Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a new version of Google Analytics that is designed to provide more insights into user behavior. However, one issue that some users have encountered with GA4 is thresholding. Thresholding is a feature that hides data from reports when the number of users or events is too low. This can be a problem if you are trying to track specific user demographics or interests.
In this article, we will discuss what thresholding is, how it works, and how to solve it. We will also provide some tips on how to avoid thresholding in the future.
What is Thresholding?
Thresholding is a feature in GA4 that is designed to protect user privacy. When the number of users or events in a report is too low, GA4 will hide the data to prevent anyone from being able to identify individual users.
The exact threshold that triggers thresholding is not publicly known, but it is generally believed to be around 50 users or events. If you have a report with fewer than 50 users or events, you will see a message that says “Thresholding applied”.
How Thresholding Works
Thresholding works by replacing the actual data in a report with the value “unknown”. This means that you will not be able to see the actual number of users or events in the report.
Thresholding can also affect the other data in a report. For example, if you have a report that shows the average age of users, the average age may be inaccurate if thresholding has been applied.
How to Solve Thresholding
There are a few ways to solve thresholding in GA4.
- Expand the date range
If you have a narrow date range, expanding the date range may increase the number of users or events in the report, which will prevent thresholding from being applied.
- Change the reporting identity
The reporting identity determines how users are counted in GA4. If you change the reporting identity to “device-only”, thresholding will not be applied.
- Use Google Signals
Google Signals is a feature that allows you to track users across devices and platforms. If you enable Google Signals, thresholding will not be applied to reports that contain demographic data.
Tips for Avoiding Thresholding
To avoid thresholding, you can follow these tips:
- Make sure that your reports have a large enough audience. If you have a report with a small audience, you may want to consider expanding the audience.
- Use Google Signals. Google Signals can help you to avoid thresholding by tracking users across devices and platforms.
- Use the “device-only” reporting identity. The “device-only” reporting identity will prevent thresholding from being applied to reports that contain demographic data.
Here are the steps on how to change the reporting identity to “device-only” in Google Analytics 4:
- Go to your Google Analytics 4 property.
- Click on the Admin tab.
- In the Property column, click on Reporting identity.
- Select the By device only option.
- Click on Save.
Conclusion
Thresholding can be a frustrating issue, but there are a few ways to solve it. By following the tips in this article, you can avoid thresholding and get the most out of Google Analytics 4.
Disclaimer
The information in this article is based on our own research and experience. Google may change the way that thresholding works in the future, so it is important to check the Google Analytics documentation for the latest information.
