The Real-Time report in Google Analytics may be displaying incorrect data for Universal Analytics properties, according to Google.
If this problem affects your Google Analytics account, real-time data for your Universal Analytics properties will appear to be lower than it actually is.
If you haven’t already, upgrade to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to ensure that your real-time data is accurate.
Charles Farina spotted the warning about inaccurate data at the top of a Help Center article published by Google.
Google has added a warning for the real-time analytics reports in Universal Analytics. There are ongoing issues, which cause them to be unreliable.
— Charles Farina (@CharlesFarina) April 14, 2022
You'll need to use GA4 if you need real-time analytics: https://t.co/QjGugvxkxr pic.twitter.com/Oidwt786wk
The warning reads:
“You may notice low realtime data in the Real-Time report in your Universal Analytics property. To get the most accurate realtime data, it’s recommended that you use the Realtime report in a Google Analytics 4 property.”
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How Does This Affect My Website?
This issue affecting Universal Analytics properties could be to blame for any unusual drops in your real-time metrics recently.
Again, the only way to be certain is to look at a GA4 property’s real-time report.
Because the problem only affects Universal Analytics properties, it’s unlikely that Google will prioritize fixing it.
On July 1, 2023, Google will stop supporting Universal Analytics properties, and GA4 will become the new standard.
Perhaps the loss of accurate real-time data reporting, which can be a major inconvenience for many people, will hasten GA4 adoption.
Is It True That The Data Is Missing?
The information that was missing from the real-time report isn’t lost forever.
Despite the fact that the hits were not recorded in the real-time report, they were recorded and attributed correctly in other reports.
The Real-Time report allows you to keep track of site activity in real-time. Data is reported in milliseconds, so it’s always changing.
There are some instances where the report is required
You can see how well an article is doing after it is shared for the first time on Twitter, for example.
Alternatively, you can check to see if a limited-time promotion is driving traffic to your site as it should be.
At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.
Data in your Real-Time report could now be artificially low due to Universal Analytics properties in their current state.
If real-time data isn’t important to you, however, this issue won’t affect your Google Analytics experience.
If you use this report to track website performance throughout the day and haven’t yet made the switch to GA4, now is a good time.
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