Most analytics setups measure the wrong thing confidently. A button click counted as a lead, a bounce rate that means nothing, and a consent banner that fires tags before anyone agrees. Fixing measurement usually improves decisions more than any campaign change.
What we set up
- analytics configured for your actual goals
- conversion tracking verified server-side
- consent management that genuinely blocks tags
- Consent Mode where advertising platforms are involved
- reporting that answers business questions
Measure the outcome, not the gesture
A click on a submit button is not an enquiry. If validation fails, or the request errors, or a spam filter catches it, the click still fired and your data now overstates results.
We record confirmed server-side submissions. That is the number that matches what lands in the inbox, and it is the only number worth optimising bids against.
Consent, done properly
In Germany, analytics and advertising tags require prior consent under § 25(1) TDDDG and Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. Properly means the tag is not loaded until someone agrees, declining is exactly as easy as accepting, and withdrawal is available at any time.
A banner that sets cookies before the click, or hides "reject" behind a settings menu, is not consent. It is a banner.
This site is built that way: no Google script exists in the page until opt-in, decline is a single button the same size as accept, and a permanent footer link withdraws consent.
Consent Mode
Where advertising platforms are used, Consent Mode communicates the state to Google so modelling can operate without collecting data it should not. It is a supplement to a working consent mechanism, never a replacement for one.
Expect incomplete data
With honest consent, some visitors decline and are not measured. That is the correct outcome, and it means platform numbers will not match reality exactly. Better to understand the gap than to eliminate it unlawfully.
Reporting
Reports state what changed, why we think so, and what we plan next. A dashboard link is not a report.
FAQ
Do we need Google Analytics?
No. Cookieless alternatives avoid the consent requirement entirely and suit sites that only need traffic trends.
Will consent reduce our data?
Yes. Everyone honest has the same problem.
Can you fix an existing setup?
Usually. Duplicate tags, untested conversions and tags firing before consent are the three most common findings.
A measurement plan, on a real case
What gets measured is what counts as an enquiry for you: the submitted form, the call through the phone number, the reply to the confirmation email. For each event the plan records where it fires, what it is called in GA4, which consent it requires and how we verify that it actually arrives. That last point is not theoretical: this website's own contact form once reported success while sending nothing, because browsers were autofilling a hidden anti-spam field. Tracking that only counts page views would never have shown it.
Further reading: Conversion optimisation · Google Ads · SEO