Optimization only works when the numbers are right. If GA4, Google Ads and Meta each report a different number of conversions, you cannot tell which campaigns or page changes actually work. Use this checklist to audit your setup.
Foundation
- One GA4 property, one data stream per site. Duplicate tags on the same page double count sessions and events.
- Tags deployed through Google Tag Manager. Hard-coded tags plus GTM tags are a common source of duplicates.
- Internal and developer traffic filtered. Define internal traffic rules and activate the filter.
- Cross-domain measurement configured if checkout or booking happens on another domain.
Events and key events
- Consistent event names. Use the recommended names such as
generate_leadandpurchasewhere they fit. - Key events marked deliberately. Only mark actions that represent real business value.
- E-commerce parameters complete. Purchase events need transaction ID, value, currency and items.
- No duplicate purchases. Thank-you page reloads should not fire a second purchase event. Deduplicate by transaction ID.
Ad platforms
- Google Ads conversions imported or tagged, not both. Pick one source of truth for each conversion action.
- Enhanced Conversions enabled to recover conversions lost to cookie restrictions.
- Meta Pixel and Conversions API deduplicated with a shared event ID.
Privacy
- Consent Mode v2 configured so tags respect user choices and modeling can fill gaps where allowed.
How to verify
Use GTM preview mode and GA4 DebugView to watch events fire as you complete a test purchase or form submission. Then compare a week of GA4 conversions with your store or CRM records. A gap of a few percent is normal. A gap of 20% or more means something is broken.
Want us to check it for you? Our analytics and tracking service covers GA4, GTM, Google Ads, Meta and server-side setups, or you can start with a free audit.