Google Analytics Audit Test #

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 select_item events are properly implemented and tracked in GA4. The select_item event is fired when a user selects a product from a list or gallery (e.g., on a category page, search results, or product carousel). This event helps measure:

• Product list performance
• Item click-through rates
• Effectiveness of merchandising layouts and sort orders
• The user journey leading from discovery to engagement

If this event is missing or misconfigured, it limits visibility into how users are interacting with product lists—one of the most critical steps in the ecommerce funnel.

Implementing 'select_item'

• Use the recommended push to the dataLayer:

    gtag('event', 'select_item', {
      item_list_id: 'related_products',
      item_list_name: 'Related products',
      items: [{
        item_id: 'SKU_12345',
        item_name: 'T-Shirt'
      }]
    });

• In Google Tag Manager, configure an event to trigger:
  • When users click on a product from a list (not on page load)
• Include a properly formatted items array with:
  • item_id, item_name, item_category, item_list_name, etc.
• Consistently fire this event across all list types: category pages, homepage carousels, search results, upsell widgets, etc.

QA Tips

• Validate implementation using GA4 DebugView and Tag Assistant
• Hire a pro to structure and QA your product interaction events—so you can confidently measure what drives engagement and conversion.