Google Analytics Audit Test #

95

Reddit Attribution for All 'rdt_cid'

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 checks whether traffic containing Reddit’s click ID parameter (rdt_cid) is being properly attributed to Reddit Ads traffic in Google Analytics.

Reddit Ads appends rdt_cid to destination URLs for tracking purposes, but Google Analytics does not recognize it automatically.

If attribution is not configured, sessions may be misclassified as:

  • Direct
  • Referral
  • Unassigned
  • Organic

This leads to:

  • Underreporting of Reddit Ad performance
  • Misaligned campaign and channel ROI
  • Inaccurate traffic source breakdowns
  • Missed opportunities for remarketing and audience segmentation

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Analytics > Explore, create a Free-form report:
    • Dimensions: Landing page + query string, Session source/medium
    • Filter for landing pages that include rdt_cid=
    • Check if those sessions are properly attributed to reddit / cpc or reddit / paid_social

Advanced QA

  • In BigQuery, run this query:
    SELECT session_source, session_medium, page_location
    FROM `your_dataset.events_*`
    WHERE page_location LIKE '%rdt_cid%'
    ORDER BY session_source, session_medium
  • If rdt_cid traffic is showing up as direct, (not set), or referral, it’s not being properly attributed.

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How To Fix

  • Create a Custom Channel Grouping in GA4:
    • Use a rule to detect sessions where page_location includes rdt_cid=
    • Assign those to a custom channel like “Reddit Ads” with source = reddit, medium = cpc or paid_social
  • Use manual UTM tagging on Reddit ads as a fallback:
    • utm_source=reddit
    • utm_medium=cpc
    • utm_campaign=your_campaign_name
  • Ensure redirects or landing page settings do not strip rdt_cid or overwrite UTM parameters
  • Verify in DebugView that GA4 events retain full URLs on entry and track source/medium correctly
  • Hire a pro to fully integrate Reddit Ads attribution into your GA4 and data warehouse workflows—so every click gets the credit it deserves.

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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