Google Analytics Audit Test #

132

Tag Manager Tags Loading with Lowest Reasonable Priority (Optimize Page Load Speeds)

Why It Matters:

Critical to optimizing site performance.

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 Google Tag Manager (GTM) tags are set to fire with the lowest reasonable priority, helping to optimize site performance and page load times. While accurate data collection is essential, tags firing too early or too often can:

  • Delay content rendering
  • Increase time to interaction (TTI)
  • Hurt Core Web Vitals scores
  • Degrade user experience, especially on mobile and low-bandwidth connections

This test is particularly relevant for marketing and analytics tags (e.g., pixels, ad conversions, heatmaps) that do not need to block page rendering.

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Tag Manager, open your container and inspect:
    • Firing triggers for Google Analytics, marketing, and third-party tags
    • Priority settings in the "Advanced Settings" > Tag firing priority
  • Look for tags set to fire:
    • On Window Loaded or DOM Ready when Page View is not required
    • With high priority settings (e.g., GTM defaults to 0, so anything above that is considered prioritized)
  • Use the Preview/Debug Mode to monitor when tags actually fire relative to the page lifecycle
  • Use Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools) or WebPageTest to evaluate:
    • Total blocking time (TBT)
    • Time to interactive (TTI)
    • First contentful paint (FCP)
  • In Google Analytics, look for elevated bounce rates or engagement time issues that could be caused by slow-loading scripts

Automated, Free Audit

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How To Fix

  • For all non-critical tags (e.g., remarketing pixels, Hotjar, chat tools), set them to fire:
    • On Window Loaded or Timer triggers
    • With delayed initialization via setTimeout if not using Google Tag Manager
    • In Tag Manager > Advanced Settings, set a lower firing priority (e.g., -1 or 0) unless the tag must fire before others
  • Move critical tags (e.g., GA4 config, essential ecommerce tracking) to Page View only if data would be lost otherwise
  • Use Google Tag Manager’s Consent Initialization and Consent Review triggers to sequence tags more intelligently when consent mode is enabled
  • Hire a pro to optimize your tag management strategy so your site loads fast and collects the data you need.

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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