Google Analytics Audit Test #

122

Irregularly Low Add to Cart Rate

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding website behavior.

Industries:

Ecommerce

Checks For:

Accuracy

How accurate is your recent data?

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 for unusually low “add to cart” rates, which measure the percentage of product detail views that result in a user adding the product to their cart. While not every product view leads to a cart action, very low rates (e.g., below 1–2%) may indicate:

  • Tracking issues, such as a broken or unfired add_to_cart event
  • Poor user experience (e.g., slow pages, missing buttons, pricing errors)
  • Low product appeal, driven by lack of information, bad imagery, or pricing misalignment

Without healthy cart engagement, your ecommerce funnel breaks down early, and valuable insights about product performance are lost.

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Google Analytics audit test results.

How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Analytics > Explore, create a Free-form report:
    • Dimensions: Item name or Item ID
    • Metrics: Item views (item_view) and Add-to-carts (add_to_cart)
    • Create a calculated metric: Add to cart rate = add_to_cart / item_view
  • Look for products or categories with:
    • High product views but very low add-to-cart rates
    • Or items where add-to-cart events are zero
  • Cross-reference with Google Analytics DebugView or Tag Assistant to confirm whether add_to_cart is actually firing when expected.
  • If it’s not tracking—or not happening—you may need UX, product, or tag fixes.

Automated, Free Audit

Run our Instant Audit to spot issues with your add to cart rate automatically.

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How To Fix

  • Validate that add_to_cart is implemented correctly:
    • Fires on real user actions (clicks, selections)
    • Includes proper items array with item_id, item_name, price, quantity
  • Check the placement and usability of your Add to Cart buttons:
    • Is the CTA visible, accessible, and functional on all devices?
    • Are users forced through barriers like logins, modals, or pop-ups?
  • Audit product pages for completeness:
    • Descriptions, reviews, pricing, availability, speed
  • If technical tracking is confirmed functional, consider A/B testing page layout, CTA language, or featured content.
  • Hire a pro to determine whether the issue is technical or behavioral—and optimize your product engagement strategy.

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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