGN_UP

Is the Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) different now?

No. GA4 and UA use the same structure:

GA4

UA

My UA views are missing in GA4

 In GA4, your structure is Account > Property > Data streams. 

Currently, Google only provides the use of a property that contains data streams for iOS, Android and Web when setting up GA4 (so, unfortunately, no 'Views').

Previously in UA, you could have one property with multiple views such as a view for a UK, Europe or USA site, or for Mobile, Desktop etc.

Google does offer the use of sub-properties for GA4 360 accounts only. More information can be found here:

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11525732?hl=en&ref_topic=11525653

I have a multisite, how is my set-up different?

If your site is multi-site, and depending on your reporting structure the following options are available:

Separate GA4 Properties [standard GA4]
Create a GA4 property for each respective site e.g. France, Germany etc

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Roll-up properties [requires GA4 360]
Roll-up properties provide a broad view of your business across products, brands, or regions by combining data from multiple source properties into a single roll-up property. Talk to CRO for more information.

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11526039?hl=en&ref_topic=11525654

Subproperties [requires GA4 360]
A subproperty is a property that gets its data from one other property.

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11525732?hl=en&ref_topic=11525653

What is Google Consent Mode?

Google Consent Mode is a feature that allows website owners to adjust the way Google Analytics collects data in response to user consent preferences.

So how does Google Consent Mode impact GA4?

Google Analytics has introduced Consent Mode, which adjusts data collection based on whether users have given consent to tracking. This may result in fewer data points being collected if users opt out of cookie tracking.

Websites with Cookie Policy enabled will automatically comply with Consent Mode.

How can I check I am GDPR compliant with my tracking?

• Log into your admin and navigate to Settings > Website Settings

• Search for Cookie Policy within your settings

You will see:

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How do you add unwanted referrals such as PayPal, Klana, Amazon etc?

To add unwanted referrals to your GA4 property visit the following area in your GA4 Property:

GA4 Admin > Property > Data Stream

Click Web, and then select the relevant stream. From there scroll down the page, and click on Configure tag settings. A new panel will open.

Scroll down this page and select Show All. Select List unwanted referrals and add your unwanted referrals as pictured below:

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Note: the details here are provided for context and your selection may differ

Reporting

How do I mark events as conversions in GA4?

1. On the bottom-left side of the screen, you will find the "Admin" button (it looks like a gear).

2. In the second column labelled "Property”, find and select ‘Events’ 

3. Within 'Events', you will see a list of events. Toggle the ones that are considered a 'conversion'.

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 Does GA4 work with Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio)?

Yes - but reports will need to be updated to pull through the new data source and may need to be reconfigured to pull in the data required. 

Looker Studio extracts data from GA4 that requires sending a GA4 API request, this differs from UA as the data quota was introduced for GA4.

The GA4 data API has several quotas (quotas may differ, information is based on Dec 2022):

• Core Concurrent Requests Per Property: 10 (50 for GA4 360)

• Core Tokens Per Project Per Property Per Hour: 1,250 (12,500 for GA4 360)

• Realtime Tokens Per Property Per Day: 25,000 (250,000 for GA4 360)

Further reading (click me)

Additional information on API quotas can be found in the following article:

https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/data/v1/quotas#analytics_property_quotas  

YouTube video which covers GA4 Looker Studio and the GA4 API limits (API quotas may differ within the video as this session took place on Dec 2022):

Use GA4 and Looker Studio: Build Action @ GA4ward.com

How the Metrics and Dimensions Differ

Migrating to GA4: Essential Guide for Looker Studio Users | Bounteous

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Why do I only see two months of data in GA4?

By default, GA4 shows data (in explorations) covering the previous two months. This can be extended to 14 months, however, you will need to action this as it may require an update to your privacy policy.

To change this, go to the Admin panel in your GA4 property and click on Data Settings > Data Retention.

What’s the difference between a Standard Report and Free Form Report (previous Exploration Report)?

Standard GA4 reports are the pre-built reports that live within the left-hand navigation. These reports deliver data in summary cards that are visually appealing and can be used to discover user trends or discrepancies quickly.

You can, however, delve into your data using the highly customisable and flexible free-form exploration technique. Free-form exploration lets you:

• Visualise data in a table or graph

• Arrange and order the rows and columns of the table as you like

• Compare multiple metrics side by side

• Create nested rows to group the data

• Refine the free-form exploration using segments and filters

• Create segments and audiences from selected data

Learn more about Free Form reports here.

