Google Analytics Audit Test #

101

Tiktok Attribution for All 'ttclid'

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 TikTok Ads traffic—identified by the ttclid parameter—is being properly attributed in Google Analytics.

TikTok adds a ttclid (TikTok Click ID) to URLs when a user clicks an ad, but Google Analytics does not automatically map this to a source/medium, which can result in:

  • Traffic showing as direct, referral, or even (not set)
  • Underreporting of TikTok campaign performance
  • Inaccurate ROAS, CAC, and conversion analysis
  • Lost retargeting and optimization opportunities

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Analytics > Explore, build a Free-form report:
    • Dimensions: Landing page + query string, Session source/medium
    • Filter for landing pages containing ttclid=
    • Check if those sessions are attributed to tiktok / cpc or tiktok / paid_social

Advanced QA

In BigQuery, run this query:

    SELECT session_source, session_medium, page_location
    FROM `your_dataset.events_*`
    WHERE page_location LIKE '%ttclid%'
    ORDER BY session_source, session_medium;
  • If TikTok traffic with ttclid is showing up as direct or unassigned, your attribution isn’t configured correctly.

Automated, Free Audit

Want a faster way to verify attribution health? Run our Instant Audit

Or hire a pro to fully connect your TikTok ad performance to your analytics.

How To Fix

  • Create a Custom Channel Grouping in Google Analytics:
    • Use a rule to detect ttclid= in the URL and assign the traffic to the paid social channel
  • In TikTok Ads Manager, ensure you add UTM parameters to every ad link:
    • utm_source=tiktok
    • utm_medium=cpc
    • utm_campaign={{ad_name}}
  • Ensure any redirects or landing page scripts preserve the ttclid and UTM parameters
  • For advanced attribution, store the ttclid in a cookie or localStorage and associate it with backend conversions or offline events (e.g., via TikTok Events API)
  • Hire a pro to implement durable TikTok attribution so you can confidently measure and optimize your TikTok ad performance.

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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