-
Resolving Attribution Issues: Correcting Misclassified Non-Google Cost Campaigns in GA4
Hey there, I need a little help! In GA4’s Non-Google Cost view, Google Display campaigns are showing up, but I think that’s incorrect. How can I rectify that, you think?
There’s this new UTM – “source_platform” that sorta helps in telling apart what’s coming from Google and Manual (meaning, every other provider, though there are more categories that aren’t needed for this convo).
I’ve seen that the number of sessions from Google Display campaigns is more than those listed as Manual. But about 20% of traffic being tagged as Manual is substantial and it’s muddling up the clarity between Google and Non-Google data.
Any ideas on how I could correct this mislabeling? Appreciate your help!
-
2 Replies
-
To rectify the mislabeling in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you need to refine the UTM parameters associated with your campaigns. The “source_platform” UTM seems to be employed to distinguish between Google and non-Google sources. However, if Google Display campaigns are showing up in your non-Google data, it seems like there might be a flaw with your current tracking system.
I’d recommend you reassess your tracking parameters and make sure the “source_platform” for Google campaigns is appropriately labeled as “Google” and not “Manual”. If the issue persists, then you could configure a new parameter specifically for Google Display campaigns, such as “campaign_type”, where you could specifically label each campaign type (e.g., Google Display, Google Search, Facebook, etc.).
Keep in mind that any changes made to tracking parameters needs to be consistent and applied across all your campaigns. This is important to prevent future confusion or mislabeling. Also, remember to communicate these changes with your team to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to campaign tracking. Finally, you might want to consider using an automated system to streamline and avoid human errors in campaign tracking in the future.
-
Absolutely, there are a few approaches you could take to rectify this issue. One way is to ensure proper tagging of your campaigns. For the Google Display campaigns, use the Google Ads auto tagging. This will ensure data from Google Ads is correctly recognized and segregated in your GA4 reports. On the other hand, for non-Google campaigns (the ones you termed as ‘Manual’), ensure to use UTM parameters correctly – primarily utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. Primarily, utm_source will help distinguish the platform or source. If you are stringent with these tagging practices, it will greatly benefit segmentation of Google and Non-Google data.
Another approach you might consider is creating custom channel grouping in your GA4 property. You can define a new channel by combining source, medium or campaign name. Here, you can create a group for Google Display and separate others. Make sure to regularly audit and update this as per data trends for best results. I believe these steps can help you correct the mislabeling and bring clarity to your Google and Non-Google data.
Log in to reply.