Google Analytics Audit Test #

90

Percent of Traffic Blocking Tracking

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding the differences between Google Analytics data and your backend.

Industries:

All

Checks For:

Accuracy

How accurate is your recent data?

Insight Category:

Behavior

Can you tell what visitors are doing?

Google Analytics Audit logo

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 assesses what percentage of site traffic is likely blocking Google Analytics tracking, either by:

  • Browser-level tracking prevention (e.g., Safari ITP, Firefox ETP)
  • Ad blockers and privacy extensions
  • Cookie consent banners that prevent GA4 from firing
  • User settings like Do Not Track or VPNs

When a large portion of users block tracking, your Google Analytics data can appear artificially low—especially in engagement, conversion, or returning user rates.

Understanding this percentage helps you interpret metrics more accurately and decide whether to supplement Google Analytics with server-side or modeled tracking.

Check This Test for Free! Instantly.

Our free instant audit tool checks for 90 issues in 90 seconds.

Then gives you a prioritized list of items to tackle.

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Google Analytics audit test results.

How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • Compare Google Analytics session counts to:
    • Backend logs or server traffic analytics
    • CDN or WAF logs (e.g., Cloudflare, Fastly)
    • Consent banner interaction data (e.g., how many users accept vs. reject)
    • If available, compare GA4 vs. Meta Pixel vs. server analytics to triangulate signal loss
  • In BigQuery, monitor sessions where expected events (e.g., page_view) are not present or where identifiers (e.g., client_id) are unusually sparse
  • Third-party tools like Plausible, Cloudflare, or cookieless analytics solutions can also offer side-by-side tracking loss visibility
  • If >10–15% of traffic isn’t making it into GA4, you may be underestimating performance or channel impact.

Automated, Free Audit

Want a short cut to understanding how much of your traffic is blocking tracking? Run our Instant Audit

Or hire a pro to evaluate signal coverage and mitigation options.

How To Fix

  • Implement Google Consent Mode v2 to enable modeled conversions and partial tracking when users opt out
  • Consider server-side Google Tag Manager to restore visibility in a privacy-compliant way
  • Move Google Analytics scripts higher in the page load order to capture more early exits
  • Minimize load time and redirect chains to prevent tag suppression
  • Use modeled reporting in Google Analytics (where available) to account for conversion gaps due to tracking loss
  • Hire a pro to assess your current signal loss, implement fallback strategies, and preserve accurate insights across all 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!

Hire a Google Analytics Consultant
Google Analytics consultant