How GA4 Works in Affiliate Marketing and the Dognet Network

At Dognet, we’ve spent the past four years navigating the challenges of the new Google Analytics. The crux of the matter lies in the fact that GA4 operates on a fundamentally different principle than its predecessor. Unlike Universal Analytics, which centered around sessions and visits, GA4 emphasizes events throughout the customer’s purchasing journey, providing deeper insights into event-based analytics.

We’ve covered this ground before, with two articles dedicated to the challenges of assessing affiliate campaigns using Google Analytics alone.

Diverse attribution approaches in systems

Dognet

When users click a link from a Dognet affiliate site, a cookie is placed to record Dognet attribution, allowing for tracking when the user returns to complete a purchase within a timeframe of 1 to 30 days after the click, based on the campaign parameters.

GA4

Google Analytics 4 is built on three pillars: sessions (complete visits), events, and a data-driven model. It gathers session data and determines the importance of different channels from the first click to conversion, guided by its unique metrics and priorities.

Google has access to an immense amount of data, largely sourced from its own platforms. We should also consider that GA4 and Google benefit from data from Google Ads, Chrome, and Google Android. As a result, there are concerns and skepticism that Google’s own tools receive preferential treatment within GA4 over external systems, such as email marketing, other ad networks, or affiliate marketing.

Overview of the differences by Optimics

“Several factors contribute to these differences. For instance, if the Dognet cookie is not detected on the user during the purchase (even though they have previously clicked through from an affiliate)—due to deletion, ad blockers, or browsing anonymously—the transaction is tracked using device identification instead. Transactions recorded this way cannot be attributed to Dognet in GA4 since Dognet is no longer represented at the session level, meaning the user’s last session won’t be connected to earlier ones.“ Miloslav Ureš, Account Manager & Web Analyst, Optimics

Added value of an affiliate campaign that GA4 overlooks

Unlike traditional performance channels such as Google Shopping, price comparison sites, or catalogs, affiliate campaigns function differently. Publishers generate content, write reviews, and promote discounts directly. Other projects don’t do this, as they only aim to generate clicks without any other engagement. The key is that they need to motivate users to click—that’s the foundation of their approach.

In affiliate marketing, the publisher’s primary motivation is to convert users into paying customers since they earn a commission on actual orders rather than on clicks. Even when creating content, it’s important to remember that simply getting a click is not enough.

As a result, it’s vital to see the extra value that publishers bring to e-shops.

Advertisers benefit in several ways:

• They pay solely for sales, not for the traffic generated.
• The visibility of their e-shop and products increases, which can enhance their brand awareness in the long term.
• They receive reviews, PR articles, recommendations, and other content that are not available through CPC.
• They can secure sales without passing on commissions when customers make purchases after the cookie has expired.
• They are freed from creative challenges and inefficient customer acquisition spending, as the publisher takes on the financial risk.
• They have the chance to acquire loyal customers who can be directly motivated through their own marketing efforts.

It’s common for clients to see a high PNO, while the affiliate campaign itself stays stable, reflecting the set total commissions. GA4 calculates PNO based on its allocation to other channels.

Reasons for this can vary, and a clear general definition is difficult to establish. Consequently, it’s important to evaluate the significance of PNO as a parameter in GA4. Cashback and coupon partners, credited with the last click and lower commissions, could contribute positively to PNO in GA4.

Is this a more effective strategy for your e-shop than relying on sales from reviews and magazines?

How Dognet measures conversions

Dognet measures conversions at various levels within its tracking system. During the identification process, it looks for a match from the very first opportunity all the way to the last.

1. Cookie-Based Browser Tracking – Employs first-party and third-party cookies.
2. HTML5 Cookie Tracking – Involves local storage that is created and accessed by the website.
3. IP Address Tracking – Collects information through the computer’s IP address (optional)
4. User Agent and IP Address Tracking – Enables accurate link tracking based on user agent and IP address.

Each of these layers helps to ensure that conversions are attributed to partners with maximum accuracy and security. Additionally, advertisers in the Dognet network have the option to use server-to-server measurement, coupon measurement, or pixel tracking. For further details, visit the website of the tracking tool supplier.

When do discrepancies arise?

Direct click from Dognet network and immediate purchase:

When a new user clicks through a Dognet store, adds a product to their cart right away, and completes the purchase, both GA4 and Dognet will accurately identify it as a Dognet attribution. In this simple case, the data aligns perfectly, with GA4 recording the session source/medium as dgt/cpc and the first user source/medium also as dgt/cpc.

Google search click followed by Dognet click:

A user begins by searching for a product on Google and clicks on it, adding it to their basket. Realizing they might find a discount coupon, they search for one through Dognet and click back to the product page to finalize the purchase. In this situation, Dognet accurately assigns the attribution. However, GA4 will show a discrepancy, as the session source/medium will indicate google/organic (the original visit). Consequently, this scenario will create discrepancies in comparison. In Universal Analytics, the data would match since the source/medium change would initiate a new session that ended with a purchase.

Dognet click followed by purchase through ads:

The user first clicks through Dognet and lands on the product page but doesn’t buy. A week later, they return via a paid ad on Google and complete the transaction. Dognet assigns the proper attribution while the cookie is still valid. However, in GA4, the first session is tagged as dgt/cpc, and the second session with the purchase is recorded as google/cpc. Since the first user session source/medium is dgt/cpc, the data will not match, as it’s uncertain how GA4 will split the conversion credit and assign weight to each channel.

Multiple sessions with varying source/medium:

A user arrives on the site via a Google search but doesn’t take any action. A few days later, they return through Dognet and add a product to their cart, yet they still don’t complete the purchase. The next day, they click on a Facebook ad and make the purchase. In this scenario, Dognet correctly attributes the conversion, but GA4 will only show Dognet as the session source/medium during the second visit, which didn’t lead to a sale. Consequently, this again results in a mismatch, as GA4 lacks clarity on how conversion credit is assigned across multiple sessions.

How to align Dognet and GA4 results as closely as possible?

1. Understand the full range of analytics and the added value of affiliate campaigns.
2. Make decisions based not only on GA4 results but also on reports from Dognet or your affiliate network.
3. Ensure proper setup of GA4 and GTM.
4. Combine server-based GTM with GA4 for more accurate and comprehensive analytics.
5. Stick to consistent syntax, logic, and immutability of UTM links.
6. Implement a helper cookie (instructions available here).

“We have developed an analytics data warehouse that leverages data from Google Analytics 4. However, the data-driven model used by GA4 can sometimes act like a black box, leading to both overestimations and underestimations of certain channels. Additionally, we must consider the growing inaccuracies in data resulting from cookie consent banners, as consent rates can fluctuate significantly across different channels.

It’s clear that traffic from Dognet provides a different kind of value and operates differently compared to traditional performance channels. It tends to appear early in the purchasing process, especially for content publishers. We view this difference as a natural element of the current analytics landscape.“ Martin Anderko, Performance Marketing Director at Gymbeam

“After years of working with Dognet, we have come to see the significant value of the traffic they bring us. In this day and age, we can no longer depend exclusively on Google Analytics for insights. We accept the differences in Dognet’s analytics and management as a normal part of the process. We also appreciate Dognet’s continuous efforts to improve transparency, which aids us in evaluating campaign contributions.“  Jan Skalický, Marketing & Sales Director at 4home

If you need further assistance with displaying the affiliate channel in your GA4, feel free to contact us at hello@dognet.sk.