Google Analytics Audit Test #

33

Analytics conversions attributed to Microsoft Ads match Microsoft Ads platform conversions

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 compares conversions recorded in GA4 for Microsoft Ads traffic with conversions reported directly in Microsoft Ads. While small differences are expected due to tracking methodologies, large discrepancies can suggest issues like:

  • Missing or misconfigured UTM parameters
  • Broken or stripped msclkid (Microsoft Click ID)
  • Conversion events not firing or being delayed
  • Attribution differences (e.g., LinkedIn using last-click, Microsoft using first-click or view-through)

When Microsoft Ads conversions don’t align with your analytics platform, it becomes difficult to assess ad performance, allocate budget accurately, and optimize campaign strategies.

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Microsoft Ads, export a report showing conversions by campaign over a date range.
  • In GA4 > Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition, filter for:
    • Session source / medium = bing / cpc or microsoft / cpc
    • Metric: Conversions (or your primary key event)
  • Compare campaign-level conversion totals between GA4 and Microsoft Ads.
  • In Explore or BigQuery, break down conversions further by device, region, or landing page to identify where the gap widens.
  • If your GA4 shows significantly fewer conversions than Microsoft Ads, attribution or tag deployment may be broken.

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How To Fix

  • Enable auto-tagging in Microsoft Ads to append msclkid to all URLs.
  • Ensure GA4 or your tag manager preserves the msclkid and doesn’t strip it on redirect.
  • Use complete and consistent UTM parameters on all Microsoft Ads:
    • utm_source=bing or microsoft
    • utm_medium=cpc
    • utm_campaign=...
  • Validate that conversion events are firing properly on your site (use GA4 DebugView or Tag Assistant).
  • Consider using Microsoft’s Universal Event Tracking (UET) alongside GA4 for comparison.
  • Recognize that Microsoft may track view-through conversions or use different attribution windows than GA4.
  • Hire a pro to resolve cross-platform inconsistencies and help you accurately measure Microsoft Ads 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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