Standard
One site · 7 business days- GA4 property, events and key events
- Tag Manager container
- Consent and Consent Mode v2
- Google Ads conversions
Tracking Audit
Google Analytics audit that finds where your GA4 data breaks
A Waftr Google Analytics audit runs 60+ checks across your GA4 property, the Tag Manager tags that feed it, Consent Mode v2 and Google Ads conversions. In 7 business days, with read-only access, you get every finding in a Google Sheet, a Slides walkthrough and a costed fix plan.
Need the full audit? Standard covers one site in 7 business days; Advanced adds properties, server-side and CRM checks. Start it here
Findings sheet
What a Google Analytics audit finds, in the sheet you get on day 7
Each row below is a real fault from a published Waftr case, written up in the columns the findings sheet uses: area, finding, what it breaks, priority, fix and the offer that fixes it. Filter it the way your team will when the sheet lands.
Area
Priority
Showing 7 of 7 findings · 4 High, 3 Medium
#AreaFindingWhat it breaksPriorityFixFixed by
1ConsentGA4, Google Ads and the Meta Pixel fired before the visitor choseFrom: NexTranslateTracking started before any choice, where GDPR and the DPDP Act expect consent firstHighCookiebot with Consent Mode v2, and a consent check on each marketing tag in Tag ManagerTracking BuildResult: 100% of tags wait for consent, verified by test
2Tag ManagerForm submits never sent an event to GA4From: SaaS GA4 auditThe CRM recorded leads GA4 never saw, and the two reports drifted apartHighRework the form triggers in Tag Manager and fire the event on a successful submitTracking Build
3GA4A broken first eventFrom: SaaS GA4 auditVisits started without the data later reports rely onHighRepair the first event and clean up the GA4 property settingsTracking Build
4AttributionCRM leads arriving with no source, counted as directFrom: Enterprise SaaSPaid search and organic looked weaker than they were, and budget followed the wrong numbersHighServer-side tagging with Google Tag Gateway, plus UTM and referrer fallbacksTracking BuildResult: leads counted as direct fell from 53% to 38%, 2 months before vs 2 after
5Google AdsRemarketing audiences built on incomplete form eventsFrom: SaaS GA4 auditVisitors who converted or showed intent never entered the right audienceMediumRebuild the audiences once the form events are cleanTracking BuildResult: +20% Google Ads remarketing conversions on the rebuilt audiences
6AttributionReturning Safari visitors landing in DirectFrom: US retailSafari ITP cut cookie life to 7 days, and to 24 hours after a paid search clickMediumServer-side tracking with server-set cookies, plus Consent Mode v2Tracking BuildResult: -20% cost per lead after the server-side setup
7Tag ManagerNo form-start event, only finished leads in the CRMFrom: Dubai real estateNobody could see where mobile visitors gave up on the long formMediumForm initiate and submit events from Tag Manager into GA4, read alongside Microsoft Clarity recordingsTracking Care, conversion analyticsResult: +23% conversions on the optimized page after the form change, 50 days before vs 50 after
Priority follows business impact. High means the fault changes a number that budget, bidding or consent compliance depends on; Medium means it hides a step without corrupting a reported total.
The rows come from five cases: SaaS GA4 audit, NexTranslate, enterprise SaaS, US retail and Dubai real estate. Your sheet holds one row per finding in your own property, ranked the same way.
Method
A website analytics audit, stop by stop along your data path
Waftr runs the checks in the order your data travels: from the consent banner through Tag Manager into the GA4 property and Google Ads, then out to BigQuery and, on Advanced audits, back to the CRM. That adds up to 60+ checks, and each finding is traced to the stop where it starts.
Consent
- Consent Mode v2 defaults set before any tag fires
- Tags held in no-choice and Reject states
- Banner categories mapped to tags
Sample rows1
Tag Manager
- Event inventory: automatic, recommended and custom
- Firing order, duplicates and missing parameters
- Container depth sits in the GTM audit
Sample rows27
GA4 property
- Streams, cross-domain and referral exclusions
- Internal traffic filters and key events
- Data retention and attribution settings
Sample rows3
Google Ads
- Account links and conversion imports
- Enhanced Conversions
- Audiences built from GA4 events
Sample rows5
BigQuery export
- Export linked and running
- Event counts match the GA4 interface
- Duplicates, missing fields and source mismatches
Sample rowsNone
CRM match
- GA4 client ID passed with each lead
- Leads with no client ID counted
- Leads matched back to their GA4 sessions
Sample rows46
Advanced audit
In short
What is a Google Analytics audit?
A Google Analytics audit is a structured review of how GA4 collects, processes and reports your data, from the Tag Manager tags that feed it to the BigQuery export. It checks consent signals, property settings, key events and Google Ads links, ranks each finding by business impact and prices the fix.
Teams also call it an analytics audit, or a website tracking audit when the question starts with tags on live pages. A Google Analytics health check tells you a number looks wrong. The audit explains which tag, setting or consent state produced it.
Worth running after
- A redesign or replatform
- A new consent platform
- A Tag Manager rebuild
- A new Google Ads conversion
- GA4 and the CRM disagreeing
Days 1 to 7
Seven business days from read access to the walkthrough
The clock starts when read access arrives. Your team's time goes into a kickoff call, two or three short sessions to confirm findings and the day-7 walkthrough. Tracing tags and costing fixes happens on our side.
Step
Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7
1
Access and kickoff
Read access arrives and we learn which numbers your business runs on.
