Not set is a very slippery and delicate problem, which is not determined immediately, but by reviewing many elements. These were emotions)))
And now scientifically, what is “not set” (not defined) - a parameter label in Google Analytics for which there is no data.
This problem occurs in many Google Analytics reports, but we will specifically focus on the problem of not set in Google Advertising reports, since this is the most important part of the promotion branch - contextual advertising.
Here’s what it looks like:
When you see this, it’s hard to figure out which ads drove conversions, making it a real pain to optimize your budget or plan for the future. The good news? With the right developer and a little effort, this issue can be solved.
Common causes of "not set" in Google Analytics
➊ Redirects
One common reason is when your ad links to a URL that redirects to another page. This can mess up the Client ID, meaning Google Analytics registers the user as new but has no idea where they actually came from. The fix here is to remove those redirects from your Google Ads account and keep an eye on things to see if the problem goes away.
➋ Google Analytics and Google Ads aren’t synced
Another culprit could be that your ad comes from a Google Ads account that isn’t synced with Google Analytics. You need to set up two-way linking between the two. If this sounds complicated, get help from your PPC expert or analytics team.
➌ GCLID parameter is missing or altered
When someone clicks on your ad, the Gclid (Google Click ID) gets added to the URL, like this:
?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzuGl8sfL5AIVwhsYCh2G6gZrEAAYASAAEgJ6I_D_BwE
This little string contains everything Google Analytics needs to know about the ad click — what campaign, account, or keyword brought the user to your site. Here’s where things can go wrong:
- The GCLID is removed: You’ll need to get your developer to look into why it’s being stripped out.
- The GCLID gets modified or broken by redirects: Again, this is something your developer will need to fix.
And if there is no tag?
This means that you need to enable automatic tagging at the level of the entire account settings. Otherwise, all your traffic from contextual advertising will be counted in the organic channel, not the cpc:
Enable auto-tagging in Google Ads
➍ Server-side cache settings
Sometimes, the Client ID doesn’t get passed between pages or redirects because of how the server is handling caching. You can test this with the Page Path plugin.
If this is the issue, there are guides out there to help you fix server-side cache settings.
We hope this clears up the "not set" issue in Google Analytics. If you’re still stuck or have questions, feel free to reach out to our team!
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