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 Attribution

Why Are My UTM Parameters Disappearing Between WordPress and Shopify?

By Dimsquid Engineering • Published Aug 4, 2026 • 5 min read

When paid ad campaigns land on your WordPress site with tags like utm_source=email&utm_campaign=black_friday, users often click through multiple internal pages before clicking "Buy Now".

The Multi-Page Hop UTM Trap

By default, browsers do not carry query parameters from page 1 to page 2 during internal site navigation. Unless campaign parameters are captured in session storage or appended to outbound links, Shopify receives a clean URL without any UTM tags.

Related Cluster Resources:

• Flagship Article: Why GA4 Shows Direct / (none) for Shopify Orders
• Fixing $0 Facebook Ads ROAS in GA4

Automate UTM Persistence Across Domains

GA4 Linker captures incoming campaign tags and forwards them into Shopify checkout seamlessly.

Get GA4 Linker Plugin →