Google Analytics Audit Test #

56

GA4 Data Retention Set to Maximum

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding user attribution, site behavior, and the ability to engage in analysis.

Industries:

All

Checks For:

Utility

How powerful is your current implementation?

Insight Category:

Behavior

Can you tell what visitors are doing?

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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 checks whether your GA4 data retention settings are configured for the maximum allowable period (14 months).

If set too low, you may lose access to important historical data needed for cohort analysis, year-over-year comparisons, and long-term user behavior insights.

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In GA4, go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Retention.
    • Review the retention period for both event and user-level data.
    • If the setting is less than 14 months, GA4 will automatically delete older data and limit historical exploration capabilities—especially in ad-hoc reports or funnels using user-scoped dimensions.
  • If you’re not seeing year-over-year comparisons or your custom explorations keep losing data, this could be the cause.

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How To Fix

  • Navigate to Admin > Data Settings > Data Retention in your GA4 property.
  • Set the Event data retention dropdown to 14 months.
  • Make sure the toggle to “Reset user data on new activity” is set appropriately based on your business model (usually ON for most sites).
  • Hire a pro to review your entire GA4 configuration for long-term analytics readiness.

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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