Google Analytics Audit Checklist to Improve Tracking & Insights

Account Setup & Configuration

Verify GA4 implementation:
Confirm GA4 is correctly installed on all website pages and replace Universal Analytics to ensure uninterrupted data collection after UA deprecation.

Check Google Tag Manager integration:
Verify that GTM is properly set up and firing all required tags to centralize tracking management and minimize direct code changes.

Verify the placement of the tracking code:
Make sure the GA4 tracking code is in the head section of every page before other scripts to track all user interactions accurately.

Establish a correct account hierarchy:
Organize your account structure with proper levels for organization, account, property, and data stream to ensure clear data management and user access control.

Configure data retention settings:
Set suitable data retention periods aligned with business needs and compliance standards to balance historical analysis ability with privacy rules.

Enable enhanced measurement features:
Enable enhanced measurement to automatically track scroll activity, outbound clicks, site searches, video engagement, and file downloads for comprehensive user behavior data.

Set up cross-domain tracking:
Enable cross-domain measurement if your business operates across multiple domains to track the full user journey and attribution throughout your digital environment.

Verify data stream configuration:
Make sure all relevant websites, apps, and platforms are correctly linked as data streams to gather omnichannel user interactions in a single unified view.

Goal Setup & Conversion Tracking

Define and configure key conversion events:
Set up conversion tracking for key business actions like purchases, form submissions, downloads, and sign-ups to measure ROI and campaign effectiveness.

Set up Enhanced Ecommerce tracking:
Implement Enhanced Ecommerce to monitor product performance, shopping behavior, checkout process, and revenue attribution for thorough online sales analysis.

Create custom events for micro-conversions:
Track smaller engagement actions like video views, scroll depth, and time on page to understand the full customer journey beyond macro conversions.

Configure funnel analysis:
Create conversion funnels to pinpoint where users drop off during key processes such as checkout, registration, or lead generation forms.

Implement offline conversion tracking:
Link offline sales data using Customer Match or other methods to measure the full impact of digital marketing on revenue.

Set up attribution modeling:
Set up suitable attribution models to understand how various marketing channels influence conversions throughout the customer journey.

Validate conversion values:
Ensure monetary values correctly match conversions and actual business revenue for accurate ROI calculations and budget optimization.

Test goal completion accuracy:
Verify that all conversion events fire correctly by testing user flows and checking real-time reports to ensure data reliability.

Audience & Demographics Configuration

Enable demographic and interest reports:
Enable Google Ads remarketing and demographic features to gain insights into audience age, gender, interests, and affinity categories for improved targeting.

Create custom audience segments:
Create specific audience segments based on behavior, demographics, technology, or custom dimensions to analyze different user groups individually.

Set up cohort analysis:
Configure cohort reports to track user retention and lifetime value over time, helping optimize customer acquisition and retention strategies.

Implement user-ID tracking:
Enable the User-ID feature to track logged-in users across devices and sessions for more accurate user journey analysis and personalization opportunities.

Configure audience triggers:
Set up automated audience creation based on specific behaviors or characteristics to streamline remarketing list building and campaign targeting.

Validate audience data accuracy:
Cross-reference audience insights with first-party customer data to confirm that demographic and interest information matches known customer profiles.

Set up geographic reporting:
Set up location tracking to learn where your users are and improve content, ads, and operations for main markets.

Enable affinity and in-market audiences:
Activate Google's machine learning-powered audience insights to understand user interests and purchase intent for more effective marketing strategies.

Custom Dimensions & Metrics

Identify key custom dimensions needed:
Define custom dimensions for business-specific data like customer type, content category, or user role to segment reports beyond standard GA4 dimensions.

Implement user-scoped custom dimensions:
Configure user-level custom dimensions for persistent attributes like membership status, customer lifetime value, or acquisition source to monitor long-term patterns.

Configure event-scoped custom dimensions:
Create event-level custom dimensions for contextual data such as product category, content type, or campaign details to enhance individual interaction analysis.

Set up custom metrics calculation:
Define calculated metrics that combine standard metrics in meaningful ways for your business, like revenue per visitor or engagement rate.

Validate custom dimension data quality:
Test custom dimension implementation to verify data is captured consistently and accurately across all relevant user interactions and events.

Document custom implementation:
Create comprehensive documentation for all custom dimensions and metrics, including their purpose, implementation details, and expected use cases.

Review custom dimension limits:
Make sure you stay within GA4's custom dimension limits and focus on the most valuable custom data for your business analysis.

Set up custom dimension reporting:
Create dedicated reports and dashboards that use custom dimensions to offer unique insights unavailable in standard GA4 reports.

