7 GA 4 Configuration Mistakes that you need to avoid

7 GA 4 Configuration Mistakes that you need to avoid

When it comes to the configuration and deployment of Google Analytics 4, there are probably more than a hundred things you can get wrong. Are you certain that your GA4 setup is precise?

Setting up GA4 correctly is difficult. It can be difficult to keep up with Google Analytics 4's constant evolution and numerous upgrades.

Setting up GA4 correctly is difficult. It can be difficult to keep up with Google Analytics 4's constant evolution and numerous upgrades.

In this article, I am going to share the top 7 Configuration mistakes that most people make with regard to Google Analytics 4:

#1. Data Retention Period

The default data retention period in GA 4 is set for 2 months. Although it doesn`t affect the data in standard reports, it has an impact on the Explore Section.

This means that data older than two months won't be able to be analyzed. In free properties, you can, however, prolong the retention term to 14 months.

Note: this feature only applies to the future data


#2. Unwanted Referrals

Referrals are the type of traffic that comes to your website from another source, such as a link to an unaffiliated website.

Do the visitor and conversion reports in GA4 for your online store mention third-party payment processors?

The option "List unwanted referrals" will then need to be configured. If you don't, GA4 will incorrectly attribute e-commerce transactions to their proper sources.

Go to Admin > Data Streams > Select your website data stream.

Click on “Configure Tagging Settings”.

Click on “List unwanted referrals”.

There you should enter the domains you do not want to see in traffic acquisition reports

#3. Cross-domain tracking

Configure cross-domain tracking if your system has multiple distinct domains (not subdomains) that are all tracked in the same GA4 property.

Go to Admin > Data Streams > Select your website data stream.

Then you need to click the Configure tag settings

Then select Configure your domains


There you should enter the domains that are tracked with the same GA4 property

#4. Default session duration

GA4 sessions last for 30 minutes by default. However, a lot of people might leave your tab open for several hours, for example.

You may start to notice a lot of "not set" landing pages in your reports because the default length is brief and the session will time out.

Increasing the default session length will make this problem less severe. I advise raising it for this reason.

Go to Admin > Data Streams > Select your website data stream.

Click Configure Tag Settings

Show More > Adjust session timeout.

Increase the duration to at least several hours

#5. Adjust the timer for engaged sessions

You can also increase the timer of engaged sessions to at least 30 seconds

If you don't do a component of Google Analytics 4 will consider users who stay on a page for 10 seconds to be engaged.

#6. Not Linking To BigQuery Account

The paid version of Universal Analytics 360 did not support linking to BigQuery. All customers now have access to that premium functionality because of GA4.

It's crucial to set it up at the beginning in order to get as much historical data as possible because it exports data to BigQuery as soon as you join.

In order to link GA4 to BigQuery, navigate to BigQuery Links in your GA4 settings.

Additionally, in order to complete linking to BigQuery, you first need to create a BigQuery project which will require you to enter your billing information.


#7. Not excluding internal traffic

By default, Google Analytics 4 tracks the actions also coming from your own colleagues and employees. This can make your data less accurate.

To solve this problem, you should tell Google Analytics to ignore the actions of people from your own office. You do this by adding your office's IP addresses to your Google Analytics settings. This way, you'll get cleaner and more reliable data.

Navigate to Data Streams in GA4.

Go to Configure tag settings,

click on the Show More button, and then click on Define Internal Traffic Rule.

Then create the rules that include your IP addresses and save them.

Lastly, you need to go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Filters and activate the Internal traffic filter.

In summary, it is vital to avoid mistakes, in setting up Google Analytics 4 to ensure reliable data collection. By understanding these obstacles and taking the steps you can fully utilize GA4 and gain valuable insights for your website or application. Additionally, it's important to acknowledge that maintaining GA4 requires more effort than a one-time setup. Staying attentive and adapting to its evolving features is crucial, for maximizing its effectiveness in meeting your analytics requirements.


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