Ok, so I’ve seen it a number of times now in the forums, and I thought I’d put the issue to rest regarding the infamous Google Analytics “Waiting for Data” message going on seemingly forever.
First let me say that is is not the “Simple Google Analytics” contribution’s fault (found in the Zen Cart downloads section).
If you are getting the “Waiting for Data” message, then you can rest assured, you have properly installed the module. The “Waiting for Data” message appears only after Google has validated the insertion of your JavaScript code snippet (occurring after you click the “Check Status” hyperlink they provide).
So, then why do you still have “Waiting for Data” on your screen? Well, first understand that Google Analytics is / was “Urchin” before Google stepped in and purchased them. In case you aren’t familiar with Urchin, it is / was a web analytics system that required you to pay to use (up to $200 a month in some cases).
The stats are now free as long as you have a Google Account. Now, let me also point out that Google Analytics only updates itself every couple hours (it is not “real time reporting” – not yet).
So that brings me to the “Waiting for Data” message looking “stuck”. The answer is, it simply takes time, and the problem (if you even want to call it that) is on Google’s end (funny hugh?) Go to Google, ask them, and they’ll tell you a whole host of reasons why it is not showing (none of which seem to help). In the end, it just takes time and patience.
At the end of this post I’ll provide some helpful information on this topic that I found while researching the Internet. Before that though, let me tell you that the longest I have had to wait to get the “Receiving Data” message from Google Analytics is about 2 days (yes, a full 48 hours).
Here is my screenshot of the initial message after successful “verification” by Google.
And here is the message 48 hours later (without ever touching it from the first install).
Here is what others have reported across the Internet with regard to this issue (so you don’t think you are the only one).
- “Have u looked at your reports to see if its showing any data? i have one site at the moment which says ‘waiting for data’ but it is actually recording all my visits so I’m not too worried about it”
- ” I experienced a similar issue. I’ve had sites take a week or longer before the analytics said they were receiving data. However, the reports were updating and displaying data from day one.My feelings are that it has to do with the amount of traffic the site(s) you are measuring receives. The less traffic that the site receives, the longer it takes.Even with minimal traffic, it usually doesn’t take more than a week or two before it claims to be receiving data. “
- “That could very well be right. one site i have had online for about 3 weeks now is still saying ‘waiting for data’ and it has not even had 10 visits. one i added 4 days ago has had probably around 50 visits and is showing as ‘receiving data’. “
- “In regards to some of your comments I checked the actual data and nothing was being reported. I then reported this to Google and they investigated the issue and there seemed to be something wrong on their side. The next day I started seeing data but I still had the waiting for data message. It took a couple of weeks before the message finally went away.”
So, hopefully this sets the record straight. The moral of the story is, “There seems to be no definite time frame or cause for the length of time the ‘Waiting for Data’ message likes to show itself”.
Have you had a similar experience with Google Analytics? Got some other information on the topic? I’d like to hear from you. Post a comment below.
Jennie says
Thank you – this is very helpful!
mp says
This is very helpful. Google Analytics now says it will only take 24 hours, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I know my website has been visited at least a few times because I have comments.
Thanks for the info!
artyant says
thank you so much, very helpful
Majid says
Thanks, It is helpful. I usually like to have control of my works. This means that I must be patient and leave it for a long time. OK, I have just started it.
Vijay says
In my case, it used to show the data around 3 months back but now it is showing the “Waiting for data”. I presume, since the visits have reduced I am getting this message ?
Eric says
No, it did not go back to “waiting for data” because things slowed down. It will track everything even if you only get 1 unique visitors a month. I went to your site and took a look. The analytics code is no longer present on your site (the tracking has been removed) and this is why you are getting that “waiting for data” message.
Go back and reinstall analytics on your site and then you should be ok.
Sandra says
Open the url in firefox and check the error console to see for any javascript errors.
I doubt there will be unwanted spaces or line breaks in the script. Compare it with a working example.
momodi says
Thank you very much.
It helped me.
Now I think I should just wait.
Dan says
Thank you for sharing that useful information. I guess we just have to keep playing the waiting game. Unfortunatly after waiting a fee days I deleted the account and started a new one therefore recieving a new id code also. My waiting game is just begining again then……, hooray
Sarah B says
Arghhh! Been waiting for over 2 weeks and still says ‘waiting for data’ on our website. Our new blog also says the same. Never had this problem before have two other sites linked up and all reported within 24 hours and we probably have between 25-50 hits a day on average higher on heavy traffic days. Frustrating! :(
Eric says
Are you getting data in your reports (even though it still says “waiting”?)
I’ve heard some instances of the message being displayed but the data actually being gathered (so you can still view reports.)
Sarah B says
Sadly no! Not for either of our sites! Just say waiting for data. I’d love for it to just magically show up with reports though keep checking every few hours to see!
Phil says
My website has been “Waiting On Data” for almost 3 weeks now, not reporting anything. I also know there have been clicks not recorded, because I have been testing it from several different computers, and nothing has shown up yet….
Ronnie says
Very helpful, but I’m still waiting!!!!
Libby says
I’ve been waiting for a few weeks now, and it’s still at the “Waiting for Data” stage. I’m thinking there’s a problem? Any suggestions?
Eric Leuenberger says
It’s been a while since i’ve heard it taking that long but I have heard of that. If it says waiting for data give it time. If you want me to look at it for you I’ve got a few open slots in my schedule coming up. Let me know and I’ll emal you some information (got your email from your post here.)