Google Analytics 4 (GA4) users worldwide have reported significant discrepancies in their traffic data, with some reports showing only half of the actual visitors since November 13, 2024. After several days of user complaints, Google has officially acknowledged the issue.

Google’s Official Statement

On November 18 at 4:58 PM UTC (11:58 AM ET), Google posted an update on its Google Ads Status Dashboard, stating:

“We’re investigating reports of an issue with Google Analytics. There is an issue affecting the generation of standard reporting tables. Granular reports (accessed via the explore module) and BigQuery exports are unaffected. We are working on restoring the reporting tables.”

This marks Google’s first official response after five days of user reports about data discrepancies. The statement confirms that while standard reporting tables are affected, real-time tracking, BigQuery exports, and granular reports remain functional.

Key Issues Identified

GA4 users have noted a range of problems, including:

• Reduced traffic volumes: Many websites report up to a 50% drop in reported traffic, despite consistent numbers in Google Search Console and other analytics platforms.
• Channel attribution discrepancies: Issues with assigning traffic to appropriate sources.
• Landing page metrics: Inaccurate data for key landing pages.
• Event tracking issues: Missing or incomplete event data.

One user described the issue: “The incomplete data is there since 13th November which shows only 4445 users when in actual (looking at Search and Discover in GSC), I am calculating more than 13,000 users (at least).”

Technical Insights

Investigations reveal that data continues to flow to BigQuery for users with connected accounts, but this is only a partial solution, as many GA4 users do not use BigQuery integration. The issue appears to coincide with Google’s mid-November updates to its attribution system, though no direct link has been confirmed.

Website owners from across the globe, including regions like Taiwan and Europe, have reported similar patterns of data loss starting November 13:

“Taiwan is experiencing the same issue. On 11/13, there was a sudden drop in traffic, and from 11/14 to 11/17, it decreased by 20-30% compared to the same period last month.”

Why This Matters

This disruption significantly impacts organizations that rely on GA4 for business intelligence, performance analysis, and decision-making. Without accurate historical data, companies face challenges in reporting and understanding website performance.

One of the most pressing questions is whether Google will retroactively restore missing data for affected accounts. As of now, there has been no confirmation from Google on this matter.

Next Steps

While Google works to resolve the issue, affected users are advised to:

• Leverage BigQuery exports or the GA4 Explore module for granular data if available.
• Use alternative analytics tools, such as Google Search Console, to cross-reference data during this period.
• Monitor Google’s status updates for further information on the resolution.

We will continue to track this situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.