Filter & Data Quality Setup

Exclude internal traffic:
Exclude visits from employees, contractors, and testing activities by using IP address exclusions to ensure the data reflects actual customer behavior.

Set up bot filtering:
Enable bot and spam filtering to eliminate automated traffic that might distort your analytics data and cause inaccurate business decisions.

Configure referrer spam exclusion:
Identify and eliminate referrer spam sources that artificially boost traffic numbers without delivering any real business value or user engagement.

Implement data validation rules:
Set up automated alerts for unusual data patterns, traffic spikes, or conversion rate changes that might indicate tracking issues or external factors.

Create a test environment exclusion:
Exclude traffic from development, staging, and testing environments to keep production data clean for business analysis and reporting.

Set up UTM parameter validation:
Ensure consistent UTM parameter naming conventions and verify that campaign tracking parameters accurately capture attribution data.

Monitor data sampling:
Review data sampling in reports and recognize when it happens to ensure decisions aren't based on incomplete or biased data sets.

Validate cross-device tracking:
Test user identification across devices and browsers to ensure precise user journey tracking in an increasingly multi-device world.

E-commerce & Revenue Tracking

Configure purchase event tracking:
Set up precise purchase event tracking with transaction ID, revenue, tax, shipping, and product details for thorough sales analysis.

Implement product performance tracking:
Track individual product views, add-to-cart actions, and purchases to identify top-performing products and optimize inventory and marketing strategies.

Set up shopping behavior analysis:
Configure checkout behavior reports to identify where users abandon their purchase journey and improve conversion funnel performance.

Track refund and return data:
Implement refund tracking to accurately measure net revenue and identify product quality issues or customer satisfaction problems.

Configure promotion tracking:
Implement promotion code and campaign tracking to assess the impact of discounts, coupons, and special offers on sales performance.

Implement subscription tracking:
Monitor recurring subscription sign-ups, renewals, and cancellations to assess subscription business performance and customer lifetime value.

Validate revenue accuracy:
Cross-reference GA4 revenue data with your sales systems to verify tracking accuracy and spot any discrepancies that require correction.

Set up product list performance:
Monitor how various product category pages, search results, and recommendation sections influence product discovery and sales conversion.

Traffic Source & Campaign Attribution

Audit UTM parameter consistency:
Review all campaign UTM parameters for consistent naming conventions and ensure proper attribution of traffic sources across marketing channels.

Configure Google Ads integration:
Link Google Ads accounts to import cost data and enable advanced campaign performance analysis with full ROI measurement capabilities.

Set up social media attribution:
Correctly tag social media campaigns and posts to properly measure the impact of organic and paid social efforts on website traffic and conversions.

Implement email campaign tracking:
Tag email campaigns with proper UTM parameters to monitor email marketing performance and improve subject lines, content, and send times.

Configure organic search attribution:
Set up Google Search Console integration to monitor organic search performance and find opportunities for SEO improvements.

Track direct traffic accuracy:
Analyze high direct traffic percentages to identify attribution gaps and ensure accurate campaign tagging across all marketing channels.

Set up offline attribution:
Implement store visit tracking or phone call conversions to measure how digital campaigns drive offline business actions and revenue.

Validate attribution modeling:
Review and update attribution models to accurately represent how various touchpoints contribute to conversions in your specific customer journey.

Site Performance & Technical Audit

Monitor page load speed impact:
Analyze Core Web Vitals and page speed metrics to understand how site performance affects user engagement, bounce rates, and conversion rates.

Check mobile vs desktop performance:
Compare user behavior, conversion rates, and engagement metrics across device types to optimize the mobile experience and responsive design.

Audit the site search functionality:
Track internal site search queries and results to understand user intent and identify content gaps or navigation issues.

Review the 404 error impact:
Monitor how broken pages and error states impact user experience and identify high-traffic 404 pages that require immediate attention.

Analyze browser and technology data:
Review browser, operating system, and screen resolution data to ensure your website performs well for your actual user base.

Track form abandonment:
Track where users give up on forms and find fields or steps that cause difficulty in lead generation and conversions.

Monitor real user monitoring (RUM):
Use GA4's performance insights with other RUM tools to understand real user experience instead of just relying on synthetic testing.

Validate AMP and PWA tracking:
Ensure that accelerated mobile pages and progressive web app features are properly tracked for a complete analysis of the entire mobile user journey.

Privacy & Compliance Configuration

Configure consent management:
Implement proper consent banners and ensure GA4 complies with user privacy preferences for data collection and personalized advertising.

Set up data deletion procedures:
Create processes for managing user data deletion requests to ensure compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws.

