Google Analytics Numbers Go Down After Theme Change (But Shopify Analyicis Stays The Same)

[teoias]

Hey all 🙂

We recently launched a new theme (we started with Dawn but made many custom changes). However, we encounter a really weird problem with Google Analytics. Numbers went down almost 30 to 60%, depending on what we measure (sessions, new users, etc). What's weird is that Shopify Analytics stayed almost the same (a small bump of 5 to 15%, but that was expected). Does anyone know why this is? I have tried almost everything, but nothing seems to fix it. We did get an email a couple of weeks before launching the new theme about having multiple Google pixels and that our numbers could be inaccurate in GA4, but they were pretty close to Shopify Analytics before.

The only thing I haven't tried is disconnecting GA and Shopify and re-connecting again, which will be my last result if I can't fix it in any other way.

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

[K_Br4]

Is it possible that some pages don't have the GA tracking after the theme change? Check that.

[teoias]

We used the Google & YT app. Shouldn't that put the GA tracking on all pages? How can I check each one individually?

Thx for the quick reply btw 🙂

[teoias]

Thanks for the quick reply.

1. I think we should be good with the multiple pixels. We didn't install any manually and we are only using the Google & TY app.

2. This one is the one I'm most curios about. How can I check it's implemented correctly? Like I said above, we are using the Google & TY app.

3. Not it 😞
4. No testing environments

[Avitanshi_17]

Hey @teoias,

It sounds like the drop in GA4 numbers could be due to tracking issues after the theme change. Here are a few things you can check:

1. Verify GA4 Tag Installation:
   Ensure the GA4 tag is properly installed in your new theme's theme.liquid file. Sometimes, custom changes can remove or misplace the tag.

2. Duplicate Tags Issue:
   Since you got an email about multiple Google pixels, use the Google Tag Assistant or Tag Assistant Companion to see if there are duplicate GA tags running. Multiple tags can mess with data accuracy.

3. Consent Mode or Cookie Settings:
   Some themes come with updated cookie consent settings that block GA tracking unless accepted. Check if that's affecting GA data collection.

4. Debug Mode:
   Use GA4 DebugView to see if events are firing correctly. This can help you spot any broken event tracking after the theme update.

5. Reconnect GA4:
   If all else fails, disconnecting and reconnecting GA4 with Shopify could refresh the integration and fix hidden issues.

Let me know how it goes!