Google Analytics Audit Test #

105

UTMs on All Emails

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 verifies whether email traffic is consistently tagged with UTM parameters.

Without proper UTMs, traffic from emails may be misclassified as direct or referral in Google Analytics—breaking attribution and undervaluing your email performance.

Proper tagging is especially important for lifecycle, drip, and promotional campaigns.

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Google Analytics audit test results.

How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Analytics > Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition, look at Session medium and filter for:
    • email
    • Or other known email traffic sources (e.g., newsletter, klaviyo, mailchimp)
  • If most email-driven traffic shows up as “(direct) / (none)” or “referral,” UTM tagging is likely missing or inconsistent.
  • Review your latest email sends and test-click their links:
    • Do links include utm_source=[EMAIL PLATFORM], utm_medium=email, and utm_campaign=...?
    • Are parameters preserved through redirects or link shorteners?

Automated, Free Audit

Run our Instant Audit to catch missing UTMs automatically.

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How To Fix

  • Standardize UTM parameters for all email campaigns:
    • utm_source=[EMAIL PLATFORM]
    • utm_medium=email
    • utm_campaign=your-campaign-name
  • Use built-in UTM tools in your email platform (e.g., Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot).
  • If using click tracking or link shortening tools, ensure they preserve UTMs.
  • Avoid linking to landing pages that redirect and strip parameters unless fallback tracking is in place.
  • Hire a pro to implement UTM templates, train your team, and ensure your email performance is fully visible in Google Analytics.

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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