Help, my Google Analytics isn't working (anymore)!

07 July 2022 This is how

Installing Google Analytics on your website is not a difficult job. But it is also not surprising that this can sometimes go wrong. We explain the 8 most common issues in this article.

1. The Google Analytics tracking code is not installed correctly

How do you know if Google Analytics is installed correctly?

Let's start with how to easily see if the Google Analytics tracking code is installed on your website. The easiest way is to use a Google Chrome extension called Google Tag Assistant. After installation, you can find the extension in the bar to the right of the address bar and when you click on it, you will immediately see whether Google Analytics is correctly installed or not.

2. The tracking code is not in the right place

Google Analytics tracking code will only work when it is in the right place in the code. Sometimes it is unknowingly put in the <body> tag, but the right place in this case is the <head> tag. A developer or website builder will know what is meant by this and can do this for you.

3. Google Tag Manager

However, we recommend installing the code on the website using Google Tag Manager (note: this is slightly different from Google Tag Assistant). This is a piece of code that also needs to be placed once in the <head> tag, but the advantage of this is that you won't need the developer or website builder after that. In fact, Google Tag Manager does what the name implies, managing/managing tags. This allows you to control the installation of Google Analytics, but also, for example, the Facebook or LinkedIn pixel.

4. Tracking code is not on all pages

To measure traffic on all of your website, the tracking code must be on each individual page. If you want to measure traffic on your contact page, but you only have Google Analytics installed on your homepage, this could be the reason why Google Analytics does not seem to work. Again, Google Tag Manager makes it very easy to install on the tracking code on each page.

5. Installed less than 24 hours ago?

Have you installed the Google Analytics tracking code correctly and on all pages, but still don't see any data coming in? Leave it for now and take another look at it tomorrow. In fact, it can take 24 hours for the data to become viewable in Google Analytics.

Don't feel like waiting 24 hours? Then use the Realtime report within Google Analytics. The Realtime report shows live data and data up to 30 minutes ago.

Installed correctly and still an error? Then check these tips:

Are you on a page with correctly installed tracking code, but still not seeing anything? Then check the following to be sure:

5. Cookies
In order to measure traffic on all of your website, the tracking code must be on each individual page. If you want to measure traffic on your contact page, but you only have Google Analytics installed on your homepage, this could be the reason why Google Analytics doesn't seem to work. Again, Google Tag Manager makes it very easy to install on the tracking code on each page.

6. Filtered out IP address.
If the website gets 100 visitors a day, but 30 of them are from employees, then the data is not "pure." For this reason, the person who installed Google Analytics may have chosen to exclude the company's IP address. Then, instead of 100 visitors, only 70 will be measured, but in this case the traffic is indeed "pure." This is a good setting to have, but not useful if you want to test whether Google Analytics is set up correctly. To check if this is the case, in Google Analytics go to Manage > View > Filters.

7. Correct property or view
The tracking code you use to install Google Analytics uses the tracking ID of one specific property. A Google Analytics account can consist of several of these properties and each property can in turn consist of several views. So check carefully that you have used the correct property and that you are not viewing a filtered view.

8. Google Analytics 4

Are you reading this article after June 30, 2023? Then it could very well be that the Google Analytics version being used is the reason it doesn't seem to be working. This is because as of July 1, 2023, Google has completely switched to Google Analytics 4, the successor to Universal Analytics (Google Analytics 3). Want to know more about this? Then check out our article on Google Analytics 4!