Google Analytics Audit Test #

86

New, Direct Visits to Subpages

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 detects potential attribution issues by identifying new users whose first session is direct traffic landing on subpages.

While direct traffic is normal for returning users or homepage visits, a high volume of new users arriving directly on deep URLs (like product pages, blog posts, or confirmation pages) suggests missing or broken UTM parameters, stripped referrer data, or analytics misconfiguration.

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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: First user default channel group, Landing page + query string
    • Metric: New users
    • Filter for First user default channel group = Direct
  • Look for deep page URLs—i.e., anything not /, /home, or other clear entry points.
  • Spot-check those subpages—were they linked to from emails, paid ads, or affiliate partners? If so, they should have had UTMs.

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How To Fix

  • Audit all external links (ads, emails, referrals, QR codes) to ensure they include full UTM parameters.
  • If you’re using redirect links, landing page builders, or custom link shorteners, confirm that UTM parameters aren’t being stripped.
  • Check cookie and referrer settings—especially on apps, social browsers, or across domains.
  • Implement fallback mechanisms to preserve attribution through redirects or client-side routing.
  • Hire a pro to fix the attribution issues that are hiding the true origin of your high-value traffic.

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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