Sound familiar?
- Analytics shows zero visitors, or suddenly half what it used to
- Every visit is counted twice
- You cannot see which enquiries came from Google, Facebook or email
- Form submissions are not tracked
- Your own office visits are inflating the numbers
- Nobody at your business has admin access to the GA4 property
Key facts
- Universal Analytics stopped processing data on 1 July 2023; GA4 is the only current version
- GA4 keeps event-level data for 2 months by default; standard properties can extend this to 14 months
- Retention settings affect Explorations, not standard reports
- Conversions are now called key events in GA4
- UK sites need consent handling before analytics cookies are set, unless an exemption applies
- Setup and fixes: £45 an hour + VAT
Common GA4 problems
Google Analytics 4 replaced Universal Analytics, which stopped processing data on 1 July 2023. Many small business sites were moved over in a hurry, and we regularly find the same issues:
- Two tags firing: GA4 installed by a WordPress plugin and again through Tag Manager, so every page view is doubled.
- Tag missing on some pages, such as the checkout or thank-you page, so conversions vanish.
- Data retention left at 2 months, so Explorations cannot look back further than that.
- Internal traffic not filtered, so your own staff count as visitors.
- Payment gateways as referrals: sales attributed to paypal.com or stripe.com instead of the real source, fixed with unwanted referral settings.
- Consent banner blocking everything, or the opposite, analytics firing before anyone has agreed.
Tracking what actually matters
Page views alone do not tell you whether your website is working. We set up the actions that mean business, marked as key events (Google's new name for conversions):
- contact form submissions, tracked on a thank-you page or a form success event;
- clicks on phone numbers and email addresses;
- quote requests and booking completions;
- WooCommerce or Shopify purchases with revenue;
- file downloads such as brochures or price lists.
We do this through Google Tag Manager where possible, so future changes do not need a developer to edit your website code.
Connecting the rest of Google
GA4 is much more useful when it is linked to your other Google accounts. We connect Search Console so you can see which searches bring visitors, and Google Ads so key events can be imported as conversions and your ad spend is judged on enquiries, not clicks. See Google Ads support. We can also set up the free BigQuery export if you want to keep raw data beyond GA4's retention limits.
Consent and privacy
Under PECR, analytics cookies generally need consent in the UK. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 introduced exemptions for some low-risk cookies, including certain analytics used only for statistical purposes, but conditions apply and the ICO's guidance should be read carefully before relying on it for a third-party tool like GA4, which sends data to Google.
We set up Google Consent Mode v2 with your cookie banner, so GA4 and Google Ads respect each visitor's choice and Google can model some of the missing data. See cookie consent compliance.
Making the reports useful
GA4's default reports confuse a lot of people. We set up a simple view of what a small business owner actually needs: how many enquiries came in this month, which channels they came from (Google search, Google Ads, social media, email, direct), which pages people land on, and how that compares with last month. We can build this as a saved report in GA4 or a free Looker Studio dashboard that you can open from a bookmark. We also tag links in your newsletters and social posts with UTM parameters, so traffic from them shows up properly rather than as "direct".
Access and pricing
A surprising number of businesses do not own their own analytics. The property was created by an old web agency or freelancer, under their Google account. If you can still contact them, we ask them to add you as an Administrator. If not, the honest answer is that Google will not usually hand it over, and the fastest route is a new GA4 property that you own, set up properly from day one.
GA4 setup, audits and fixes are charged at £45 an hour + VAT. A clean install with key events, internal traffic filters and Search Console linking typically takes two to three hours. Ongoing tweaks fit the hour included in our Business plan at £50 a month + VAT.
What it costs
Support plans from £25 a month + VAT, or £45 an hour + VAT for one-off fixes. Pick a plan if you want it looked after every month, or pay by the hour for a one-off job.
Essential
Keep it updated, backed up and watched.
- Website software updates (core, plugins, themes) applied and checked
- Daily backups
- Uptime monitoring
- Security monitoring
Business
Updates plus an hour of fixes every month.
- Everything in Essential
- 1 hour of fixes or changes every month
- Priority support
Complete
Website and your team's IT, covered.
- Everything in Business
- 3 hours of fixes or changes every month
- IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk for your team
No plan? The first 30 minutes are the minimum charge, then we bill in 15-minute blocks.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Google Analytics show double the visitors?
Usually because GA4 is installed twice, for example by a WordPress plugin and again through Google Tag Manager or the theme. Each page view is then sent twice. dijitul uses Tag Assistant to find every tag, removes the duplicate and checks the numbers settle down over the next few days.
How long does GA4 keep data?
GA4's data retention setting defaults to 2 months, and standard properties can extend it to 14 months. It only affects Explorations and funnel reports, not standard aggregated reports. dijitul sets it to 14 months and can set up the free BigQuery export if you need to keep raw data longer.
Can you track form submissions in GA4?
Yes. dijitul tracks form submissions, phone clicks, email clicks and bookings as key events using Google Tag Manager, usually triggered by a thank-you page or a form success event. You can then see which channels and campaigns produce real enquiries rather than just visits.
We do not have access to our Google Analytics. What can we do?
If the old web designer or agency created it under their account, ask them to add you as an Administrator. dijitul can contact them for you. If that is not possible, Google rarely transfers properties, so we create a new GA4 property in your own account and set it up correctly.
How much does Google Analytics support cost?
dijitul charges £45 an hour + VAT. A full GA4 setup with key events, filters and Search Console linking usually takes two to three hours. Small fixes and ongoing changes fit the 1 hour included each month in the Business plan at £50 a month + VAT.
Related
Get it fixed
One-off fixes are £45 an hour + VAT. You'll know the likely cost before we start.