Why Your Google Analytics UTM Data Is Broken

Your GA4 shows (not set) for source, direct traffic for every campaign, and numbers that don't make sense. Here's what's happening.

Google Analytics dashboard with broken UTM data

If this sounds familiar

Source/Medium shows "(not set)" for most traffic
Direct traffic is 80% of your sessions
Campaign data doesn't match your ad platforms
You've checked your tracking code 10 times
You can't trust any GA4 attribution reports

Your GA4 data is unreliable.

Why GA4 UTM Tracking Fails

1. GA4 Event-Based Tracking Is Different

GA4 doesn't use sessions like Universal Analytics. UTM data attaches to events, not sessions. This changes how attribution works.

2. Cross-Domain Tracking Issues

If visitors move between domains, UTM parameters get lost. GA4's cross-domain setup is complex and often misconfigured.

3. URL Parameter Stripping

Some platforms, email clients, and messaging apps strip URL parameters. Your UTMs never even reach GA4.

4. Session vs Event Attribution

GA4 attributes to the event, not the session. First-touch attribution requires specific configuration that's not default.

The Cost of Bad GA4 Data

Marketing channels appear broken when they're working
Budget allocation based on bad data
Inability to prove marketing ROI
Team loses trust in analytics
Competitors with better tracking win

Wrong data means wrong decisions.

What Good Looks Like

Source/Medium populated for 95%+ of traffic
Campaign data matches ad platforms
Clear visibility into customer acquisition
Trustworthy attribution reports
Data-driven decisions that actually work

GA4 data that matches reality.

Why Reinstalling GA4 Won't Fix This

You've verified the tracking code, checked the config, and read every GA4 guide. The problem isn't the installation - it's the complexity of GA4's attribution model.

You need dedicated UTM tracking, not just GA4.

GA4 is a reporting tool, not a tracking foundation. Dedicated UTM tracking makes GA4 accurate.

This is exactly why we built UTM Grabber

UTM Grabber captures UTM parameters before GA4 sees them, ensuring accurate source tracking.

First-party UTM capture
Server-side data sending
Fixes cross-domain tracking
Preserves parameters across sessions
Syncs clean data to GA4

Who this is for

Marketing teams running paid campaigns
E-commerce stores tracking purchase attribution
B2B companies tracking lead sources
Site owners confused by GA4
Anyone who needs reliable GA4 data

Anyone using GA4 who trusts their UTM data.

What real users are saying

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"I absolutely love the simplicity and functionality of this plugin. Its a secret weapon for marketing pros to track conversions better for all the different ad campaigns across sites too!"
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"This plugin does exactly what it promises and saves me a lot of time!The personal support stood out and made integrating this plugin super easy! Great work!!"
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"This is an amazing plugin: simple in is usage, but incredibly powerful in its use to track your campaigns. Very helpful and capable support. Utmgrabber is the best software to track the source of your woocommerce-clients (ads, …)."
@jessy86MAGNIFICENT plugin & support