How To Fix "(unassigned)" Traffic In GA4

You open GA4, check your traffic sources, and there it is: a big chunk of your traffic labeled as "(unassigned)". Your first thought? Probably something like, "What is this nonsense?"

Don't worry—you're not alone, and it's not as mysterious as it seems. Let's break down what "(unassigned)" actually means, why it happens, and most importantly, how to fix it and keep it fixed.

What "(unassigned)" Actually Means

When GA4 shows traffic as "(unassigned)", it means the platform couldn't automatically categorize that traffic into one of your channel groups. It's not just about "(not set)"—it can happen for several reasons:

Missing or broken UTM parameters
Traffic sources that don't match your channel group rules
Redirects that strip tracking parameters
Email links without proper tracking
Direct traffic that's actually coming from untracked sources
Referrer domains that aren't covered by your rules

The key thing to understand: GA4 uses your channel group rules (and default rules) to categorize traffic. If a visit doesn't match any of those rules, it gets labeled "(unassigned)".

The Usual Suspects: Why Traffic Gets Unassigned

Broken or Missing UTMs

This is the most common culprit. If your marketing campaigns are missing UTM parameters, or if the UTMs are malformed (wrong case, typos, etc.), GA4 won't know where the traffic came from.

Misclassified Sources

Sometimes traffic has valid source/medium values, but they don't match your channel group rules. For example, if you have a rule that matches "utm_source=newsletter" but your emails use "utm_source=email", that traffic won't be categorized.

Redirects Stripping Parameters

If your links go through redirects (like link shorteners) that don't preserve UTM parameters, those visits will arrive at your site without any tracking info.

Email Links Without Tracking

Email marketing platforms don't always add UTMs automatically. If you're sending emails with plain links, that traffic is showing up as unassigned.

How Channel Groups and Source/Medium Work Together

Channel groups in GA4 are essentially rule sets that categorize your traffic based on source and medium values. Here's how it works:

GA4 receives a visit with UTM parameters (or referrer info)
It checks your channel group rules (both default and custom) in order
If a rule matches, the traffic is assigned to that channel group
If no rule matches, it gets labeled as "(unassigned)"

The default channel groups handle common cases (Google organic, Google Ads, Facebook, etc.), but if your traffic doesn't match those patterns, or if you have custom source/medium values, you need custom channel groups with rules that match your actual traffic patterns.

A Simple Checklist: 5 Things to Check and Fix Right Now

Check Your UTM Parameters

Go through your marketing campaigns and verify that every link has proper UTM parameters. Use a consistent format: utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign. Make sure there are no typos or case inconsistencies.

Review Your Actual Source/Medium Values

In GA4, go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition and look at the actual source/medium combinations you're seeing. Check what values are showing up as unassigned. This will tell you what rules you need to add or fix.

Fix Your Email Links

Make sure your email marketing platform automatically adds UTM parameters to all links. If it doesn't, configure it to do so, or manually add UTMs to your email templates. Use a consistent format like utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter.

Audit Your Redirects

Check if any of your marketing links go through redirects or link shorteners. If they do, make sure those services preserve UTM parameters. If not, either switch services or add the UTMs after the redirect.

Create or Update Your Channel Group Rules

Based on what you found in step 2, create custom channel groups or update existing ones to match all your actual source/medium combinations. Make sure every legitimate traffic source has a rule that catches it.

How to Keep "(unassigned)" Low Going Forward

Fixing unassigned traffic is one thing—keeping it that way is another. Here are some best practices:

Use consistent UTM naming conventions: Create a style guide for your team so everyone uses the same format (e.g., lowercase, underscores vs. hyphens).
Set up automated UTM tagging: Configure your marketing platforms to automatically add UTMs to all links.
Review your channel groups monthly: Check your traffic acquisition report regularly to catch new unassigned sources before they become a problem.
Document your rules: Keep a list of all your channel group rules and source/medium values so you know what should match what.

Make Sure All Source/Medium Values Are Correctly Categorized

The final step is making sure every source/medium combination in your traffic falls into a channel group. This means:

Reviewing your traffic acquisition report regularly
Identifying any source/medium combinations that aren't matched by any channel group
Creating new channel group rules or updating existing ones to catch those combinations
Testing that your rules work correctly by checking the preview feature in GA4

Remember: channel groups are hierarchical, so the order matters. GA4 checks rules from top to bottom and uses the first match. Make sure your most specific rules come first.

Keep Your Channel Groups Clean Automatically

Once you clean things up, you probably want to keep them clean. GA4 Channel Manager can read your existing source and medium values, suggest the right channel group rules, and push those rules into GA4 so you don't repeat this every month.

Try GA4 Channel Manager Free →