73% of GA4 implementations have data quality issues that go undetected for months. Not because the initial setup failed, but because tracking breaks silently—and nobody’s checking. A 25-minute weekly audit catches problems before they cost you months of conversion data.

You set up WooCommerce tracking. It worked. You moved on. Meanwhile, a plugin update changed the checkout flow, a theme update modified the thank you page, and your GA4 data quietly became fiction. Most tracking issues are discovered 2-4 weeks after they begin—long after you’ve made decisions based on incomplete numbers.

Why Tracking Breaks Without Warning

Tracking isn’t a “set it and forget it” system. It’s a fragile chain of events that can break at any link. Here’s what causes silent failures:

• Plugin updates: Approximately 15% of WooCommerce stores experience tracking issues from updates each month
• Theme changes: Modified checkout templates can prevent conversion events from firing
• Checkout modifications: Custom fields, new payment gateways, or upsell plugins can interfere with data layer population
• Browser restrictions: Safari’s ITP, ad blockers, and privacy features block tracking scripts entirely
• JavaScript errors: Any error on the page can prevent analytics scripts from executing

The average WooCommerce store loses 20-40% of conversion data to various tracking failures. Some of that loss is expected (ad blockers, browser restrictions). But some of it is fixable—if you catch it.

You may be interested in: WooCommerce Revenue vs Google Analytics: Why GA4 Is Always Wrong

The 5 Weekly Checks (25 Minutes Total)

These five checks don’t require developer skills. You’re comparing numbers, not debugging code. Each takes about 5 minutes. Build this into your Monday morning routine and you’ll catch problems within days instead of months.

Check 1: Transaction Count Comparison (5 minutes)

Data Validation starts with the simplest question: does GA4 show the same number of transactions as WooCommerce?

How to do it:

1. Go to WooCommerce > Reports > Orders and note the order count for the past 7 days
2. In GA4, go to Reports > Monetization > Ecommerce purchases and check transactions for the same period
3. Compare the numbers

What to expect: GA4 will typically show 10-30% fewer transactions due to ad blockers and browser restrictions. That’s normal. But if GA4 suddenly shows 50% fewer—or if the gap widens week-over-week—something broke.

Red flag: GA4 transaction count dropped significantly compared to previous weeks while WooCommerce stayed consistent.

Check 2: Revenue Reconciliation (5 minutes)

Transaction Reconciliation goes beyond count to verify the money matches. Sometimes events fire but with wrong values.

How to do it:

1. Note the total revenue from WooCommerce Reports for the past 7 days
2. Check GA4’s total revenue for the same period
3. Calculate the percentage difference

What to expect: The percentage gap between GA4 revenue and WooCommerce revenue should stay relatively consistent week to week. If your normal gap is 25% and it suddenly jumps to 60%, investigate.

Red flag: Revenue gap percentage changed significantly from your baseline.

Check 3: Event Parameter Verification (5 minutes)

Transactions might fire but with missing or incorrect data. GA4’s DebugView shows you exactly what’s being sent.

How to do it:

1. Open your site in one browser tab, GA4 DebugView in another
2. Enable debug mode (add ?gtm_debug=x to your URL or use the GA4 Debugger extension)
3. Complete a test browsing session: view a product, add to cart, start checkout
4. Watch DebugView for the expected events: view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout

What to check: Are the events appearing? Do they have the right parameters (item_id, item_name, price)?

Red flag: Events aren’t appearing in DebugView, or parameters are empty/wrong.

Check 4: Source/Medium Attribution Spot-Check (5 minutes)

Sometimes tracking works but attribution doesn’t. UTM parameters get stripped, referrer data gets lost, and all your paid traffic shows as “direct.”

How to do it:

1. In GA4, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
2. Look at your primary traffic sources for the past 7 days
3. Check if the distribution makes sense

What to investigate:

• Is “direct” traffic unusually high?
• Are your paid campaigns showing the expected volume?
• Is any major source suddenly missing?

Red flag: Paid traffic dropped to near-zero while ad spend stayed constant, or direct traffic spiked dramatically.

You may be interested in: WordPress Server-Side Tracking Debugging in 2026

Check 5: Test Purchase Validation (5 minutes)

The ultimate check: does a real transaction actually show up? Monthly test purchases catch issues that spot-checks miss.

How to do it:

1. Create a test order using a coupon that zeroes out the total (or use a test payment gateway)
2. Complete the checkout process fully
3. Wait 24-48 hours
4. Search for that specific transaction in GA4 using the order ID

What to verify: The transaction appears, the revenue is correct, the source/medium is right (if you used UTM parameters).

Red flag: Test transaction doesn’t appear in GA4 within 48 hours.

What to Do When Something Fails

You ran your checks. Something’s off. Now what?

For transaction count drops: Check if a recent plugin or theme update coincides with the drop. Roll back if possible and test again.

For missing events in DebugView: Your tracking script isn’t loading. Check for JavaScript errors in the browser console, verify your tracking plugin is still active, and ensure no caching plugins are interfering.

For attribution issues: UTM parameters might be getting stripped. Check your ad links, test them manually, and look for redirect plugins that might be removing query strings.

For failed test purchases: The thank you page conversion event isn’t firing. This is often caused by checkout page modifications, payment gateway redirects, or custom thank you page templates.

Build the Habit, Not Just the Checklist

The value isn’t in the individual checks—it’s in doing them consistently. Prevention beats troubleshooting. Catching a problem in week one costs you 7 days of incomplete data. Catching it in month three costs you 90 days.

Schedule 25 minutes every Monday. Make it non-negotiable. The first few weeks feel like overhead. By month three, you’ll catch an issue that would have cost you significant optimization data.

For store owners wanting built-in validation, Transmute Engine™ includes delivery status verification directly in your WordPress admin. Every event shows whether it succeeded or failed at each destination—GA4, Facebook CAPI, Google Ads—without needing external debugging tools. You see what’s working and what’s not without leaving WordPress.

Key Takeaways

• 73% of GA4 implementations have undetected data quality issues—weekly audits catch problems early
• Five checks, 25 minutes total—transaction count, revenue, events, attribution, test purchase
• Plugin updates break tracking in ~15% of stores monthly—regular validation is essential, not optional
• Know your baseline gaps—sudden changes indicate problems, consistent gaps are expected
• Prevention beats troubleshooting—7 days of bad data is recoverable, 90 days is not

Start your weekly data audit habit today at seresa.io.