Make sure GA4 Subdomain Tracking is enabled for you.
By default, GA4 automatically tracks traffic from all subdomains, provided they share the same root domain; they all use the same GA4 property and the same web data stream, which means they must use the same GA4 measurement ID.
For example:
Root Domain: optimizesmart.com
Subdomains:
learn.optimizesmart.com
training.optimizesmart.com
Suppose you install the GA4 tracking code on optimizesmart.com and ensure all subdomains inherit that code (or have their own copy with the same Measurement ID). In that case, GA4 will seamlessly track user activity across these subdomains.
Consider the following scenario:
A user visits the main website, optimizesmart.com, and browses a couple of articles. (GA4 tracks this visit)
The user then clicks on a link to learn more about the Digital Analytics Implementation Program, which takes them to training.optimizesmart.com. (Since it’s a subdomain, GA4 recognises it as part of the same website and continues the session.)
The user reads detailed information on the ‘training’ subdomain and decides to enrol into the program. (This activity is also recorded within the same session.)
You get a complete picture of how users interact across all your subdomains, which helps you understand their overall behaviour and interests.
In essence, GA4 treats all subdomains sharing the same root domain (optimizesmart.com in this case) as one website for tracking purposes as long as they use the same Measurement ID.
Here is how you can view traffic to various subdomains in GA4.
By default, the data in your GA4 reports include only the request URI and not the domain name.
This makes it impossible to view subdomain traffic.
The request URI is that part of the URL that comes after the domain name.
For example, if your URL is: https://www.optimizesmart.com/contact/
Then request URI would be: /contact/
The hostname would be: https://www.optimizesmart.com
Unlike in Universal Analytics, in GA4, you don’t need to append the hostname to the request URI to see the full URLs in the reports.
You just need to use the ‘Page Location’ dimension in an exploration report.
What will happen if you set up individual data streams for each subdomain in a single GA4 property?
Will it result in inflated website traffic?
GA4 automatically tracks traffic from all subdomains within a single property by default.
But you can also set up individual data streams for each subdomain.
When you set up individual data streams, GA4 tracks the data for each subdomain separately.
This can be useful if you want to see data specifically for each subdomain rather than combined data for all subdomains.
It will not result in inflated website traffic as GA4 uses a unique measurement ID for each data stream, so it will not double-count the traffic.
Each data stream will have its own metrics and reports, allowing you to analyze the data separately.
However, there are some major downsides to setting up individual data streams for each subdomain in GA4:
1) Setting up individual data streams for each subdomain requires more tracking setup, maintenance and troubleshooting. Hence increased complexity and higher data management costs.
2) With individual data streams for each subdomain, it can be harder to see the overall picture of the website’s performance across all subdomains as the data is split across multiple data streams. This can make it more difficult to identify trends and patterns in the data.
3) When you set up individual data streams for each subdomain, tracking cross-domain behaviour, such as a user’s journey across different subdomains, can become harder.
4) Individual data streams for each subdomain can lead to a lack of data continuity, making it harder to compare data over time.
5) Individual data streams for each subdomain can make creating and managing audiences, custom dimensions and metrics, and other reporting features more difficult.
6) If different teams are responsible for different subdomains, each team may have their own methods and processes for setting up and configuring data streams, tracking events, and analyzing data which can make it difficult to compare data from different data streams.
The inconsistencies in how data is collected and analyzed across subdomains can also make it difficult to identify trends and patterns in user behaviour across subdomains.
My best selling books on Digital Analytics and Conversion Optimization
Maths and Stats for Web Analytics and Conversion Optimization
This expert guide will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of maths and statistics in order to accurately interpret data and take actions, which can quickly improve the bottom-line of your online business.
Master the Essentials of Email Marketing Analytics
This book focuses solely on the ‘analytics’ that power your email marketing optimization program and will help you dramatically reduce your cost per acquisition and increase marketing ROI by tracking the performance of the various KPIs and metrics used for email marketing.
Attribution Modelling in Google Analytics and BeyondSECOND EDITION OUT NOW!
Attribution modelling is the process of determining the most effective marketing channels for investment. This book has been written to help you implement attribution modelling. It will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of attribution modelling in order to allocate marketing budget and understand buying behaviour.
Attribution Modelling in Google Ads and Facebook
This book has been written to help you implement attribution modelling in Google Ads (Google AdWords) and Facebook. It will teach you, how to leverage the knowledge of attribution modelling in order to understand the customer purchasing journey and determine the most effective marketing channels for investment.
About the Author
Himanshu Sharma
Founder, OptimizeSmart.com
Over 15 years of experience in digital analytics and marketing
Author of four best-selling books on digital analytics and conversion optimization
Nominated for Digital Analytics Association Awards for Excellence
Runs one of the most popular blogs in the world on digital analytics
Consultant to countless small and big businesses over the decade
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.