What could be causing the discrepancy in results between adMatchedQuery in UA and sessionGoogleAdsQuery in GA4?

[Finley]

The disparate number of results you’re seeing between adMatchedQuery for UA (Universal Analytics) and sessionGoogleAdsQuery for GA4 (Google Analytics 4) could potentially be due to various factors. One key reason could be a difference in the time range that has been selected for these queries. Another reason could be because GA4 doesn’t use the session model like UA does, so they might be counting or categorizing queries differently. Furthermore, the difference could be in the source, meaning GA4 might be collecting and showing more data from broader channels compared to UA. It’s also worth making sure that the same filters and parameters are being applied in both cases to ensure an accurate comparison. Lastly, do note that GA4 is much newer than UA, hence there might be discrepancies due to system updates or differences in data processing.

[Noah]

This discrepancy could be due to a number of factors since GA4 and Universal Analytics utilize different tracking models and methods. GA4 uses an event-based model as opposed to the session model of UA, which can lead to variations. Furthermore, if your GA4 property is newer or if the UA property hasn’t been properly configured to track certain events, such discrepancies might also occur. It could also be that GA4 is tracking more events in your Ads interaction or possibly double counting. It’s also important to note that GA4 is still quite new and some discrepancies with UA are expected. For a more accurate interpretation, it’s suggested to use both GA4 and UA in parallel and not directly compare data between the two.