Why connect GA4 at all if Otter already tracks conversions?

Use it when your conversions already live in GA4 and you don't want to duplicate the tracking on the Otter side. GA4 goals let you measure the same purchase, lead, or signup event that the rest of your business reports on, so you don't have to reconcile two numbers. If you're starting fresh, the built-in pageview / click / event / revenue goal types are simpler.

What permissions does Otter need on my Google account?

Read access to your GA4 properties (analytics.readonly) and access to the property list. We don't request write permissions, ad permissions, or access to anything beyond GA4. You can revoke at any time from your Google account permissions page or by clicking Disconnect in Otter.

How do I select which GA4 property to sync?

After the OAuth handshake, Otter fetches the list of GA4 properties your Google account can read. You pick the one that matches the website where you're running tests. One Otter project maps to one GA4 property — if you run multiple sites, create one project per site and connect each one separately.

How often does Otter pull events from GA4?

Every 5 minutes via a scheduled job, but only for projects that actually have a running or paused test using a GA4 goal. Idle projects don't sync, so the GA4 API quota only burns when there's real demand for the data.

How far back does Otter look for events?

First sync after you select a property pulls the last 7 days. Each subsequent sync overlaps with the previous window by one hour to catch late-arriving events. GA4 sometimes delays events by 24–48 hours, so don't be surprised if conversion counts continue to inch up after a test has technically completed.

Can I change the GA4 property mid-test?

No — not while you have running or paused tests using GA4 goals on that project. Otter blocks property changes in either state so you can't accidentally invalidate the data mid-experiment. Complete or archive the affected tests first, then change the property — pausing alone doesn't lift the block, because paused tests are still in-flight and can be resumed.

Can I disconnect GA4 while tests are running?

Not if any of those tests have a GA4 goal. The disconnect button is disabled until the affected tests are completed or archived. Pausing doesn't lift the block, because paused tests can be resumed and a missing GA4 connection would break them on resume. This prevents losing conversion data partway through a test.

What status does the dashboard show after I connect?

Four possible states: pending_property_selection (OAuth done but no property picked yet), active (property selected, syncs running), expired (Google revoked the token), or revoked (you disconnected). The project settings page surfaces the current state plus the time and event count of the last successful sync.

Why is my GA4 goal not firing?

Check three things in order: (1) the connection state — it must be active and have a property selected; (2) the event name in your GA4 goal config exactly matches the event in GA4, case-sensitive; (3) the event has fired in GA4 recently — verify in GA4's Realtime or DebugView. If all three check out, give it another 5–10 minutes for the sync to pull the events through.

What if my GA4 token expires?

Otter auto-refreshes tokens 5 minutes before expiry using the refresh token Google gave us at OAuth time. If the refresh fails — usually because you revoked our access from Google — the connection moves to expired status and syncs stop. Reconnect from the project settings page to resume.

Building Tests6 min read

GA4 Integration

Connect a GA4 property so you can use existing GA4 events as goals. OAuth flow, property selection, sync schedule, and limits.

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GA4 Integration

Connect a Google Analytics 4 property to Otter so your existing GA4 events can drive A/B test goals — no double-instrumentation required.

If your team already tracks purchases, leads, or signups in GA4, you can plug Otter into that data instead of reinstrumenting the conversion. Once a project is connected to a GA4 property, you can add a GA4 Event goal to any test and pick from the events GA4 is already collecting.

The connection is project-scoped — one GA4 property per Otter project. If you run tests across multiple websites or stores, create one project per site and connect each one to the matching GA4 property.

Connecting GA4

1
Open the project’s integrations tab
In Otter, open the project you want to connect and head to Settings → Integrations → Google Analytics 4. Click Connect GA4.
2
Authorize with Google
You'll be sent to Google's OAuth consent screen. Otter requests read-only access to your GA4 properties (analytics.readonly) and nothing else — no ads, no write access, no other Google services.
3
Pick a property
Otter fetches the GA4 properties your Google account can read and shows them in a list. Pick the one that matches the website you're running tests on. If you don't see the property you expected, double-check that your Google account has read access on it in the GA4 admin panel.
4
Add a GA4 goal to a test
On the Goals step of the test wizard, choose GA4 Event and enter the event name exactly as it appears in GA4 (e.g. purchase, generate_lead, sign_up). Names are case-sensitive.

How sync works

A background job runs every five minutes and pulls events from GA4 for projects that have an active test using a GA4 goal. Projects without an active GA4-backed test don't sync, so the GA4 API quota is only spent when there's real demand.

The first sync after a connection is established pulls events from the last seven days. Subsequent syncs use an overlapping one-hour window so late-arriving events get caught. GA4 can take 24–48 hours to fully attribute and surface some events, so conversion counts may inch up for a couple of days after a test technically completes.

The Otter side stores per-sync metadata — start time, event count, conversions recorded, error message if any, duration in milliseconds. You can see the latest sync status under Project Settings → Integrations → GA4.

Connection states

pending_property_selection

You've authorized with Google but haven't picked a property yet. The connection exists; syncs haven't started. Pick a property to move to active.

active

A property is selected and syncs run every 5 minutes (when there's an active GA4-backed test). This is the healthy state.

expired

Google revoked the OAuth token — usually because the user disconnected our app from their Google account permissions, or because the token couldn't be refreshed. Reconnect to resume syncing.

revoked

You disconnected via the Otter UI. No syncs run. Reconnect at any time.

Mid-test rules

Property changes are blocked during active GA4 tests. Otter refuses to switch GA4 properties while you have any running tests using a GA4 goal — switching would mix incompatible event data. Pause or complete those tests first.

Disconnect is blocked during active GA4 tests. Same reason: pulling the plug mid-test would lose conversions on the Otter side and corrupt the result. Pause, complete, or archive the tests first.

Pick the right property the first time. A common mistake is connecting the staging property by accident. Verify the property name on the selection screen — the GA4 property ID is shown alongside.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to the questions teams ask most about this part of Otter.

GA4 Integration

GA4 Integration

Connecting GA4

Open the project’s integrations tab

Authorize with Google

Pick a property

Add a GA4 goal to a test

How sync works

Connection states

Mid-test rules

Frequently asked questions

Why connect GA4 at all if Otter already tracks conversions?

What permissions does Otter need on my Google account?

How do I select which GA4 property to sync?

How often does Otter pull events from GA4?

How far back does Otter look for events?

Can I change the GA4 property mid-test?

Can I disconnect GA4 while tests are running?

What status does the dashboard show after I connect?

Why is my GA4 goal not firing?

What if my GA4 token expires?