Here’s something most of them won’t say though: It’s in properly setting up GA4 that the real magic takes place.
Not the vanilla install everyone runs because every Web Developer has to, but the advanced set up that actually tells you what’s happening and allows you to do something about it.
Citizens united and other industry studies show a disturbing trend.
Digital agency Perrill, which specialises in GA4 installations, describes witnessing “bad data” as “the single biggest issue” from bad setup, and that with agencies “looking at their current analytics setup and thinking one thing, when the opposite is true based on how it’s been set up”.
Elsewhere, testimonials reveal that correctly configured GA4 installations are capable of reaching an accuracy level of approximately 95% for matching GA4 data with backend data, which is well above industry standard.
The difference between a good implementation and a bad one is not trivial. He said analytics pros always find that “a lot of businesses mess up” basic tracking because they fail to confirm “double-installed tracking codes” and “event tracking,” which results in incorrectly defining data that is being “counted twice, or split in two places.” That means agencies are optimising campaigns off of flawed data.
Having worked with hundreds of Perth businesses to get their analytics right (as well as having seen countless agencies stuff this up royally), we’ve seen what separates the pros from the wannabes. It’s not about the most beautiful looking dashboards — it’s about tracking the data that truly matter for your clients’ bottom line.
We have seen this time and time again at SLINKY – those agencies that address advanced event tracking, custom conversions and proper modelling of attribution will consistently deliver better results for their clients over agencies who stick to out-of-the-box settings. It’s not just a technical difference — it’s a financial one.
Why Most GA4 Setups Fall Short
Standard GA4 installations are like having a Ferrari but only using first gear. Sure, you’ll get some data, but you’re missing the real performance indicators that drive business decisions.
Most digital agencies are still treating GA4 like it’s Universal Analytics with a fresh coat of paint. That’s a mistake that costs their clients serious money. GA4 is event-driven, not session-based, which means the entire measurement philosophy has changed.
At SLINKY, our data analysts have spent the last two years perfecting GA4 configurations for everything from landscaping companies to law firms. What we’ve discovered might surprise you: the agencies getting the best results aren’t necessarily the biggest ones they’re the ones who understand GA4’s true potential.
The Foundation: Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking
First, a look at some basics that aren’t really basic, after all. Happily ever Enhanced ecommerce tracking in GA4 is a totally different beast altogether from GA3.
Instead of triggering events on page views, you’re now tracking user behavior throughout the customer journey. In other words, it’s charting the course for every interaction that someone has with your client’s business.
Here’s where most agencies screw up: they are fast to implement standard ecommerce events without understanding the sales funnel of their client. A bridal shop in Perth doesn’t have the same customer journey as a solar firm, yet far too many agencies implement the same setups again and again.
Pro tip: Most people won’t tell you this, but custom events should model actual business results, not mere technical achievements. Monitor quote requests, not just form completions. Also keep an eye on consultation appointments, not just contact page views.
Cross-Domain Tracking That Actually Works
There are plenty of tutorials on basic X-domain tracking, but they all miss the bits that catch agencies out working with complicated client setups.
When it comes to booking systems, payment processors, or third party portals, which are prevalent in trades and professional services, regular cross-domain configuration can be restrictive. Here’s what typically goes wrong:
- Session fragmentation: Users are creating new sessions each between domains, so you can’t see full customer journey
- Attribution havoc: You lose first-click attribution as users jump from your client’s website to their booking platform
- Spiked bounce rates have had the worst of the cake: GA4 believes users are bouncing at the moment they are actually moving through the sales funnel
- Muddled user paths: Econometrics reveal confusing user behaviour patterns due to insufficient tracking of domain jumping!
- Revenue is misattributed: Conversions attributed to the wrong traffic source end up making your campaigns look less effective than they truly are.
It’s not as simple as throwing some domains in your GA4 configuration. Custom measurement protocols may preserve user identity across domains while not in violation of privacy constraints. It just needs an understanding of how different platforms deal with referrer information and cookie policy (which most agencies in the industry seem to have totally forgotten).
We’ve witnessed too many agencies make the mistake of not monitoring and test cross-domain tracking diligently, only to lose three months of reliable attribution data because they just assumed sharing cookies between sessions on one domain and a different domain would “just work” with a standard implementation.
The reality? Pulling it off the right way is going to involve cognizance not just of proper planning and testing, but the kind of watchful eye that can make sure it’s working as it should be.
Advanced Audience Configuration for B2B Clients
Here’s where GA4 really shines for agencies managing B2B accounts. The audience builder goes far beyond demographics and interests – it can identify prospects based on behavioural patterns that indicate purchase intent.
For our accountancy clients, we track users who visit service pages multiple times, download resources, and spend significant time on team pages. This creates a “high-intent prospect” audience that feeds directly into Google Ads campaigns.
But here’s the kicker: most agencies stop at standard audiences. They miss the opportunity to create dynamic remarketing lists that adapt based on user behaviour over time. Someone who downloads a tax guide in March has different needs than someone researching business structure in October.
Advanced technique: Set up progressive profiling audiences that add users to different segments based on cumulative actions. This creates remarketing opportunities that feel personalised rather than pushy.
Server-Side Tracking Implementation
This is the point where you leapfrog other agencies that are still stuck with just client-side tracking. Now that there’s even more privacy restrictions and ad blockers, server-side might not be optional — it might be a competitive advantage.
You can use the Measurement Protocol to transport data from the client’s server directly into GA4, eliminating the browser limitations altogether! That means more accurate data collection, enhanced attribution and adherence to privacy laws.
The technology needs to be configured properly, knowledge that many agencies either outsource or fail to learn. But, you’re actually providing something value when you can promise 95%+ accuracy of data while competitors are sitting at something like 60-70% coverage due to blocked trackers.
