How to Verify if Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Set Up Correctly

Assuming you or your developer have set up the GA4 in the back of all your websites, you might be wondering if it has been set up correctly. There are 2 ways to test and verify the setup of your GA4, via Google Tag Manager or the Google Analytics 4 interface. This guide will show you how to verify if Google Analytics 4 has been set up correctly on your website via GTM or GA4!

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Verify if GA4 is set up correctly via Google Tag Manager (Option 1):

Use this method if you set up Google Analytics 4 via Google Tag Manager.

1. Navigate to your Google Tag Manager container

2. Click on Preview (top-right-hand-side)

3. Paste your website's URL (homepage) and click on Connect

4. When your Tag Assistant opens, under Tags Fired you should see your GA4 Tag firing once (1 time)

5. Repeat as needed, sampling more URLs from your website to verify of GA4 is installed correctly on your website pages

Verify if GA4 is set up correctly via the Real Time Report in GA4 (Option 2):

Use this method if you set up Google Analytics 4 via using the tracking code or direct integration.

1. Login to Google Analytics 4

2. Navigate to Reports > Realtime overview

3. Visit your website and navigate back to the Realtime overview to check if the report records the incoming traffic

4. Visit more Pages (URLs) on your website and check the Views by Page title

Frequently Asked Questions on Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Setup

How can I check if GA4 is tracking all my website pages?

There are two main methods:

Method 1: Using GA4 Reports

• Navigate to Reports → Pages and Screens

• Review the list of tracked pages

• Look for any missing pages or sections

Method 2: Using Website Crawler

• Use tools like Screaming Frog

• Search for GA4 tracking code (googletagmanager.com/gtag/js)

• Generate a report of pages missing tracking

• Review implementation gaps

Why isn't my GA4 showing any data?

Common causes and solutions:

Technical Issues:

• Incorrect tracking code implementation

• Wrong Measurement ID

• JavaScript errors blocking tracking

• Misconfigured data streams

Verification Steps:

1. Check tracking code on all pages

2. Verify Measurement ID

3. Review event setup

4. Check for exclusion filters

5. Use GA4 DebugView for real-time verification

How can I test GA4 without affecting live data?

Option 1: Test Property

• Create a separate GA4 test property

• Implement test tracking code

• Validate all features safely

Option 2: Debug Mode

• Add "?debug_mode=true" to URLs

• Monitor in DebugView section

• Test events and tracking real-time

Option 3: GTM Preview

• Use Tag Manager preview mode

• Test implementations safely

• Monitor tag firing in real-time

How do I verify cross-domain tracking?

Setup Verification:

1. Check Admin → Data Streams

2. Review domain configuration

3. Monitor _ga cookie persistence

Testing Process:

1. Use DebugView while navigating domains

2. Verify session continuation

3. Check event attribution

4. Monitor user journey tracking