Tracking setup: numbers you can trust
GA4, Google Tag Manager and server-side, set up properly. Plus dashboards you can read without a degree in analytics.
The most expensive decision is the one based on wrong numbers
Many companies leave money on the table because they do not know their numbers or misread them. I set up your tracking so you can see which campaign brings revenue and which one just burns budget: GA4, conversion tracking for Google and Meta Ads, server-side if you want, for companies in Austria and Germany.
Data instead of gut feeling. For that, the foundation has to be right.
Google Ads reports 80 conversions, GA4 shows 50. Nobody knows which number is right, so gut feeling decides again.
Campaigns that look good but sell nothing keep running. The unremarkable campaign that quietly brings your best customers gets paused.
Is your tracking broken?
One yes is enough, and your setup is probably measuring wrong.
Do GA4 and Google Ads differ by more than 30 percent on your conversions?
Does a test submission of your form (empty or with an error) still count as a conversion?
Do your tags fire before the cookie banner is answered, or not at all?
Do visitors from newsletters or AI tools like ChatGPT show up under “Unassigned” or “Direct”?
Has your setup gone unchecked for more than a year?
Do you get a monthly report that leads to not a single decision?
Answered yes at least once? Then let’s take a free look.
Get your setup checkedWhat I set up for you
GA4 setup or audit
GA4 is quick to install and just as quick to misconfigure. I set up your property properly or audit the existing one: events, conversions, filters, channel groups, links to Google Ads and Search Console. A classic from practice: with default settings, GA4 also counts empty form submissions as a success. Errors like that are exactly what I look for first.
Conversion tracking via Google Tag Manager
Every inquiry, every purchase, every call arrives as a clean signal in Google Ads, Meta and GA4. Built omnichannel: one setup, all channels, no double counting. Afterwards you get documentation of what is measured where.
Server-Side Tracking
Cookie banners, ad blockers and browser protection swallow part of your conversions. Server-side tracking recovers some of them and makes your data more durable. I set up the server container and connect it to your channels. Whether it pays off for you is something I tell you honestly up front.
Dashboards that trigger decisions
Analytics expert Avinash Kaushik calls overloaded reports “data puking”: 40 numbers, no message. My approach is the opposite: few metrics, each with a target value, and next to every number it says why it moved and what to do next. A report that triggers no decision is decoration.
Consent Mode v2 and cookie consent
Since March 2024, Google requires Consent Mode v2 for advertisers in the EU. I check whether your banner and your tags work together and set up Consent Mode correctly, so you can advertise without privacy headaches.
When you do not need this (yet)
A compass, not a GPS
One hundred percent accurate data does not exist, for anyone. Consent rejections and browser protection mean a part is always missing. Good tracking reliably shows you the direction, not every single footprint. Anyone who promises you one hundred percent accuracy is promising too much.
Server-side is not worth it for everyone
The industry rule of thumb is a monthly ad budget of about 5,000 euros or more; below that, the effort usually eats up the benefit, with the exception of B2B with high order values. If a clean GA4-plus-GTM setup is enough for you, that is exactly what you get, and nothing more.
Is Google Analytics allowed in Austria?
In 2022, the Austrian data protection authority ruled the use of Google Analytics unlawful in one specific case. Since summer 2023, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework has provided a recognized legal basis for data transfers again. What remains: you need proper consent (a consent banner plus Consent Mode v2) and an up-to-date privacy policy.
This is no substitute for legal advice, but I build your setup so it covers the technical side of these requirements. And if you want to measure entirely without US providers, we will look at an alternative like Matomo together.
How a tracking project works
Audit
I review your existing setup, from tag to report, and verify it myself: real test conversions, no assumptions.
Concept
You get a measurement plan: what is measured, where, and why. In plain language, not in jargon.
Implementation
I set up GTM, GA4, conversions and, if you want, server-side tracking, and test every measurement individually.
Handover
Dashboard, documentation and a walkthrough so you can read your numbers yourself. No forced subscription.
One point of contact, from audit to handover
I am Barbara Horak, in digital marketing for more than 15 years, self-employed since 2018. For me, tracking is not an add-on to campaigns but the foundation: for Direkt Holidays in the Zillertal I built tracking and Google Ads, and in performance marketing I have been supporting B2B clients in telecommunications for years. You work directly with me. Clean data is also the basis for conversion optimization and the data flowing back from your CRM.
Frequently asked questions
Why do GA4 and Google Ads show different conversion numbers?
Because they count differently: different attribution model, different time windows, different handling of consent. Some deviation is normal. If it gets large, or you no longer know which number to trust, that is a case for an audit.
What does a tracking setup cost?
That depends on your website, your channels and the state of your consent setup: a GA4 check is something different from an omnichannel setup with a server container. After the free intro call you get a quote with a fixed scope, not an open-ended hourly estimate.
Is server-side tracking worth it for me?
As a rule of thumb: it gets interesting from about 5,000 euros in monthly ad budget, because even a few percent of better-measured conversions recover the effort. Below that, usually not, with the exception of B2B with high order values. I run the numbers for you honestly.
Is Google Analytics allowed in Austria?
Yes, as of today, with a correct setup: consent via the cookie banner, Consent Mode v2 and an up-to-date privacy policy. The uncertainty stems from a 2022 ruling by the Austrian data protection authority; since the EU-US Data Privacy Framework in 2023, the situation has eased.
What is Consent Mode v2?
Google’s mechanism that lets your tags respect your visitors’ cookie decision while Google can still work with modeled data. Since March 2024 it is a requirement for fully using Google Ads features like remarketing in the EU.
How long does a setup take?
It depends on the scope. A clearly defined GA4-plus-GTM setup is usually live within a few weeks, including tests and handover. You get the concrete timeframe with the quote.
Let’s take a look at your tracking
In a free intro call (15 minutes) we look at where your setup stands and whether an audit is worth it. If it is not, I will tell you that too.
Book an intro call (15 min)