Key takeaways
- An analytics audit checks four areas: implementation, key events, data quality and integrations.
- Common findings are duplicate tags, missing tags on important pages and key events that fire incorrectly or not at all.
- GA4 retention for standard properties is 2 or 14 months, and Google notes the setting affects only explorations and funnel reports, so set it to 14 months early.
- Internal traffic filters change data permanently once active, so test them first; Google says test results can take 24 to 36 hours to appear.
- Audit after every redesign, migration or tag change, and run a short check every month.
Decisions built on inaccurate analytics are worse than decisions with no data, because the numbers create false confidence. An audit confirms GA4 is recording what you think it records before you shift budget or judge a campaign. This Emulent checklist covers what to check and how often.
What does an analytics audit check?
Four areas, in this order, because each depends on the one before it.
First, implementation accuracy. Confirm the GA4 tag loads once on every page.
| Implementation check | What to do |
|---|---|
| Tag coverage | Crawl the site or use Tag Assistant to confirm the tag fires on every template, including landing pages, checkout and thank-you pages. |
| Duplicate tags | Look for duplicate tags, often from a hard-coded tag plus Google Tag Manager or a plugin. Duplicates double pageviews and events. |
| Enhanced measurement | Review enhanced measurement settings for scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video and file downloads, and turn off any that misfire on your site. |
| Consent mode | Check consent mode behavior where required, so tags respect visitor choices. |
Second, key events. GA4 renamed conversions to key events in March 2024.
- Submit each form, click each tracked call link and complete each purchase or booking, then confirm the event in DebugView or the Realtime report.
- Confirm only meaningful actions are marked as key events, not pageviews or scrolls.
- Check that values assigned to key events are current.
- Compare key event counts with CRM leads or store orders for the same period.
Third, data quality.
- Exclude internal traffic. Google’s internal traffic guide has you define the rule in the data stream, then create a data filter; run it in Testing before Active, because active filters change data permanently.
- List unwanted referrals, such as payment gateways, so checkouts do not appear as referral traffic.
- Set data retention to 14 months. Google’s retention article lists 2 or 14 months for standard properties and notes it affects explorations and funnel reports.
- Check for personal data, such as emails in page URLs or event parameters, and remove it.
- Filter or flag obvious bot and spam traffic patterns.
Fourth, integrations.
- Search Console link, for query and landing page data alongside behavior.
- Google Ads link, with the right key events imported as conversions.
- CRM and call tracking, tested by creating a test lead and confirming it appears with the correct source.
- BigQuery export, if you need raw data or run into API limits in reporting tools.
For ecommerce, we recommend Shopify, whose Google channel handles purchase events and should replace any duplicate manual tags. After fixes, a 30-minute monthly check prevents drift between full audits, and accurate data underpins every enterprise SEO report.
How can the Emulent team help?
Emulent audits GA4 for every new client before strategy work begins, fixing tags, key events, filters and integrations and validating results against CRM data. A caveat: consent choices and browser protections mean GA4 will always miss some visits, so the goal is consistent, trustworthy trends rather than perfect counts. Contact the Emulent team to audit your analytics.