A 2-Minute CMP Check: The Usercentrics and GA4 Setup Quirk Many Sites Miss

Estimated reading time: 3 mins

While configuring a consent banner setup on a client website, I recently noticed an interesting detail inside the Usercentrics admin interface.

When reviewing the available integrations in the Usercentrics database, two distinct options appeared relating to Google Analytics. At first glance, it seemed like a simple naming choice, but looking a bit deeper revealed how easy it is for site owners to accidentally select the wrong option, and what that means for their consent setup.

When searching for “Google Analytics” inside the Service Settings under Data Processing Services in Usercentrics, the platform presents two distinct templates.

There is the legacy Google Analytics template, which was originally designed for Universal Analytics, and the separate Google Analytics 4 template built for the current platform.

Because Universal Analytics was officially sunset by Google back in 2023, many site owners naturally assume that an entry simply labeled “Google Analytics” was updated automatically or acts as a generic fallback.

Under the hood, however, Usercentrics links its consent signals using specific Template IDs rather than the display name or category assigned in the admin panel.

Usercentrics maps consent states directly from specific, hardcoded Template IDs. The legacy template carries an older ID, while the modern Google Analytics 4 entry carries its own dedicated Template ID (87JYasXPF). This specific template is pre-wired to trigger Google Consent Mode v2 signals, specifically updating analytics_storage in Google Tag Manager when a visitor accepts the banner.

Because the CMP relies on these exact IDs, selecting the older template means a website’s banner might not communicate with GTM using the modern protocol Google expects.

It is easy to see how this setup happens across different web properties:

• Legacy Configurations: A Usercentrics account created years ago during the UA era often remains untouched. When a team migrates its tracking tags to GA4 inside GTM, the Usercentrics service list can easily be forgotten because the banner still renders fine on the frontend.
• Auto-Scans: Running Usercentrics’ automated site scanner can pick up historical scripts or cookies, which suggests the default Google Analytics entry during initial onboarding.
• Quick Selection: Administrators can easily select the top search result without noticing that a separate, dedicated Google Analytics 4 entry exists further down the list.

While this issue will not break a website, having the legacy template selected instead of the GA4 entry can introduce subtle issues behind the scenes.

If the CMP is not using the template specifically mapped to Google Consent Mode v2, Google Tag Manager may not receive the analytics_storage update in the expected format when a user accepts the banner.

For sites running Google Ads or using GA4 audiences, Google Consent Mode relies on precise CMP signals to model conversions for unconsented users and to sync audience lists. If those signals are misaligned or incomplete due to a template mismatch, conversion attribution in Google Ads can become less accurate over time.

Checking which version is active in Usercentrics is quick and simple:

1. Log in to the Usercentrics dashboard and navigate to Service Settings, then Data Processing Services.
2. Review the active services list. If Google Analytics is listed, expand the options and delete it.
3. Select the option to add a DPS via Database, search specifically for Google Analytics 4, and select it.
4. Assign GA4 to the preferred category, such as Analytics, and click Publish to push the update live.

To confirm everything is communicating properly, open the website in Google Tag Manager Preview Mode (Tag Assistant):

1. Clear site cookies and reload the page.
2. Click Accept All on the Usercentrics banner.
3. Check the Consent tab in Tag Assistant to verify a Consent Update event fires showing analytics_storage as Granted.

It is a tiny detail in the admin interface, but ensuring the dedicated Google Analytics 4 template is selected keeps consent signals clean, fully compliant, and firing properly across a company’s entire marketing stack.