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GA4 Sessions Dropped

sublebers kft

Subject: GA4 Sessions Dropped Since Sept 29 – Possible Consent Mode Issue

Hello Mediavine Support,

Since September 29, my GA4 sessions have dropped dramatically, while my actual traffic remains stable:

  • Pinterest outbound clicks are stable.
  • Google Search Console clicks are stable.
  • Mediavine and GA4 session numbers both show a sharp decline.

Realtime reports in GA4 continue to show active users on my site, so traffic is definitely coming through. This indicates the issue is not traffic loss but a measurement change.

It looks like Journey’s recent Consent Mode update may be setting analytics_storage=denied by default, even for US and Canadian visitors, where consent is not required. As a result, GA4 is undercounting sessions, and Mediavine reports are also affected.

Could you please confirm if this is related to the September 29 update, and if so:

  • Ensure EU/UK visitors remain consent-based (GDPR compliance).
  • Ensure US/Canada visitors have analytics_storage=granted by default so that sessions are tracked correctly.

This change is critical because the majority of my audience is based in the US and Canada, and currently a large portion of sessions are missing in GA4 and Mediavine analytics.

Thank you very much for your support!

Best regards,

0

Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • Support
    • Journey Support Team

    Hi @sublebers kft - I'm seeing analytics_storage=denied set as a default consent through WooCommerce

    Additionally, it looks like you don't have consent mode enabled in your Journey Dashboard, meaning consents for analytics are not being updated, even when the CMP fires.

    To ensure that the proper consents are collected, you'll want to do the following:

    - Remove any default custom consents, as the Journey CMP will properly handle these for readers in the US and GDPR countries
    - Enable Consent mode from your Dashboard under Journey settings - this will allow the CMP to update Google Analtyics consents for readers that requrire it after accepting the CMP

    0
  • Elisabeth

    I have had the exact same issue (also since September 29th). 

    The consent mode is activated under my Journey settings. 

    I'm unsure how to check if I have other default custom consents. Can you please help walk me through that process. 

    0
  • Support
    • Journey Support Team

    Elisabeth - I just checked your site, and it looks like this is working as expected with Google Analytics Consent Mode enable. 

    To clarify, this setting will deny analytics consent, by default, for all required countries that have data privacy laws in effect (specifically, the EU.) This then allows traffic from these locations to opt into analytics consent after consent is given through the Journey CMP. 

    0
  • Elisabeth

    Thanks so much. I'll give it a few days and hope that revenue rebounds now that the Consent Mode is enabled. 

    0
  • Megan H.

    What is this consent mode? How do I check if it’s on my site? 

    0

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