How to Use DebugView to Check Your GA4 Setup

DebugView is a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) feature that helps you check whether your settings work as intended. DebugView is similar to Google Tag Manager's Preview feature. Here are some points to note when using DebugView:

You can find DebugView under Admin > DebugView

However, if you open DebugView directly, there will be no data to check. To enable DebugView, you first need to use one of these three methods:

• Install the Google Analytics Debugger Chrome extension

  • Once installed, simply turn it ON using the Debugger icon

• Enable Preview mode in Google Tag Manager

• Visit https://tagassistant.google.com/ or install Tag Assistant Companion

Using Tag Assistant Companion is more convenient because it enables both GTM Preview mode and GA4 DebugView at the same time

DebugView overview

There are 5 basic components in total:

1. Device selector

Shows a list of devices using DebugView. You can select the device you want to work with and view its reports

2. Minutes stream

The stream of events from the last 30 minutes. Each small circle represents one minute and shows the total number of events that occurred during that minute. You can click each circle to view event and parameter details

3. Seconds stream

The seconds stream shows all events that occurred within 1 minute in detail. Selecting an event also displays its values and parameters.

The following example shows these events occurring on the website within about 10 seconds:

• Scroll: the user scrolls the page to view content

• Internal_click: the user clicks internal links on the website

• Click: the user clicks an external link on the website

• Phone_call_click: the user clicks the Phone call button to make a call

To see more information about parameters, simply click the relevant event. The example below shows the user clicking the content "Things to do after establishing a company" on the website

4. Top events

Shows the top events that occurred within 30 minutes.

You can see how each event changes. In the example above, selecting the Scroll event and Percent_scrolled shows when the user scrolled from 10 to 50% of the page. You can select time points to see more information.

5. User Properties:

Shows the state of users on the device you have selected. Click the small clock icon to see how values have changed over the last 30 minutes.

I hope this information helps you better understand and get an overview of Google Analytics 4's DebugView feature. DebugView is an important tool for checking and monitoring the features you have set up on your website or app. If you have trouble setting up GA4, contact Optimus, an agency specializing in digital marketing services, for advice and support.