5 Critical Google Analytics 4 Mistakes Malaysian SMEs Make (And How to Fix Them)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool for understanding your website and marketing performance, but only if it's set up correctly. Many Malaysian SMEs hurried to implement GA4 and inadvertently misconfigured things, leading to broken tracking and unreliable data. Poor GA4 setup means you’re flying blind or, worse, making decisions based on incorrect numbers.

Let’s look at five critical GA4 mistakes that are common, explain why they hurt your data, and discuss how to fix them. If you find yourself saying “Oh, we did that,” don’t worry, these are fixable! By the end, you’ll see why getting a professional GA4 audit might be your best move.

Leaving Data Retention at the Default 2 Months

The Mistake

GA4’s default setting only retains detailed user data for 2 months. Many SMEs don't realize this and leave it as-is.

Why This Is a Problem

With only 2 months of data, you can’t analyze long-term trends. Imagine trying to compare this month’s user behavior with the same period last year. You can’t, because GA4 would have already purged the older data. Year-over-year analysis and understanding long sales cycles become impossible.

How to Fix

Extend it. In GA4, go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Retention and switch to 14 months. Also ensure “Reset user data on new activity” is toggled on, so the clock resets when a user returns.

Extend GA4’s Data Retention to 14 months. This ensures you have enough historical data for proper analysis.

Duplicating GA4 Tags (Double-Counting Events)

The Mistake

Accidentally installing GA4 tracking twice, often by mixing Google Tag Manager and hard-coded tags, or by defining events in GA4 that are already being sent via GTM.

Why This Is a Problem

Duplicate tracking means every action is counted twice. Your pageviews, conversions, and user counts will be literally double the real number, leading to wildly unreliable data.

How to Fix

Conduct a tag audit. Use GA4’s DebugView or GTM’s preview mode to see if events are firing more than once. Decide on one deployment method (usually GTM) and remove any others.

Not Defining Key Conversions in GA4

The Mistake

Failing to mark important events as Conversions in GA4, or not setting up conversion events at all.

Why This Is a Problem

Conversions are your primary success metrics, like sales or form submissions. If these aren’t defined, you can’t measure marketing performance or optimize Google Ads properly. You lose sight of which actions matter most to your business.

How to Fix

Identify your key website conversions. Ensure these are tracked as events. Then, in the GA4 Events section, toggle each one to mark it as a Conversion.

Ignoring Custom Dimensions for Important Data

The Mistake

Sending custom event details (parameters) to GA4 without registering them as custom dimensions or metrics.

Why This Is a Problem

If you don’t register a custom parameter, you cannot use it for analysis in GA4’s interface. You’ll just see “(not set)” in your reports, leading to incomplete data and missed insights.

How to Fix

Go to Configure > Custom Definitions in GA4 and create a new custom dimension for each parameter you need. Match the parameter name exactly. After 24 hours, you can use that dimension in your reports and explorations.

Not Filtering Out Internal and Test Traffic

The Mistake

Failing to exclude your own team's visits and developer testing from your live data.

Why This Is a Problem

Your own team’s pageviews and test conversions inflate your analytics. This skews user counts, conversion rates, and other metrics, making the reports untrustworthy.

How to Fix

GA4 has built-in Data Filters. Mark your office IPs as internal traffic under Data Settings > Data Filters. This keeps your live GA4 data clean and focused on real customers.

Ensure Your GA4 Foundation is Solid

By avoiding these five mistakes, you’ll establish a solid GA4 foundation. That means trustworthy insights, accurate conversion counts, and better decisions. If you’re unsure about your setup or want professional peace of mind, consider a GA4 audit from Datamentari. We’ll pinpoint issues and give you a clear plan to fix them, ensuring your analytics guide you to real growth.

Don’t let small missteps cause big blind spots in your data. Datamentari is here to help Malaysian SMEs get their analytics right. With a correct setup, you can focus on growth and let your data confidently guide your marketing strategies.