Most GA4 accounts do not fail all at once.
They slowly drift into bad data.
There are no warnings and no alerts. Reports just start feeling wrong.
Conversions stop lining up. Revenue looks off. Explorations stop behaving the way you expect.
In most cases, the issue is not your tracking code. It is a handful of small GA4 settings that were never reviewed after setup.
Below are ten easy-to-miss GA4 configurations that regularly damage data quality, along with how to fix each one.
1. User Data Retention Is Still Set to the Default
GA4 only keeps detailed user level data for two months unless you change it.
That becomes a problem when you want to analyze long sales cycles, compare quarters, or use Explorations beyond recent weeks. Data simply disappears.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Data Settings, then Data Retention, and set it to fourteen months.
This single change solves many unexplained reporting gaps.
2. Enhanced Measurement Is Either Disabled or Overfiring
Scroll tracking, outbound clicks, site search, and video events should just work.
In reality, many setups have key toggles turned off, duplicate tracking through GTM, or scroll events firing far too frequently.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Data Streams, then Enhanced Measurement.
Review every toggle and confirm it matches how your site actually behaves.
3. Internal Traffic Is Inflating Your Numbers
Your own team visits your site more than you realize.
If internal traffic is not filtered, engagement, conversions, and funnels are all inflated.
This step is missed more often than any other.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Data Filters, then Internal Traffic.
Filter known IPs or flag internal users using headers or GTM variables.
4. Payment Providers Are Stealing Attribution
If you use Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, or similar tools, GA4 may reset sessions during checkout and attribute conversions to those platforms instead of your marketing channels.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Data Streams, then Configure Tag Settings, then List Unwanted Referrals.
Add providers such as paypal.com, checkout.stripe.com, and any checkout subdomains you use.
5. Attribution Windows Do Not Match Your Buying Cycle
GA4 attribution settings are not one size fits all.
If your lookback window is too short or too long, channel performance becomes misleading.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Attribution Settings, and adjust the lookback window to reflect how customers actually convert.
6. Too Many Events Are Marked as Conversions
GA4 allows up to thirty conversions, but most businesses only need five to seven meaningful ones.
When everything is a conversion, nothing is useful.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Events, then Conversions.
Remove low intent actions such as scroll, session start, or generic file downloads.
7. Personally Identifiable Information Is Slipping In
GA4 does not allow emails, names, phone numbers, or user IDs.
These often enter through URL parameters, search queries, or form submissions.
This can result in data loss or compliance issues.
How to fix it
Audit URLs for sensitive data, remove it at the source, and block unsafe parameters using GTM filters.
8. Cross Domain Tracking Is Missing or Incomplete
If users move between domains or subdomains, GA4 may start a new session unless configured correctly.
This commonly affects blogs, shops, and help centers on separate domains.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Data Streams, then Configure Tag Settings, then Cross Domain.
Add every domain involved in the user journey.
9. Currency or Time Zone Is Incorrect
This seems small but it breaks reporting fast.
The wrong time zone shifts daily trends. The wrong currency makes revenue unusable.
How to fix it
Go to Admin, then Property Settings, and confirm both currency and time zone are correct.
10. Events Fire but Parameters Are Missing
Seeing events does not mean they are useful.
Many setups fire events without key parameters like page location, session engagement, or ecommerce item details.
How to fix it
Use DebugView, Tag Assistant, and Realtime reports to verify every required parameter before going live.
One More Thing Almost Everyone Misses: Consent Configuration
If consent is misconfigured, data can be blocked, traffic undercounted, remarketing broken, and legal risk increased.
GA4, GTM, and your consent platform must be aligned.
How to Know If Your GA4 Setup Is Actually Healthy
Even after fixing these issues, dozens of additional checks live across GA4, GTM, BigQuery, and consent settings.
That is exactly why GA Auditor exists.
It automatically reviews GA4 configuration, GTM containers, event and parameter consistency, revenue tracking, and privacy signals, then explains issues in plain English.
Try it at GAAuditor.com
For hands on implementation help, visit Optizent