CPM Google Analytics & Attribution 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of UTM parameters in Google Analytics campaigns?
- To improve page load speed
- To tag URLs so traffic sources and campaigns can be tracked accurately (Correct answer)
- To set up conversion goals automatically
- To enable remarketing audiences
Correct answer: To tag URLs so traffic sources and campaigns can be tracked accurately
UTM parameters appended to URLs allow Google Analytics to identify and report on the specific source, medium, campaign, and other attributes of incoming traffic.
Question 2: In GA4, what constitutes an 'engaged session'?
- Any session lasting more than 30 seconds, viewing 2+ pages, or triggering a conversion (Correct answer)
- Any session with at least one paid ad click
- Any session where the user adds an item to the cart
- Any session originating from organic search
Correct answer: Any session lasting more than 30 seconds, viewing 2+ pages, or triggering a conversion
GA4 defines an engaged session as one that lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event, or includes 2 or more page views — replacing the traditional bounce rate concept.
Question 3: Which attribution model splits conversion credit equally across all touchpoints in the path?
- Time-decay
- Position-based
- Linear (Correct answer)
- Last non-direct click
Correct answer: Linear
The linear attribution model distributes conversion credit equally among all touchpoints in the customer journey.
Question 4: A marketer notices that 'Direct' traffic in GA4 is unusually high. What is the most likely explanation?
- The site has very strong brand awareness
- Missing or broken UTM tags are causing sessions to be misclassified as Direct (Correct answer)
- Direct traffic always dominates in GA4
- Users are predominantly typing the URL manually
Correct answer: Missing or broken UTM tags are causing sessions to be misclassified as Direct
When UTM parameters are missing or campaigns lack proper tracking tags, GA4 defaults to classifying that traffic as Direct, inflating that channel's numbers.
Question 5: What is cross-channel attribution?
- Measuring performance of a single marketing channel in isolation
- Assigning conversion credit across multiple marketing channels in a customer journey (Correct answer)
- Tracking conversions only from paid media channels
- Comparing organic vs. paid traffic volumes
Correct answer: Assigning conversion credit across multiple marketing channels in a customer journey
Cross-channel attribution evaluates how multiple marketing channels interact and contribute to a conversion across the full customer journey.
Question 6: In Google Analytics, what is a 'goal' (or 'conversion event' in GA4) used for?
- Setting the advertising budget
- Tracking when users complete a desired action such as a purchase or form submission (Correct answer)
- Measuring page load speed
- Setting up remarketing lists
Correct answer: Tracking when users complete a desired action such as a purchase or form submission
Goals (GA3) or conversion events (GA4) mark when users complete a specific desired action, enabling performance measurement against business objectives.
Question 7: What is the key limitation of last-click attribution for omnichannel marketers?
- It is too complex to implement
- It ignores the contribution of upper-funnel touchpoints that assisted the conversion (Correct answer)
- It cannot track mobile devices
- It only works for paid search campaigns
Correct answer: It ignores the contribution of upper-funnel touchpoints that assisted the conversion
Last-click attribution gives all credit to the final touchpoint, making upper-funnel channels like display or social appear to have no value even when they generated awareness.
CPM Google Analytics & Attribution 3
What is the purpose of UTM parameters in Google Analytics campaigns?