GA4 at Scale

In the ever-evolving world of digital analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) presents new opportunities and challenges, especially when managing analytics at scale. Whether you’re handling multiple sites for a single client or various clients each with their own unique requirements, mastering GA4 becomes crucial. This blog post delves into practical strategies and insights for effectively managing GA4 across different scenarios.

Scenario Analyses

Scenario 1: One Client with Multiple Sites

Managing 39 different sites under one client requires a nuanced approach. While under the same client umbrella, each site has unique properties and analytics needs. We’ll explore how to set up and manage these distinct properties in GA4 efficiently.

Scenario 2: Multiple Clients with One Site Each

The transition to GA4 brings its own set of challenges, particularly for agencies handling over 50 clients. We’ll discuss streamlined migration strategies and how to tailor analytics for diverse client needs while maintaining efficiency.

Google Tag Manager (GTM) Strategies

Base Container

Creating a template container in GTM is crucial for efficiently managing multiple sites, especially when dealing with a diverse range of analytics needs. A template container is a foundational setup that can be replicated and customized across different websites. This approach saves time and ensures consistency in data tracking.

Key Components of a Template Container:

1. Config Tag: This is the backbone of any GTM setup. The Config tag initializes your GA4 property and sets up the basic configuration for data collection.

2. Config Variables: Variables are essential in defining and storing data that can be used in tags and triggers. For GA4, this includes configuration for fields like Measurement ID, cookie settings, and more.

3. Event Variable: Event variables allow you to capture and measure specific user interactions on your site. These can range from form submissions to video plays.

4. Click Events (Menu, Phone, Email, etc.): Tracking various click events is vital for understanding user behaviour. Setting up tags for menu clicks, phone number taps, and email link activations can provide insights into how users interact with different site elements.

5. 404-Page View: It's important to track 404 errors (page not found) as they can significantly impact user experience. A tag that fires on a 404-page view helps identify and fix broken links.

6. Scroll Tracking at Different Percentages: Understanding how far users scroll on your pages can give insights into content engagement. Setting up scroll tracking at various percentages (like 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) can reveal whether users are engaging with your content effectively.

Incorporating these elements into your template container ensures a comprehensive tracking setup that can be adapted and deployed across different websites. This method not only streamlines the process of setting up new sites in GTM but also maintains a standard of data quality and consistency.

This article provides detailed insights and best practices for a deeper dive into creating a base container in GTM.

One container to rule them all

When multiple sites operate similarly, employing a single GTM container across all these sites can streamline the management process. However, this approach comes with its own set of advantages and challenges.

Pros:

1. Efficiency in Changes: When updates or changes are required, they can be implemented quickly across all sites using the same container. This reduces the time and effort needed to replicate changes on individual site containers.

2. Scalability in Adding New Tags: Introducing new tags for tracking or analytics becomes more manageable at scale. A single addition to the container reflects across all sites, ensuring uniformity and saving considerable time.

Cons:

1. Risk of Multiple Site Disruptions: A significant downside is the risk of making changes. If a change or a new tag causes an issue, it could disrupt multiple sites simultaneously. This amplifies the impact of any errors or compatibility issues.

2. Access and Control Challenges: In scenarios without Google Analytics 360, where broader access is needed, users accessing the container can make changes affecting all sites. This can be particularly risky if those users are not fully versed in GTM or analytics. The potential for inadvertent errors or misconfigurations increases, especially when marketing tags are added without a deep understanding of their impact.

Mitigation Strategies:

To manage these cons effectively, consider the following strategies:

• Rigorous Testing: Implement a robust testing protocol for changes or new tag additions. Using environments in GTM can help test changes without affecting live sites.

• User Training and Access Control: Provide adequate training for all GTM container users. Limiting access to only those with the necessary expertise can minimize risks.

• Backup and Documentation: Maintain regular backups of your GTM configuration and document all changes. This practice can be invaluable in quickly rectifying issues if something goes wrong.

Regex/Lookup Tables

Lookup tables in GTM are powerful tools that can simplify the management of tracking setups, particularly when dealing with multiple environments or sites. They can alter various variables based on specific conditions or inputs dynamically. This method is extremely useful in scenarios where you need to change the value of a variable depending on the context of the event or the environment.

Applications of Lookup Tables:

1. GA4 ID (UAT/Prod, or Across Multiple Sites): You can use lookup tables to dynamically change the GA4 Measurement ID based on the environment (like UAT or Production) or across different sites. This allows you to manage multiple analytics properties or environments within a single tag setup.

2. Meta Pixel ID: Similarly, if you’re using Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel), lookup tables can change the pixel ID based on different conditions, such as the domain name, user type, or other custom rules.

3. Google Ads ID: Lookup tables can alter the conversion ID or label based on specific triggers or variables for Google Ads tracking. This is particularly useful in scenarios where you manage multiple Google Ads accounts or campaigns across different sites or sections.

4. Event Names Depending on Click Event: Lookup tables can dynamically alter event names based on the click event type. For instance, differentiating between clicks on menu items, buttons, or external links and tagging them with appropriate event names for more granular tracking.