Why do I see more direct traffic in GA4 than compared to UA?

Traffic coming from a payment gateway may not have been added to the referral exclusion list - GA4 Frequently Asked Questions | How do you add unwanted referrals such as PayPal, Klana, Amazon etc?archived

Currently, GA4 does not provide an option to exclude bot traffic that could contribute to additional Direct traffic to the GA4 property.

If a UTM is not attributed correctly it can potentially be added as Direct traffic, the following provides information on how to map the correct traffic to GA4 Channel Grouping - GA4 Frequently Asked Questions | How do channel groupings work in GA4?archived

Why does my report have a threshold applied?

You should first check to see if Google Signals is enabled on your GA4 account. This will contribute to a threshold being applied to GA4 reports as there will oftentimes be fewer than 50 users who have triggered the respective GA4 event. You may also need to expand the date range to cover more users for that specific event.

More information on Google Signals can be found here - https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9445345?hl=en#:~:text=Google%20signals%20are%20session%20data,have%20turned%20on%20Ads%20Personalization.

Please note that Google Signals can contribute to higher Direct traffic in GA4. GA4 can track users across devices and platforms if they are logged into a Google service. This can lead to an increase in Direct traffic, as users who are already familiar with your website may be more likely to visit it directly, without clicking on a link from another website

Navigate to the GA4 account: Admin > Data Settings > Data Collection and then review the panel on the right.

How do channel groupings work in GA4?

In the Property column, click on Data Settings > Channel Groups.

From here, you can create new channel groups, edit groups, edit channels in a group, add new channels to a group, remove channels, reorder channels, and remove groups.

Please use the following as UTMs to map the correct traffic to the GA4 Channel Grouping. Refer to Google’s official documentation:

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11242870?hl=en&ref_topic=9306488

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9756891?hl=en

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/13051316?sjid=3186175697891333571-EU#zippy=%2Cin-this-article

How do I create custom dimensions?

GA4 uses a different approach to UA. In GA4, custom dimensions are now referred to as custom parameters. To register custom parameters in GA4, follow these steps:

• In your GA4 property select Admin from the left-hand menu (make sure the correct property is selected)

• In the property column select Custom Definitions, then click on either Create Custom Dimensions or Create Custom Metrics (this will be dependent on the custom parameter you’re creating).

Here are some parameters we recommend setting up:

• customer_type (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• error_message (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• error_type (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• promotion_name (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• creative_name (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• form_type (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• sign_up_method (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• login_method (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• affiliation (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• shipping_tier (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• form_location (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• email_opt_in (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• text_opt_in (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• coupon (Select Event Scope Dimension)

• search_term (Select Event Scope Dimension)

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Here's one we made earlier

I see a (not set) dimension in GA4 reports

Generally, (not set) indicates that the first event for the session was not a pageview, this can happen when the session times out (30 minutes is the default session expiry).

Please ensure the date range does not include today or yesterday, GA4 can take 24-48 hours to process data, meaning reports can display higher (not set).

For tips on improving this, please follow the guidance here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9191807?hl=en#zippy=%2Cadjust-session-timeout

Why are there negative figures in GA4?

GA4 can display negative values when comparing current data with previous data, particularly if there has been a decrease in views or other metrics.

Failure to exclude payment gateways from the list of unwanted referrals can also lead to negative figures. For more information see GA4 Frequently Asked Questions | How do you add unwanted referrals such as PayPal, Klana, Amazon etc?archived

How does Regex work in GA4?

GA4 treats regex differently when compared to UA. GA4 defaults to the following, having a start and end point:

^(REGEX)$

In order to target PLPs and PDP the regex has to look like the following to capture the additional digits as ,by default, it only reads the first digit:

.*-c(\d+)

.*-p(\d+)

For category, brand, and tag pages you can use the following:

.*(-c|-m|-t)(\d+)

Regex can be tested on the following site: https://regex101.com  

Why do I see different data in GA4 and VS Reporting?

Visualsoft Reporting uses raw data (it is unconsented and cannot be used for marketing purposes, such as bidding, remarketing, etc.) and therefore is more accurate. GA4 data is sampled and consented and can be used for marketing. Visualsoft Reports should always show more data than GA4 because unconsented data is always greater than consented. GA4 is a tool for identifying patterns.

Summary

You should now have a better understanding of the differences and current limitations of GA4. Many of your queries should now be answered and you will have information for your next steps where applicable.

Further Reading