Why is GA4 showing (direct) / none for my Shopify checkout sales?

When users navigate from WordPress to a separate Shopify domain checkout, GA4 loses client ID cookies and generates a brand-new session. GA4 Linker fixes this by automatically appending the _gl parameter to cross-domain links.

Does GA4 Linker support slide-out AJAX carts and popup checkout buttons?

Yes! The Pro and Agency plans use a high-performance MutationObserver that detects dynamically injected DOM elements and AJAX cart drawers in real-time.

Is coding required to set up GA4 Linker?

Zero coding required. Simply install the plugin, enter your Shopify checkout domain(s) in the WordPress admin panel, and GA4 Linker handles link and form decoration automatically.

How does GA4 Linker preserve UTM parameters?

On Personal, Pro, and Agency plans, GA4 Linker captures incoming utm_source, utm_campaign, utm_medium, and gclid parameters from your landing page and persists them through internal navigation directly into the Shopify checkout destination.

🎯 Campaign Tag Attribution

How to Stop Shopify Checkout from Dropping UTM Campaign Parameters

By Dimsquid Engineering•Published Aug 5, 2026•8 min read

When email newsletters, Google Search Ads, or affiliate marketing links bring visitors to your WordPress landing page with custom UTM tags (utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=summer_sale), internal navigation between pages often drops those parameters before the user reaches the Shopify checkout button. Here is how UTM Persistence restores campaign tracking.

1. Why Internal Links Strip UTM Query Strings

Hyperlinks within standard WordPress themes do not append query string parameters from the current URL to internal links. When a visitor navigates from /landing-page?utm_source=newsletter to /about-product, the browser drops the UTM tags.

2. The UTM Persistence Engine Solution

GA4 Linker (Personal+ plans) reads incoming UTM parameters on initial page load and stores them in browser sessionStorage. Regardless of how many internal pages the visitor clicks through on WordPress, when they click a buy button, stored UTM tags are attached to the destination Shopify link.

⚡ Personal+ Feature

3. Personal Plan: Automated UTM Persistence Engine

GA4 Linker Personal Plan ($49/yr) includes UTM campaign tag persistence and form submit stitching out-of-the-box.

Get Personal Plan ($49/yr) →