What exactly we set up
Analytics setup is technical work that ensures visitor data is collected completely and without duplicates. Depending on your site, it covers:
- a Google Analytics 4 property with the correct time zone and currency, with internal traffic filtered out and payment providers excluded from referral sources;
- a Google Tag Manager container that runs all your analytics and advertising tags;
- events for forms, phone and messaging app clicks, sign-ups, subscriptions, and file downloads;
- ecommerce tracking for stores: from product views to purchases, including order value, discounts, and order contents;
- conversion sharing with Google Ads, Meta, and other ad platforms;
- connections to Search Console, Merchant Center, and Looker Studio for reporting.
Who needs it, and who can wait
Setup pays off when you spend money on advertising or want to understand which pages and channels bring in customers. It's especially important before launching PPC advertising: Google Ads automated bidding learns from conversions, and if conversions are counted incorrectly, your budget goes to the wrong places.
If your site has just launched, has few visitors, and no ads are planned, a complex event setup would be overkill. In that case, a basic GA4 setup with a few key actions is enough, and you can expand tracking later once data starts coming in.
Basic setup or a measurement plan
Basic setup works for small service websites: GA4, Tag Manager, a few events for leads and calls, and a connection to your ads. The upside is that it's fast and straightforward. The downside is that it's not enough for a store or a service with user accounts, and some questions will remain unanswered.
A measurement plan is needed for stores, sign-up-based services, and sites with multiple funnels. It's a spreadsheet of all events with their names and parameters. The upside is that your analytics answers real business questions, and new developers understand what is tracked and why. The downside is more work up front and involvement from your site's developers, since some data has to be passed from the code.
GA4 limitations worth knowing in advance
Google Analytics 4 is a free and powerful tool, but it doesn't show perfectly accurate numbers. It helps to understand why:
- some visitors block analytics with browser extensions or don't consent to data collection;
- order counts in GA4 almost always differ slightly from your CRM, so for sales accounting you should rely on your own system;
- the GA4 interface is less familiar than the old reports, and comfortable day-to-day use often requires custom reports or a Looker Studio dashboard;
- settings don't apply retroactively: data only appears from the moment an event is set up.
That's why we don't promise perfect accuracy; instead, we build a setup where discrepancies are small and explainable.
What to prepare on your end
- access to your website or contact details for the developer who maintains it;
- admin access to GA4, Tag Manager, and your ad accounts, if you already have them;
- a list of what counts as a result for you: a lead, a call, a purchase, a sign-up, a booking;
- details about your CRM and phone system, if you want to see which leads turned into sales.
How we verify the data is correct
We test every event manually: we fill out forms, place test orders, and tap phone links from different devices. Using Tag Manager and GA4 debug mode, we confirm that each event fires once and passes the correct parameters.
For stores, we also reconcile order totals, currency, and cart contents with the data in your admin panel. Once the first real leads come in, we compare lead and purchase counts in analytics with your CRM; if the gap is large, we track down the cause.
At the end, you receive documentation for all events: what each one means, when it fires, and what data it sends. This document will come in handy whenever your site changes, and it helps a new marketer or developer avoid accidentally breaking the setup.
Common analytics setup mistakes
- Duplicate code. GA4 is installed both directly and through Tag Manager, so every event is counted twice.
- Conversions on “Thank you” page views. A visitor refreshes or returns to the page, and one lead turns into several.
- The payment provider as a traffic source. After paying, the customer returns from the bank's website, and the sale is credited to the payment service instead of your ads.
- Everything marked as a key event. Page scrolls or menu clicks become “conversions,” and ads get optimized for actions that do nothing for the business.
- Access tied to personal accounts. Analytics belongs to a contractor or a former employee, and the business risks losing its data history.
What affects the cost of setup
- Type of site: a service website with a few forms or a store with full ecommerce tracking.
- Number of events and funnels: how many actions need to be tracked and how many different user scenarios there are.
- Platform and code: whether ready-made modules exist for your CMS or data passing has to be custom-coded.
- Ad platforms and CRM: how many accounts and services need to be connected to analytics.
- State of the existing setup: sometimes it's easier to start from scratch than to untangle an old container with dozens of tags.
After reviewing your site, we explain what the setup involves, which parts are essential, and which can wait.
FAQ
Do we need Tag Manager if GA4 can be installed directly? A simple site can do without it. But once you add ads, multiple events, and third-party services, Tag Manager lets you manage everything in one place without constant code changes.
Will our data be kept if the setup changes? Data already collected stays. New events start counting from the moment they're set up, so it's best not to wait until your ad campaign launches.
Why does GA4 show fewer orders than our CRM? Some visitors block analytics, and some orders come in by phone. A small discrepancy is normal; a large one is a reason to check the setup.
Do you work with sites built by another team? Yes. We need access to the site or a line to its developers so we can add data passing to the code if needed.
Who will own the analytics? Only you. We create properties under your account and get access for ourselves, which you can revoke at any time.
Why Promodex
Promodex has been in business since 2015, with 750+ projects in our portfolio. Portfolio projects include Planeta Shop, Booking Health, Palma Club Resort, and HeelsHub. Our team includes both marketers who work with ads and reporting and developers who can add data passing to your site's code, so the setup never stalls at “that's not our job.” After setup, we can help with data analysis and advertising.
