5 Reasons Why Google Analytics Attributes Your Shopify Orders to Direct Traffic

Google Analytics (GA4) is a powerful tool that provides valuable insights into Shopify store performance, user shopping behavior, and the effectiveness of marketing. One of the fundamental metrics in Google Analytics is tracking the source and medium correctly through which customer arrive at your Shopify store. It then attributes that source and medium to the order made by the customer. Accurate source and medium attribution is crucial for understanding which source is driving conversions, and which channel to scale.

However, there's a common issue which many store owners face – the mis-attribution of orders as "direct." In Google Analytics, direct user typically refers to users who type your Shopify's Store URL directly into their browsers. But sometimes, the system mislabels users from other sources as direct, skewing data and misleading decisions. In this article, you will find practical ways to ensure that source and medium on Google Analytics are correct and not falsely attributed to direct traffic.

Incase you have not installed GA4 tracking on your Shopify Store. Shopify have a default integration of GA4, the details of the same can be read here. Though the integration is not 100% correct but it does get some data into the GA4 for tracking. Incase you are looking at 100% accurate GA4 integration where the data matches Shopify data. You can use Lumino app for free and get accurate data with ecomm events in GA4.

1. Implement UTM Parameters

UTM parameters are a fantastic tool for tracking the source and medium of your traffic accurately. UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, and it allows you to add specific tags to your URLs. These tags provide Google Analytics with additional information about the source and medium of a visitor's session. When users click on a link containing UTM parameters, Google Analytics can read those parameters and attribute the traffic accordingly.

To use UTM parameters effectively, follow these guidelines:

• Use a UTM builder tool: Google provides a free UTM builder that allows you to create custom URLs with the appropriate parameters. You can also use other online tools and browser extensions for this purpose.
• Be consistent: Make sure your UTM parameters are consistent across all your marketing efforts. Use the same naming conventions for source, medium, and campaign names.
• Keep it organized: Maintain a spreadsheet or document that tracks your UTM parameters. This ensures that you can easily reference and replicate your tracking efforts.
• Use Google's Campaign URL Builder: Google's Campaign URL Builder simplifies the process of creating UTM parameters. Just fill in the required information, and it will generate a UTM-tagged URL for you.

Here is how the URL Builder looks like -

2. Set up Referral Exclusion List

In some cases, your Google Analytics reports might show referral traffic as direct traffic. This occurs when users are redirected from one domain to another and subsequently return to the original domain. To prevent this issue, you can set up a Referral Exclusion List in Google Analytics.

Here's how to do it: (You can configure a maximum of 50 unwanted referrals per data stream)

• Go to your Google Analytics account.
• Click on the Admin tab.

• Click Data Streams in the Property column.
• Click Web and then click a web data stream.
• In the web stream details, Under Google Tag click Configure tag settings (at the bottom).
• In the Settings section, click Show more to see all available settings.
• Click List unwanted referrals.
• Choose a match type. (Recommended Referral Domain Contains)
• Under Domain, enter the identifier for the domain you want to match (e.g. example.com).
• Click Add condition to add another domain.Under Include referrals that match ANY of the following conditions:
• Conditions are evaluated using OR logic.
• Click Save.

By adding the domains that you don't want to attribute as referrals, you ensure that traffic from those domains is accurately reported in Google Analytics. This can help distinguish genuine direct traffic from other sources.

3. Correctly Implement Cross-Domain Tracking

If your store spans multiple domains or subdomains, it's essential to set up cross-domain tracking correctly. When this is not done accurately, traffic can be misattributed as direct. Cross-domain tracking allows Google Analytics to understand that the user's journey involves multiple domains.

To set up cross-domain tracking:

1. In Admin, click Data Streams in the Property column.
2. Click Web and then click a web data stream.
3. In the web stream details, click Configure tag settings (at the bottom).
4. In the Settings section, click Configure your domains.

1. If you use the same Google tag across domains, they are automatically detected and show up in the Recommendations section. To accept a recommendation, click Add.
   To manually add a domain, click Add condition under Include domains that match the following conditions:
2. Choose a match type.
3. Under Domain, enter the identifier for the domain you want to match (e.g., example.com).
4. Add each domain you want to include in cross-domain measurement.
5. Conditions are evaluated using OR logic.
6. Click Save.

Properly configuring cross-domain tracking ensures that traffic moving between different domains is correctly attributed to the original source, rather than counting it as direct traffic.

4. Check Your Online Store Redirects

Incorrectly configured website redirects can cause traffic to be misattributed as direct. When a user is redirected from one URL to another, Google Analytics may not always track the referral source correctly. To avoid this problem, follow these steps:

• Regularly review your store's redirects to ensure they are set up correctly.
• Use 301 redirects for permanent changes in URLs and 302 redirects for temporary changes. Google Analytics tends to handle 301 redirects better.
• Implement server-side redirects instead of JavaScript or meta-refresh redirects, as Google Analytics is more likely to accurately track server-side redirects.

By maintaining proper redirect practices, you can help Google Analytics accurately attribute the source and medium of your store traffic.

You can use google chrome tool to check the redirections.

5. Review and Clean Up Your Analytics Code

Sometimes, issues with how you've implemented Google Analytics can lead to incorrect attribution. Ensure that you correctly place your Google Analytics tracking code on all the pages of your store. A missing or improperly implemented tracking code can result in unattributed traffic, which Google Analytics might label as direct.

Here's what you can do to review and clean up your analytics code:

• Regularly audit your online store to ensure that the tracking code is present on all pages.
• Double-check the code to ensure it is correctly formatted and up to date.
• Remove any duplicate tracking codes, as they can lead to discrepancies in your data.
• If you use Google Tag Manager, verify that your tags and triggers are correctly configured.

By maintaining a clean and accurate analytics setup, you can reduce the chances of incorrectly attributing traffic as direct.

Incase you are using Lumino Tracking App you are not required to do any of the above steps.

Regularly Monitor Your Analytics Data

Lastly, one of the most important steps in ensuring that source and medium attribution is correct is to consistently monitor your analytics data. Regularly reviewing your reports allows you to catch and address any anomalies or misattributions promptly.

Here's how to monitor your data effectively:

• Set up custom dashboards and reports in Google Analytics to focus on the metrics that matter most to your business.
• Schedule regular check-ins to review your analytics data. Consider weekly or monthly meetings to discuss the insights and trends.
• Look for trends and anomalies in your data, such as unexpected spikes or drops in traffic from certain sources or mediums.
• Continuously educate your team on the importance of accurate source and medium attribution and best practices.
• Stay up to date with changes in Google Analytics and make necessary adjustments to your tracking methods.

By consistently monitoring your data, you can identify and address any issues with source and medium attribution, ensuring that your reports provide a clear picture of where your store traffic is coming from.

If you have Lumino Tracking App then your store data will be 100% correct in GA4 and you will be able to take best decisions for your online store.

Conclusion

Accurate source and medium attribution in Google Analytics is essential for making informed decisions about your store and marketing strategies. Wrongly labeling traffic as direct, leads to misunderstandings and poor decision-making. By implementing UTM parameters, setting up referral exclusion lists, correctly configuring cross-domain tracking, and regularly monitoring your data, you can ensure that source and medium attribution is as accurate as possible.