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Analyze Experiment Data in Google Analytics ​

Dalton sends two types of events to Google Analytics based on your traffic split:

  • Control: 20% unchanged traffic (default)
  • Optimized: 80% Dalton-optimized traffic (default)

The percentage of traffic flowing to control variants can be changed in the settings.

Verify Events Are Being Received ​

Before creating audiences, confirm GA4 is actually receiving Dalton events.

  1. Open the Realtime overview report in GA4.
  2. Look for the dalton event in the event count card.
  3. Click the dalton event — you should see the type parameter with values control and optimized.

If you don't see the dalton event or the type parameter, your audiences will stay empty. See the FAQ below for troubleshooting.

Setup Dalton Audiences ​

Create two audiences in GA4 to compare experiment results.

Step 1: Create New Audience ​

Navigate to Settings → Audiences → New Audience

Create new audience

Step 2: Configure Custom Audience ​

  1. Click Create a custom audience
  2. Select Events as source
  3. Choose dalton event

Configure custom audience

Step 3: Set Audience Conditions ​

Create two audiences using the type dimension:

  • One where type = 'optimized'
  • One where type = 'control'

Set audience conditions

Using Dalton Audiences ​

Apply your audiences to any GA4 report to compare performance.

Add Comparison ​

In any report (e.g., Landing Pages), click Add Comparison at the top.

Add comparison

Create comparison groups based on Audience Name.

Create comparison groups

FAQ ​

What if my audiences stay empty? ​

Empty audiences almost always mean GA4 isn't receiving dalton events. Check the Realtime overview report — if no dalton event appears there, the audience has nothing to populate from.

Common causes:

  • The Dalton script isn't installed on the pages you're testing, or hasn't loaded yet.
  • Your GA4 Measurement ID isn't configured in Dalton settings.
  • A consent banner is blocking analytics before the user accepts.
  • Ad blockers are blocking GA4 in your own testing session — try an incognito window without extensions.

Why don't I see the type parameter when clicking the event? ​

If the dalton event shows up but the type parameter is missing, the event is firing but parameters aren't being passed through. Make sure your GA4 property is up to date and that no custom GTM configuration is stripping event parameters.

How long until audiences populate? ​

New GA4 audiences only include users who match after the audience was created — they don't backfill. Expect a few hours before meaningful numbers appear, and up to 24–48 hours for the audience to be usable in comparisons.

Can I use type as a dimension instead of creating audiences? ​

Yes. You can register type as a custom dimension in GA4 (Admin → Custom definitions) and break down any report by it directly, without creating audiences. Audiences are still useful for comparisons across multiple reports.