5. Additional Uses:

   • Dynamic Content Values: Alter content values based on user behaviour or site sections.

   • Affiliate Tracking: Change affiliate tracking IDs based on the referring URL or other criteria.

   • A/B Testing Variables: Adjust variables based on the version of a page a user sees in an A/B test.

Benefits of Using Lookup Tables:

• Simplification: Reduces the complexity of managing multiple tags for similar purposes.

• Flexibility: Offers the ability to quickly change variable values without altering the underlying site code.

• Consistency and Accuracy: Ensures consistent data tracking and reduces the likelihood of errors.

Best Practices:

• Regular Updates: Update the lookup table to reflect any changes in your tracking setup or business logic.

• Testing: Always test the lookup table configurations in a safe environment before applying them to live tags.

• Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of the lookup table setup for future reference and troubleshooting.

Roll up Properties

David Vallejo has developed an amazing script: https://www.thyngster.com/send-google-analytics-4-ga4-events-to-multiple-measurement-ids. You can use this to send all events to multiple properties, allowing you to send to an individual and roll up property without duplicating tags.

Implementing a duplicate events code in GA4 is a nuanced process that requires careful consideration, especially when dealing with conversion events, Signals, and custom dimensions. Here are some key tips to ensure a smooth and effective implementation:

1. Setting Conversion Events in the Base Property:

   • Importance of Base Property: Ensure all conversion events are set up in the base GA4 property. This is crucial because the base property is the primary conversion data source.

   • Consistency Across Properties: Duplicate these conversion events across all properties receiving the duplicated data to maintain consistency in tracking and analysis.

2. Managing Signals with Base Property:

   • Signals Configuration: When using GA4’s Signals feature (for audience building and ad personalization), the property with Signals enabled should be the base property.

   • Strategic Use of Signals: Decide strategically which property should have Signals turned on, as this will affect how audience data is collected and used across your GA4 setup.

3. Synchronizing Custom Dimensions and Metrics:

   • Uniformity Across Properties: Ensure that custom dimensions and metrics are consistently defined and copied across the base and duplicate properties.

   • Accuracy in Reporting: This consistency is vital for accurate reporting and analysis, as discrepancies in dimensions and metrics can lead to data inconsistencies.

4. Caution with Existing GA Components:

   • Potential for Data Conflict: Be cautious if the website already has GA components or tags. Duplicating events in such environments can lead to data conflicts or inaccuracies.

   • Integration Check: Conduct a thorough check to ensure that the duplicate events script integrates seamlessly with existing GA setups without causing disruptions.

5. Implementing with On-Page GA4 (e.g., Shopify):

   • Direct Code Implementation: For platforms like Shopify, where GA4 may be implemented directly on the page, embedding the duplicate events code within the site’s code is often more effective than relying solely on GTM.

   • Enhanced Control and Precision: This approach allows for greater control and precision in capturing and duplicating events, particularly in platform-specific environments.

6. Regular Audits and Updates:

   • Stay Up-to-Date: Regularly audit and update your GA4 setup to ensure that the duplication of events continues to align with your evolving analytics goals and the platform's updates.

   • Monitor Performance Impact: Keep an eye on the performance impact of duplicating events, especially regarding data limits and website loading times.

GA4 Strategies

The best thing since slice bread

Google has developed a google sheet that allows you to update multiple properties at a time: https://github.com/google/google-analytics-utilities. This allows you to:

List, create, delete, and update GA4 properties and data streams.

• Manage custom dimensions, custom metrics, conversion events, and Firebase links.

• Handle Google Ads, DV360, SA360, and BigQuery links.

• Create and update user access bindings, settings reports, expanded data sets, channel groups, and measurement protocol secrets.

• Manage AdSense links, event creation rules, and audience lists.

Looker Studio Stragies

Creating Reports at Scale with Looker Studio's API

1. Automated Report Generation: Utilize Looker Studio's (formerly Google Data Studio) API to automate the creation of reports. This is particularly useful for businesses that need to generate many customized reports regularly.

2. Dynamic Data Integration: The API allows for dynamic data integration from various sources, enabling real-time updates and customization of reports.

3. Template Utilization: Develop templates that can be programmatically duplicated and modified for different datasets or reporting needs, streamlining the report creation process.

4. Efficiency and Scalability: This approach significantly improves efficiency, reduces manual labour, and ensures consistency across reports, making it ideal for large-scale reporting needs.

For example, the API URL would be:
https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/create?c.reportId=ca5902da-ad31-1z34-13f8-98ec5f3ad950&c.mode=edit&ds.ds334.datasourceName=changeddatasource&ds.ds334.connector=bigQuery&ds.ds334.projectId=project-123& ds.ds334.type=TABLE&ds.ds334.datasetId=marketing_data&ds.ds334.tableId=daily_channels

Report ID is taken from the report you want to copy in the URL, e.g. https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/b303077f-323e-45cf-9bda-126c62c501b9/page/RlwbD

DS id is from Looker Studio data source id:

Project ID, datasetID, and tableId to come from BigQuery.

Take it further by using python to create the URL for you:

If you know any other strategies that can help manage multiple GA4 properties at once, please let me know in the comments.