Check campaign UTM traffic in GA4

Make one clearly labeled visit through a UTM link, a URL with labels for its source, medium, and campaign. Then check whether Google Analytics 4 (GA4) reports those same values for the session. Standard reports can take 24–48 hours to process new data and may change while processing. This is an estimate, not a required wait or guarantee.

• Outcome: Tracking & measurement
• Tools: Google Analytics 4, Web Browser
• Responsible: People who want to check that a website visit from a tagged campaign link appears under the expected labels in Google Analytics 4.
• Estimated time: 15 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Make one clearly labeled test visit through a UTM link
• Find that visit in GA4 Traffic acquisition using session-scoped source, medium, and campaign dimensions
• Record whether the report values match the values on the link

This does not cover:

• Planning or sending a campaign
• Paid ads, campaign spending, or campaign performance analysis
• Installing or repairing GA4 tracking, changing consent settings, or changing report filters

Requirements

• Viewer access to the GA4 property that should receive visits from the website
• A page on the website being checked that you can open in a browser, with permission to make one analytics test visit
• A note you can edit to save the test URL, its source, medium, campaign, and report result

Related SOPs

• SOP 008: Create consistent campaign UTM URLs
• SOP 012: Install GA4 through Google Tag Manager

01. Prepare and open a test visit

1. Prepare one tagged link and note its expected labels before you open it.

   1. In your campaign note, create a section named GA4 traffic check.

   2. Choose easy-to-recognize values for the three UTM labels. Source (utm_source) is where the link appears; medium (utm_medium) is the type of placement; campaign (utm_campaign) is the promotion name. For example, use source sop_test, medium email, and campaign ga4_check_20260923; replace the date with your test date.

   3. If you need to build the link, follow the linked SOP. Copy the complete URL into the GA4 traffic check section beside its exact utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign values.

      • Then follow SOP 008: Create consistent campaign UTM URLs

2. Open the tagged link as the first page in a fresh private or Incognito window so it starts a new visit; a different UTM link opened during an existing visit does not replace that visit's campaign labels. After the page loads, record the visit date and time in the GA4 traffic check section of your campaign note.

   • Warning: Use the website's usual cookie choices. If you do not allow Analytics cookies, GA4 may not receive the visit.
   • Warning: A test visit can add to your GA4 traffic totals. Use a test property if you have one; otherwise keep the source and campaign labels clearly marked as a test.

   1. Close any other private or Incognito windows, then open a new one.

   2. Copy the full tagged URL from your campaign note and paste it into the new window. Use your usual cookie choices if the website asks.

02. Find the visit in GA4

1. Open the standard Traffic acquisition report for the website and set a date range that includes your visit.

   • Resource: Google Analytics Help: Traffic acquisition report (See how Google describes the standard report and its session-scoped traffic-source dimensions.)

   1. Open Google Analytics and select the property that collects visits for your website. In Reports, open Traffic acquisition. Depending on the report collection, it may be under Acquisition or Business objectives → Generate leads. If the report is missing, ask a GA4 Editor or Administrator to add the standard report to the menu.

   2. Set the date range to include the visit date in your note. If you opened the link today, choose Today. For an earlier visit, choose a custom date range starting on the visit date and ending today. Then select Apply.

2. Set the table to show the source and campaign for this visit. Choose Session source / medium in the first dimension menu. Click the + beside it, search for Session campaign, and add that dimension. Use these Session dimensions, not First user: Session means this visit; First user means the person's first visit, which may have different labels.

   • Resource: Google Analytics Help: Traffic-source dimension scopes (Understand why session-scoped dimensions describe each new visit while First user dimensions describe a person's first visit.)

3. Compare the row values with your test link, then record what the Traffic acquisition report shows in your campaign note.

   • Warning: Use this report to see which labels GA4 gives the visit. The URL and Realtime view alone do not show the report's answer.
   • Resource: Google Analytics Help: Data freshness (Check Google's current data-processing estimates and why a report can change while data is processing.)

   1. Search the table for your campaign value. On that row, compare Session source / medium with your source and medium, then compare Session campaign with your campaign. All three values must match the ones in your note.

   2. In the GA4 traffic check section, record the report date range, the three values shown, and the result. Mark Matched only if all three values match on the same row. If a value differs or the row is missing, record what GA4 shows and mark the result Pending.

   3. If the result is Pending, check the same report again later. Google says standard reports can take 24–48 hours to process and may change during that time. This is an estimate, not a required wait or guarantee. If there is still no exact match after that estimate, mark Not confirmed and ask the person who manages your site or GA4 to investigate.