Are You Getting Incorrect Campaign Names for Google Ads Traffic in GA4?

Are You Getting Incorrect Campaign Names for Google Ads Traffic in GA4?

A surprisingly common issue in Google Analytics 4 is that Google Ads campaigns show up with incorrect or mismatched campaign names. This can make your reporting unreliable and lead to poor optimization decisions. If you have noticed that the campaign names in your GA4 reports do not match what you see in your Google Ads account, you are not alone. Understanding why this happens and how to fix it is essential for accurate marketing analytics.

Why Campaign Names Get Mixed Up

The most frequent cause is a mismatch between the auto-tagging from Google Ads and manual UTM parameters. When both are active, GA4 can get confused about which campaign name to display. Another common cause is that the Google Ads and GA4 accounts are not properly linked, causing GA4 to fall back on URL parameters instead of using the direct integration data.

There are several specific scenarios that lead to this problem. If you have auto-tagging enabled in Google Ads but also append UTM parameters to your ad URLs, the UTM parameters can override the auto-tagged data in certain configurations. If your Google Ads account is linked to GA4 but the linking was set up incorrectly, or if it was temporarily disconnected and reconnected, historical data may show inconsistencies. Additionally, if you use third-party tools or platforms that append their own tracking parameters to your URLs, these can interfere with how GA4 categorizes your traffic.

How to Diagnose the Problem

Start by systematically checking each potential cause:

• Check your Google Ads and GA4 account linking in the GA4 admin panel. Verify that the correct Google Ads account is linked and that the connection status shows as active.
• Verify that auto-tagging is enabled in your Google Ads account settings under Account Settings. This is the recommended configuration for most advertisers.
• Look for manual UTM parameters on your Google Ads destination URLs that might conflict with auto-tagging. Check both at the campaign level and at the individual ad level.
• Compare campaign names in the GA4 Traffic Acquisition report with those in your Google Ads account to identify specific discrepancies.
• Check the GA4 Attribution Settings to ensure you are using the correct attribution model and lookback window for your business.
• Review your GA4 data import settings to make sure there are no conflicting data sources overwriting your campaign information.

The Fix: Step by Step

In most cases, the solution involves a combination of the following steps. First, ensure that your Google Ads account is properly linked to GA4 through the admin panel. Second, confirm that auto-tagging is enabled in Google Ads. Third, remove any manual UTM parameters from your Google Ads destination URLs, as these are unnecessary when auto-tagging is active and often create conflicts.

If you need to use manual tagging for specific purposes, such as tracking campaigns across non-Google platforms, make sure the campaign names match exactly between your UTM parameters and your Google Ads campaign settings. Inconsistencies in capitalization, spacing, or naming conventions between manual tags and Google Ads campaign names are a frequent source of errors.

Preventing Future Issues

Establish a naming convention for your campaigns that is consistent across all platforms. Document this convention and share it with everyone who creates or manages campaigns. Avoid using special characters, inconsistent capitalization, or overly long campaign names that are prone to truncation. Set up a monthly audit process where you compare campaign names across Google Ads and GA4 to catch discrepancies early.

When the Problem Persists

If you have followed all these steps and still see incorrect campaign names, the issue may be related to processing delays in GA4, which can take 24 to 48 hours to fully reconcile data from linked accounts. It could also be related to browser extensions, ad blockers, or redirect chains that modify URL parameters before GA4 captures them. In these cases, server-side tagging can provide a more reliable data collection method that is less susceptible to client-side interference.

Accurate campaign naming is the foundation of reliable marketing analytics. Investing a few hours to audit and fix your tagging setup will save you from making decisions based on flawed data and ensure that your optimization efforts are built on a solid foundation of accurate information.