Reality check: Server-side tracking isn’t plug-and-play. You need to know how to do HTTP requests, how to format JSON and how to authenticate and use APIs. But the return in data quality is worth the borrowed complexity.
Custom Conversions That Drive Revenue
Standard GA4 conversions (page views, form submissions, purchases) only tell part of the story. The agencies getting real results are tracking micro-conversions that predict macro-conversions.
For landscaping companies, we track users who view multiple project galleries, engage with seasonal content, and spend time on maintenance service pages. These behaviours strongly correlate with project inquiries, but they’re not captured by standard event tracking.
The secret is understanding each client’s sales cycle and mapping conversion events accordingly. A removalist company needs different tracking than a cosmetic surgeon, yet most agencies use template approaches that miss industry-specific nuances.
Game-changer: Create conversion paths that reflect your client’s actual business process. If consultations lead to proposals which lead to projects, track each stage as meaningful conversions rather than treating everything as binary success/failure.
Attribution Modelling for Multi-Channel Campaigns
GA4’s attribution reports are powerful, but they’re also easy to misinterpret. Most agencies look at last-click attribution and call it a day, missing the complex customer paths that modern marketing creates.
When you’re running SEO campaigns alongside Google Ads and social media marketing (like we do for most Perth businesses), understanding multi-touch attribution becomes critical. That landscaping lead might have discovered you through organic search, researched through social media, and converted via a paid ad.
Data-driven attribution in GA4 uses machine learning to assign credit based on actual conversion patterns, not arbitrary rules. But it requires sufficient data volume and proper event configuration to work effectively.
Warning: Don’t trust attribution models until you have at least 400 conversions in your dataset. Below that threshold, stick to position-based attribution that gives appropriate credit to first and last interactions.
Integration with Google Ads and Search Console
This is where you digital advertising agencies can really draw from an advanced GA4 setup. With proper integration, organic and paid performance are also brought under one umbrella in a way that most agencies can’t execute.
Connect GA4 to Google Ads for auto-tagging and importing conversion data directly into your campaigns. This enables optimisation towards GA4’s advanced conversion tracking instead of Google Ads’ attribution only. Search Console suite injects query-level insights that changes the SEO reporting game.
Instead of vanilla organic traffic reports you’re able to report to clients exactly which search terms, by term and by stage in the funnel, are helping drive conversions. Insider tip: Use GA4’s audiences to build Custom Audiences in Google Ads using on-site activity.
Those users interacting with different content are often these with dferent search patterns and interested in dfferent ad messaging.
Custom Reporting That Clients Actually Use
Standard GA4 reports are comprehensive but overwhelming for most business owners. The agencies providing real value are creating custom dashboards that focus on metrics that directly impact business decisions.
Our reports emphasise leading indicators over lagging ones. Instead of showing last month’s traffic, we highlight trends in consultation booking rates, service page engagement, and geographic reach – metrics that predict future revenue.
Critical insight: Most business owners don’t care about bounce rate or session duration unless you can tie them to business outcomes. Frame every metric in terms of customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, or conversion probability.
Privacy-First Configuration
As privacy regulations continue to tighten, and third-party cookies continue to disappear, agencies have to make sure they future proof their GA4 implementation. That is, knowing how consent management works, what the data retention policies are and how to incorporate first-party data into your strategy.
Consent mode GA4’s Consent mode, which also lets you measure even when users have denied cookies, to fill in gaps in data with modeled results. But execution requires delicate balancing of data accuracy and privacy compliance.
Future-proofing approach: Center measurement programs on first party data collection. Long term tracking of email subscribers, account signups and of course, newsletter signups are much more reliable than cookie based systems.
Quality Assurance That Actually Works
That’s because most agencies install GA4 and cross their fingers. In a professional app, there would be full test suites for data accuracy before pushing live.
For monitoring the real-time firing of event, use Google Analytics Debugger. Compare GA4 to data from other analytics programs to look for differences. Test cross-device and cross-browser conversion tracking to see where you are losing data.
Do this, too: Establish automatic alerts for data anomalies. If you see sudden increase in traffic, there’s no conversion data, or you see strange user behaviour pattern, it’s a clear sign that tracking is not working properly and you need to fix tracking immediately.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
After setting up GA4 for hundreds of Perth businesses, we’ve seen the same errors again and again:
Inconsistent UTM parameters that mess up campaign attribution. Names for events that are not formed according to Google’s guidelines. Filters that accidentally remove crucial traffic segments. Cross-domain tracking that works sometimes.
The biggest mistake? Assuming GA4 functions as Universal Analytics does. Metrics are computed different, sessions are defined different, and user behavior is tracked different. Agencies that fail to shift their approach will bequeath confused clients and false insights.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Advanced GA4 setup is not a set-it-and-forget-it exercise – it’s an ongoing optimisation project that changes in line with your clients’ businesses and marketing efforts. Those agencies that are winning in a tough digital market in Perth are the ones that view analytics as a competitive advantage, not a necessary evil.
At SLINKY we work and we judge our work by results – we are obsessed about being data-driven. Our transparent reporting clearly communicates to clients how their digital marketing is delivering business growth, and sophisticated GA4 setup underpins our ability to do so.
And, if your analytics stack is built to capture the full customer journey, from first touch to final conversion, that kind of data doesn’t just make every marketing decision strategic (at its best, giving you an incalculable competitive advantage), it makes every campaign more effective, every client conversation more confident.
It’s not a case of if you need to start tracking in GA4 it’s whether you can afford not to. Because while your competitors are left in the dark about how campaigns are performing, YOU will have the data-driven knowledge to transform digital marketing from cost centre to profit centre.
Ready to take your analytics to the next level? Get in touch with SLINKY now and take advantage of an advanced GA4 installation, customised for digital marketing agencies.
