Can I populate the dimension by sending a landing_page parameter to gtag?

No. Google derives the built-in Landing page dimension automatically from the page path of the first page_view event in the session. Adding a parameter named landing_page to an event only produces a separate dimension if you register it as a custom dimension; it does not affect the built-in one.

Does adding page_location to session_start and first_visit events help?

No. Landing page is not computed from those events. Only page_view is decisive. Trying to generate session_start and first_visit manually is also discouraged; leave them to GA4's session mechanism.

I use send_page_view: false, so why do I still see extra page_views?

That setting only disables the automatic page_view of the config command. If 'Page changes based on browser history events' is enabled under Enhanced Measurement in the GA4 property, pushState, replaceState and popState calls keep producing page_views. With manual measurement, that option must be turned off.

Consent is set up correctly and page_view reaches GA4, yet (not set) persists. What is next?

Session linkage. Read client_id, session_id and session_number with gtag('get') and verify that session_start, first_visit, page_view and user_engagement all sit under the same session identity. If events carry different session_id values, the first page_view of the continuing session is skipped.

Do low-percentage (not set) records need fixing too?

Not always. A user who leaves a tab open for a long time and then interacts after the session timeout, without reloading the page, can start a new session with no page_view. That is a consequence of usage patterns, not an implementation bug. Suppressing it with synthetic page_views or pings corrupts the behavioural data.

My total (not set) rate is high but I cannot find a fault in the web implementation.

If the property has an app data stream, filter the report to the Web platform and look again. Apps measure screens with screen_view while Landing page is page_view based. App sessions producing (not set) on this dimension follows directly from the definition.

GA4 Landing Page (not set): A Diagnostic Playbook

When the GA4 Landing page dimension shows (not set), the problem is usually not UTM or consent but the absence of a page_view in the session. Root causes in priority order, a diagnostic flow, page_view ownership architecture, a BigQuery proof query and acceptance criteria.

TL;DR

The GA4 Landing page dimension is derived from the page_location of the first page_view event in a session. When you see (not set), the first question is not UTM or consent but whether a page_view ever reached GA4 in that session. This playbook ranks the possible root causes, gives the diagnostic signature and first test for each, places page_view ownership into four architectural scenarios, and produces session-level proof with BigQuery.

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