Since October 1st, Google platforms have been experiencing abnormalities in how data is processed and displayed in GA4.
Starting in October, CMG identified, a portion of our DV360 UTMs were incorrectly overridden. Specifically, our manual source / medium is being labeled as google / cpc (paid search) in GA4 for most traffic coming from DV360. This labelling change impacts DV360 Display, Video, Audio, and YouTube traffic. The utm_campaign is accurately reflected, however, both utm_source and utm_medium are being altered.
We believe the issue is occurring due to the Dclid used by DV360. Despite auto-tagging being in place, the Dclid should not cause DV360 traffic to be labelled as Google Ads/paid search traffic in GA4. This issue has been submitted to Google for further investigation.
Google has acknowledged several challenges impacting their platforms and continues to work on fixes, with resolution expected in early 2025.
CMG remains optimistic that this issue will be resolved as part of the planned updates and we will continue to monitor the situation closely, providing updates as more information is made available.
In the interim, in order to support our clients while Google resolves the issue, we have identified and implemented two solutions:
1. As stated, even though much of the DV360 utm source / mediums are being transformed into google / cpc, the utm_campaign portion of the DV360 utm is accurately reflected in GA4. To analyze effectively using the main Traffic Acquisition report in GA4, clients should include both "Session source / medium" and "Session campaign" into their filters. Reviewing Session campaign with the utm_campaign names, clients can distinguish between google / cpc traffic from Google Ads and traffic originating from DV360.
To further differentiate between Display, Video, YouTube, or Audio campaigns, we recommend labeling utm_campaign names with "display", "video", "youtube", or "audio."
2. GA4 also provides metrics for "Manual source / medium" and "Manual campaign name" which reflect the correct DV360 source / medium which allows for more accurate identification of DV360 traffic. These metrics are not available in the Traffic Acquistion report, but can be accessed in the Explore section of GA4, where users can create custom reports. CMG has configured these custom reports across accounts using a CMG GA4. Our Digital Insights and Analytics team is available to assist clients with setting up these explore reports or to share guidance on their use.
