Google Analytics Audit Test #

80

Match Between Clicks in LinkedIn to Analytics Sessions

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding where your traffic is coming from and assigning appropriate credit.

Industries:

All

Checks For:

Accuracy

How accurate is your recent data?

Insight Category:

Attribution

Can you tell which marketing efforts are working?

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Background

A GA4 audit is essential for uncovering missing insights—key data points that organizations don't yet know and can act upon. A well-done audit evaluates both behavioral tracking and traffic attribution, ensuring each is accurate and useful. It also assesses whether the data collected truly supports business decisions and reporting.

Test Detail

This test compares clicks reported in LinkedIn Ads with sessions recorded in Google Analytics from LinkedIn traffic.

While a small difference is expected due to user behavior and tracking limitations, a large mismatch often signals issues such as:

  • Missing or incorrect UTM parameters
  • Redirects or tracking tools stripping query parameters
  • Pages that load too slowly or block Google Analytics before the tag fires
  • Privacy restrictions on LinkedIn’s in-app browser (especially on mobile)

Without clean session tracking, LinkedIn Ads performance may appear underreported or misattributed in Google Analytics.

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Google Analytics audit test results.

How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In LinkedIn Ads Manager, pull clicks for a specific campaign and date range (e.g., past 7–30 days).
  • In Google Analytics > Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition, filter by:
    • Session source/medium = linkedin / paid_social
    • Or filter by campaign name using utm_campaign if applicable.
  • Compare clicks (LinkedIn Ads) vs. sessions (Google Analytics) at the campaign or ad level.
  • If sessions are significantly lower than clicks (e.g., <60–70% session-to-click ratio), there may be technical or tagging issues.

Automated, Free Audit

Run our Instant Audit to check for accurate attribution of your LinkedIn Ads campaigns in Google Analytics.

Unsure how to evaluate or fix your LinkedIn Ads attribution in Google Analytics? Hire a pro.

How To Fix

  • Make sure all LinkedIn ad URLs are tagged with full UTM parameters:
    • utm_source=linkedin
    • utm_medium=paid_social
    • utm_campaign=your_campaign_name
  • Avoid using redirects or landing page builders that strip UTMs.
  • Test links from a mobile device using LinkedIn’s in-app browser to ensure UTMs and tracking still work.
  • Optimize page load speed so that the Google Analytics tag fires before users bounce.
  • Consider using LinkedIn’s Insight Tag and/or server-side tagging for additional reliability.
  • Hire a pro to ensure clean attribution and reduce signal loss across LinkedIn campaigns.

Tips from a Google Analytics Consultant

Focus on Insights

Every Google Analytics audit should result in a plan for more insights.

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An insight is:

  • something you don't know
  • and can act on to improve performance

The Goal

Identify and remove insight blockers. Don't get tempted to track things you can't act on!

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