Scope agreed
2
Trace and verify
Each check runs along the data path, with evidence saved per row.
Evidence per check
3
Confirm with your team
Short sessions check our reading of a finding against how your team works.
2 to 3 sessions
4
Walkthrough and handover
The sheet, slides and fix plan, presented on a call.
Delivered
Read access to
GA4Tag ManagerGoogle AdsBigQuery, if GA4 exports there
Edit rights are never requested
What do you get at the end of a Google Analytics audit?
- Google Sheet of findings
Each check with its result, evidence, impact, owner and exact fix, in the layout shown at the top of this page.
- Slides walkthrough
The findings as a short deck: the problem, the fix order and the reasoning, written for whoever approves the budget.
- Costed fix plan
Each fix placed in a Tracking Build tier or marked for your team, which is what a Build is quoted from. How GA4 implementation runs
- Walkthrough call
Day 7. Bring whoever will approve the fixes or carry them out.
Scope and quote
How much does a Google Analytics audit cost?
The audit fee is set by scope and agreed in writing before work starts, after a short call or a free Tracking Scan. One site with one GA4 property is a Standard audit; several properties or domains, a server-side review or CRM reconciliation make it Advanced. The fee is credited against a Tracking Build started within 30 days.
Advanced
Complex setups · 7 business days- Everything in Standard
- Several GA4 properties or domains
- Server-side tracking review
- CRM client ID reconciliation
After the audit. The fixes run as a Tracking Build scoped from the sheet's Fixed-by column, from GA4 implementation to consent work. If the container needs more than the audit's Tag Manager checks, the GTM audit goes deeper inside the same Tracking Audit.
Questions
What teams ask before granting read access
What access does a Google Analytics audit need?
Read access to GA4, Google Tag Manager and Google Ads, plus the BigQuery project if GA4 exports there. Edit rights are never requested, which means nothing in those accounts can change while the audit runs. You can remove the access on day 7, because the evidence for each finding already sits in the findings sheet.
How much does a GA4 audit cost?
Scope sets the fee, and the quote is agreed before the audit starts. A single site and GA4 property falls in the Standard scope; extra properties or domains, a server-side tagging review or CRM client ID reconciliation move it to Advanced. Start a Tracking Build within 30 days and the whole audit fee is credited against it.
How long does a GA4 audit take?
A Standard GA4 audit takes 7 business days from the day read access arrives. The first days trace tags, consent, GA4, Google Ads and BigQuery, two or three short sessions confirm findings with your team, and day 7 is the walkthrough. An Advanced audit across several properties follows the same 7-day plan.
What causes a GA4 data discrepancy?
GA4, Google Ads and a CRM follow different counting rules, and signals drop on the way: ad blockers, Reject All, Safari cookie limits and triggers that never fire. In Waftr's client audits, 28-41% of CRM form leads carried no GA4 client ID. The audit works out which of those causes applies to your property.
Is a GA4 health check the same as a Google Analytics audit?
No. A GA4 health check looks for symptoms, once or on a schedule: the free Tracking Scan runs one on demand, and the data health report in Tracking Care runs monthly. A Google Analytics audit is a one-time review of 60+ checks with read access, ending in a ranked fix plan with each fix priced.
Can I check my GA4 setup for free before an audit?
Yes. Tracking Scan, the free GA4 audit tool, runs 8 public checks on any URL, including tags that fire before consent and Consent Mode v2 defaults, and emails the report. Because it needs no account access, it cannot read GA4 settings, key events or Google Ads links. Those need the audit.
What is the difference between a GA4 audit and a GTM audit?
A GA4 audit follows data from the tag to the report, covering consent, events, property settings, Google Ads links and BigQuery. A GTM audit goes deep on the container itself: tag health, firing order, duplicates and consent gating. Both run inside the same Tracking Audit, scoped to what your setup needs.
Will Waftr fix the problems or only report them?
Either. The sheet, slides and fix plan are written for a developer to act on, and rows marked for your team stay with your team. The rest can run as a Tracking Build, scoped straight from the sheet's Fixed-by column and covering GA4 implementation, Tag Manager and consent work.
Compare
How a Waftr GA4 audit compares with automated tools and agencies
Automated tools score GA4 settings against a checklist, and agency audits vary with the team. A Waftr GA4 audit traces the signal from tag to BigQuery, prices each fix and ends with a working session.
| Criteria | Automated audit tool | Waftr GA4 audit | Typical agency audit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs the checks | Software | AI-assisted checks, with each finding reviewed by a certified analyst on the Waftr team | An agency team |
| What it can test | Settings against a checklist; Tag Manager on real pages and BigQuery data stay out of reach | Tag Manager on your live pages, consent states, GA4, Google Ads and BigQuery | Depends on the team and scope |
| What you get | A checklist score | Findings sheet, slides, costed fix plan and a walkthrough call | A report |
| Delivery | On demand | 7 business days for a Standard audit | Usually 1 to 4 weeks after kickoff |
Tool and agency columns describe typical public offers in 2026; individual providers vary.
Each audit draws on 13 years in digital analytics across 10+ industries and 50+ global teams, and on Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and OneTrust certifications held within the Waftr team.
Start
Tell us where your numbers stop adding up
Name the two numbers that disagree, GA4 against Google Ads or GA4 against the CRM, and the month you noticed. The scope and the audit fee follow from that.
- Read-only access to GA4, Tag Manager and Google Ads
- 7 business days to a ranked, costed fix plan
- Findings ranked by business impact