Web Analytics Audits

Implementing Web Analytics:

Garbage in, garbage out applies to all kinds of data, including web analytics. Like any tool, Google Analytics requires setting up and configuring to accurately deliver reports and insights. 

If you have not yet migrated to Google Analytics 4, you can download our free Guide for Migrating to Google Analytics 4.

You can only improve your conversion rate if you can accurately measure it and understand user behaviour. To reveal valuable insights about how to optimise the user experience it is important to regularly conduct audits of GA to ensure correct implementation and configuration.  

Google Analytics will never be 100% accurate because it’s a behavioural tool. In addition, not all users accept cookie consent policies, and some visitors use ad-blockers etc. However, it’s still important to ensure GA is configured to provide you with the most accurate data that you can expect from a web analytics platform.

Reasons GA Data may not be Accurate:

1. Content Security Policies can prevent GA and GTM from calling relevant APIs.
2. Google has set a limit for the number of hits per session, and this can be reached if too many auto-event triggers (e.g. scroll reach) are enabled, and journeys are not tracked with individual event tags.
3. Internal traffic and visitors from other environments (e.g. DEV or UAT) are not excluded.
4. Reliance on URL changes rather than data layer push for transactional events or content changes in single page applications.
5. Data layer push script does not follow Google’s set format.
6. Too many Ecommerce items are sent at once. GA has a limit for a single request.
7. JavaScript errors in the browser can prevent GA from firing. This can be avoided by enabling error tracking in GTM. 
8. Developers don’t ensure scripts only fire once, resulting in duplicate purchase events. 
9. Tracking code is fired just before users are redirected to another page.
10. Tracking code has not been implemented on other domains which form part of the user journey such as iFrames or embedded applications on the site. 
11. Query parameters haven’t been removed from page paths in GA4. 
12. Sub-domain tracking has not been configured where you are using subdomains.

Services:

If required, knowledge will be transferred to your business to allow ongoing self-service management of your web analytics configuration and analysis. 

Our Services Include:

• Audit and configuration of web analytics (e.g. exclude internal traffic or personally identifiable information, create custom dimensions and metrics). 
• Migrate to Google Tag Manager (GTM) for agile deployment and development of marketing tags (e.g. Facebook Pixel). As well as enriching your Google Analytics data, GTM minimises the involvement of developers in the process of tracking user behaviour. 
• Create and configure key user events (e.g. add to basket & sign up) for accurate reporting of user journeys. Then build sales funnel reports to identify precisely where users drop out of the journey and reveal any conversion barriers. GTM will be used to track all important user events, and if required, enhanced e-commerce tracking can be implemented.
• Link your GA4 account to Google Search Console to enable full analysis of your SEO performance.
• Build audiences for remarketing and re-engagement campaigns and make them accessible in your Google Ads account.
• Configure GTM for advanced analysis (e.g. scroll reach & video plays) and enhanced ecommerce if needed.

It’s important to get the basics right to ensure GA delivers the required insights for evidence-based optimisation. We often install other analytics solutions, such as Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar, to complement your web analytics platform. These solutions provide click and scroll heatmaps, and session replays to better evaluate your user experience. 

Our web analysts are fully accredited by the Google Analytics Academy and hold the Advanced Google Analytics certificate of achievement.