Google Analytics consultant: GA4 setup, audit and consulting
GA4 in 2026: reliable data instead of migration pressure
What matters today is whether your GA4 property measures correctly: events, conversions, consent signals and the link to Google Ads. As your Google Analytics consultant, digitalagenten sets up GA4, audits existing properties and makes the data usable for marketing, SEO and sales.
GA4 audit: find measurement errors before budgets are steered wrongly
Many GA4 properties have run unchecked since the 2023 migration. Typical consequences are double-counted conversions, missing consent signals, spam and internal traffic in reports, or Google Ads campaigns optimizing without conversion data.
The GA4 audit by digitalagenten checks the property, data streams, events, conversions, consent mode and the links to Google Ads, Search Console and BigQuery. You receive a prioritized list of errors with concrete fixes.
Google Analytics consulting: six levers for better data and decisions
Tracking plan
A measurement plan defines which events, conversions and parameters reflect your business goals. GA4 then collects exactly the data marketing and sales need.
Events and conversions
Events for forms, calls, downloads and e-commerce are named consistently, marked as key events and aligned with Google Ads.
Consent Mode V2
Consent signals from your consent management platform control which data GA4 and Google Ads may use. Since June 15, 2026, the ad_storage parameter alone decides for Google Ads.
Reports and dashboards
Custom reports, explorations and Looker Studio dashboards turn dimensions and metrics into views your team can use to analyze traffic, leads and revenue directly.
BigQuery export
The BigQuery export keeps raw data beyond GA4’s maximum retention of 14 months and enables your own analyses and attribution models.
Server-side tagging
Server-side tagging via Google Tag Manager can reduce data loss from browser blockers, removes scripts from your website and gives you more control over which data is sent to Google.
Using GA4 data: from measurement to campaign steering
GA4 delivers value only when its data feeds into decisions. digitalagenten connects GA4 with Google Ads, Google Search Console and your CRM, so you see which channels, search terms and content drive leads and revenue. Ongoing reporting is available from the web analytics agency team at digitalagenten.
Google Analytics 4 at a glance: data model, features and limits
GA4 records every interaction as an event with parameters instead of counting sessions and pageviews like Universal Analytics. Website and app data run in one property. The key features:
- event-based data model for website and app
- key events (conversions) and data-driven attribution
- explorations and custom reports
- BigQuery export of raw data
- behavioral and conversion modeling when consent is missing (consent mode)
- no logging or storage of IP addresses
Limits: in the standard version, event data is kept for 14 months at most, reports may apply thresholds for small data sets, and part of the data is missing without consent.
Set up GA4 with digitalagenten: from tracking plan to reporting
- Tracking plan with events, parameters and key events
- Setup via Google Tag Manager, server-side on request
- Consent Mode V2 with your consent management platform
- Links to Google Ads, Search Console and BigQuery
Comparison: Google Analytics 4 and Matomo for privacy-conscious web analytics
Google Analytics 4 is free, closely connected to Google Ads and usually the first choice for advertisers. Google processes the data. Transfers to the US rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, for which the European Commission adopted an adequacy decision on July 10, 2023.
The open-source solution Matomo (formerly Piwik) can run on your own servers, so the data stays entirely within your company. In return, it lacks the direct Google Ads connection and modeling.
Which solution fits depends on your advertising channels, data protection requirements and internal resources. The free initial consultation clarifies this.
FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions about Google Analytics 4 and working with a Google Analytics consultant: setup, data privacy, costs and data quality.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the current version of Google’s web analytics tool. Google introduced GA4 on October 14, 2020. GA4 records interactions on websites and in apps as events and brings them together in one property.
What happened to Universal Analytics data?
Universal Analytics stopped processing new data on July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics 360 on July 1, 2024. Since July 1, 2024, the interface, the API and the stored data are no longer available. Historical data exists only if it was exported beforehand.
Is Google Analytics 4 GDPR compliant?
GA4 can be operated in line with the GDPR if it is set up correctly: consent via a consent management platform, Consent Mode V2, a data processing agreement with Google, short retention periods and a complete notice in the privacy policy. GA4 does not log or store IP addresses.
Data transfers to the US rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (adequacy decision of July 10, 2023). This overview does not replace legal advice.
How is analytics data processed?
GA4 collects events via the Google tag or Google Tag Manager. Standard reports, explorations and Looker Studio turn them into reports on traffic, user behavior, conversions and revenue. For your own analyses, the BigQuery export transfers the raw data daily or continuously.
Is Google Analytics free?
Yes. The standard version of GA4 is free, and so is the BigQuery export (daily limit of one million events). Storage and queries in Google Cloud can incur costs above certain volumes. The paid version Google Analytics 360 is designed for companies with very large data volumes and longer retention periods.
How do I implement Google Analytics?
With the Google tag directly in the source code, with a CMS plugin or with Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager is the recommended option for companies: events, consent signals and other tags can be maintained there without changing the code.
What changed for GA4 and Google Ads in 2026?
Since June 15, 2026, the Google Signals setting only controls whether GA4 data is associated with signed-in Google users for reporting. Whether Google Ads may use data from the Google tag is decided solely by the consent mode parameter ad_storage.
What does a Google Analytics consultant do?
A Google Analytics consultant plans what to measure, sets up GA4 and Google Tag Manager, checks data quality and turns reports into decisions for marketing and sales. At digitalagenten, this role combines GA4 setup, audits, consent mode and Looker Studio reporting with campaign know-how from Google Ads and SEO.
What is the difference between Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics?
Google Analytics 4 measures and analyzes user behavior. Google Tag Manager controls which tracking codes fire on the website and when.
digitalagenten uses both together: Tag Manager delivers events and consent signals, GA4 turns them into reports and conversions for Google Ads.