Review data sharing settings:
Review all data sharing options with Google and third parties to confirm they match your privacy policy and user consent preferences.

Implement IP anonymization:
Configure IP address anonymization as required by local privacy laws to protect user identity while preserving useful location insights.

Set up privacy-compliant remarketing:
Ensure remarketing audiences adhere to user consent and privacy preferences while still allowing effective marketing campaign targeting.

Configure data retention compliance:
Establish data retention periods that comply with relevant laws and business requirements, ensuring the preservation of historical data for trend analysis.

Monitor cross-border data transfers:
Learn how GA4 manages international data transfers and ensure compliance with regional data protection laws.

Document privacy practices:
Keep clear records of data collection, usage, and retention practices for updates to the privacy policy and in response to regulatory inquiries.

Reporting & Dashboard Optimization

Create an executive dashboard:
Create high-level dashboards displaying key business metrics, trends, and performance indicators essential for leadership's strategic decision-making.

Set up automated reporting:
Set up scheduled reports for various stakeholders to guarantee regular data sharing without manual effort and consistent business oversight.

Customize attribution reports:
Create custom attribution analysis reports that reveal the true impact of various marketing channels and touchpoints on business goals.

Build cohort analysis reports:
Develop cohort reports to monitor user retention, lifetime value, and behavior changes over time for a more effective customer acquisition strategy.

Configure real-time monitoring:
Set up real-time dashboards for critical events such as product launches, campaign starts, or high-traffic periods to allow immediate response.

Create segment-specific reports:
Create targeted reports for various user segments, geographic locations, or customer groups to support more personalized marketing and optimization efforts.

Set up anomaly detection:
Set up automatic alerts for unusual traffic patterns, changes in conversion rates, or technical problems that need immediate attention or investigation.

Implement data visualization best practices:
Design reports and dashboards with clear visualizations, relevant metrics, and actionable insights that enhance business decisions rather than just data presentation.

Integration & Data Connections

Connect Google Search Console:
Link Search Console to analyze organic search performance, keyword rankings, and technical SEO issues alongside website analytics data.

Integrate Google Ads accounts:
Link all Google Ads accounts to import cost data and perform a comprehensive ROI analysis across paid search, display, and video campaigns.

Set up CRM integration:
Connect customer relationship management systems to combine online behavior data with offline customer information for comprehensive customer journey analysis.

Link social media platforms:
Integrate social media platforms to track social media ROI and understand how engagement influences website conversions.

Configure email marketing integration:
Connect email platforms to monitor email campaign results and subscriber activity on your website.

Set up BigQuery export:
Enable BigQuery data export for advanced analysis, custom reporting, and integration with other business intelligence and data visualization tools.

Integrate attribution tools:
Connect third-party attribution platforms to enable more advanced multi-touch attribution analysis beyond GA4's standard attribution modeling.

Link heat mapping and session recording:
Integrate tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg to combine quantitative analytics data with qualitative user behavior insights for comprehensive optimization.

Data Validation & Quality Assurance

Perform cross-platform data validation:
Compare GA4 data with other analytics tools, advertising platforms, and internal systems to identify and resolve any significant discrepancies.

Test event tracking accuracy:
Regularly test all custom events and conversions across different browsers, devices, and user scenarios to ensure consistent data collection.

Validate revenue tracking:
Cross-reference GA4 revenue reports with actual sales data from e-commerce platforms or accounting systems to ensure financial accuracy.

Monitor data freshness:
Check data processing delays and ensure reports reflect recent activity within acceptable timeframes for business decision-making needs.

Audit historical data consistency:
Review historical data for unusual patterns, gaps, or inconsistencies that might indicate past tracking issues or configuration changes.

Test sampling accuracy:
Understand when and how GA4 applies sampling to your data and ensure incomplete data sets don't compromise business decisions.

Validate user identification:
Test cross-device and cross-session user tracking to ensure accurate user counting and journey analysis in your specific implementation.

Perform regular data backups:
Make sure you have systems to export and back up essential analytics data for long-term storage and compliance needs.

Stronger strategy, better results

Get SEO roadmap proposal from specialized SEO experts that is completely customized for your business.

24 hours

Get SEO proposal

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Maria Harutyunyan

A well-structured approach is the cornerstone of successful SEO. That's why we’ve developed a series of in-depth checklists designed to streamline your SEO strategy. From building high-quality backlinks and optimizing your WordPress site to tackling on-page SEO and technical optimizations, our checklists offer precise, actionable steps to help you confidently navigate every aspect of SEO.

April 3, 2025

Google Analytics Audit Checklist: Ensure Accurate and Actionable Data