Adam Walker, Author at Fabric Analytics

A/B Testing Flexibility: Why Fabric Works With Any Tool and Built Its Own

01/05/2025 10:34 am Leave a Comment

There’s No One-Size-Fits-All in Experimentation

There’s no shortage of A/B testing tools, from VWO and Monetate to SiteGainer, Adobe Target and Optimizely. But all too often, brands find themselves tied to a tool that isn’t quite the right fit or stuck in decision mode trying to choose the “right” one.

At Fabric, we don’t just work with testing tools, we work around them. Whether you’ve chosen a platform or still weighing up your options we make experimentation fast, flexible and meaningful.

Tool Agnostic by Design

We comfortably integrate directly with whatever A/B testing setup our clients already have. This could mean launching tests in Adobe Target, Optimizely, VWO, Monetate or SiteGainer. We’re fluent in the quirls and capabilities of each, whether that is navigating campaign conflicts, ensuring flicker free rendering or improving performance tracking.

When There’s No Tool in Place: GTM + Our Own Split Code

For brands who haven’t yet committed to a testing platform, we don’t let that slow things down. Using Google Tag Manager, we’ve built a custom split-testing framework that allows us to –

Assigns users to different test variants
Serves content dynamically to each group
Tracks performance across platforms like GA4

This means we can start straight away, validating ideas and gathering data without waiting on a full-platform decision.

How We Analyse Test Results?

Launching a test is just the beginning, understanding the results is where real value lies.

To tell us what happen and to also understand why, we use a mixture of

Google Analytics (GA4) to measure outcomes across key metrics from conversion rates to average order value
Segmentation by device type, channel, user type, and more
BigQuery where large scale or deeper data analysis is required

Adding Qualitative Insight to the Mix

To go beyond the numbers, we use:

Heatmaps to visualise click patterns, attention zones and scroll depth
Session recordings to observe hesitation, confusion or friction
Feedback tools and surveys to gather direct user sentiment where appropriate

These insights help us identify opportunities, validate hypotheses, and shape stronger future tests.

Why We Built Fabric Experimentation

After years of working across multiple platforms, we built our own: Fabric Experimentation, a streamlined, transparent, and highly flexible testing solution designed for the way teams work today.

With Fabric Experimentation, you get:

Easy setup and variant control
Full visibility into testing logic and targeting
Clean, digestible results (no black-box outcomes)
Compatibility with your existing analytics stack

It’s everything teams need to move fast and learn faster, without being locked into a particular tool or vendor. We built this for the reasons above and also to save our clients money, significant investment can be made on a platform before you’ve even had the chance to start testing. Our tool is free of charge to our clients meaning all investment goes to your CRO programme.

We Make Testing Easier, No Matter the Stack

Whether you’re testing via GTM, running experiments in Optimizely, or just getting started, Fabric meets you where you are.

We combine strategic thinking with hands on implementation, layered analysis and full adaptability. Because experimentation isn’t just a tool, it’s a mindset. And we’re here to help you build it into your culture.

Was the switch to GA4 actually required? Google’s privacy sandbox announcement

24/04/2025 11:08 am Leave a Comment

Google have finally confirmed they’re sticking with them. Google have just announced that it is keeping them in Chrome indefinitely. https://privacysandbox.com/news/privacy-sandbox-next-steps/

Google created the privacy sandbox largely due to global changes in legislation and to try and get ahead of the inevitable. However, this was largely done in isolation. Since the privacy sandbox inception Google has partnered with the CMA and ICO in 2022, this partnership meant that they had the important job of overseeing Google’s design, development and ultimate implementation of the Privacy Sandbox proposals. In short meaning such work could fall under the remit of the Digital Markets Unit (DMU).

This seemed like a really necessary move to ensure all parties we’re building something compliant and also meaningful. Critics of Google’s approach to removal of third party cookies would’ve seen them form a further monopoly on data, with an increased reliance on Google’s user data

There’s little doubt Google was very serious about getting rid of cookies. Google invested a lot of time, money and resources in anticipation of it being gone forever. This largely came when they replaced its Universal Analytics which depends on cookies, with Google Analytics 4, which does not.

Google have cited that that change of heart largely comes from the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies having accelerated, new opportunities to safeguard and secure people’s browsing experiences with AI have emerged, and the regulatory landscape around the world has evolved considerably’.

It’s an ever-changing landscape and with news also coming that Google may be forced to split up search, Chrome and ads to boost competition this could also have an impact of digital measurement and activation as we know it. It’ll be really interesting to see how this plays out over the coming months and years and how it may relate to Google Analytics 4.
https://competitionandmarkets.blog.gov.uk/2022/02/24/cma-secures-final-privacy-sandbox-commitments-from-google/

I think one thing is clear and to be mindful of… Google is a revenue generating business, and whilst it may profess to be a privacy first business anything they can do to boost revenue and badge it up as a ‘privacy first’ initiative will help them even more..

What is the main takeaway from this? In short third-party cookies aren’t going away anytime soon, but 1st party data (and cookies) should always be a priority to power better understanding of your customers and give them more relevant experience (whether than be on or off site).

I’d suggest a widely diversified strategy that doesn’t rely on one provider (IE Google) or any third party cookies in the long term is the best way to go.

The world of data and measurement is only going to continue to get more fragmented and with the mainstream media picking these news stories now it’s never been harder to be in this space

https://competitionandmarkets.blog.gov.uk/2022/02/24/cma-secures-final-privacy-sandbox-commitments-from-google/

Take Control of Cookie Consent: Why Managing Your CMP Through GTM Makes Sense

17/04/2025 12:16 pm Leave a Comment

In today’s privacy conscious digital landscape, getting cookie consent right is no longer optional it’s absolutely essential. Whether you’re looking to comply with GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, or similar global regulations, a Consent Management Platform (CMP) is a key part of your website infrastructure.

But here’s the twist: while most CMPs offer a built-in interface to control consent behaviour, you might be better off managing your CMP through Google Tag Manager (GTM) instead.

Why? Because doing so gives you greater flexibility, better compliance, and crucially, the ability to collect useful, privacy-friendly data even when users decline consent.

Here’s why it matters.

What Does a CMP Do?

A CMP (Consent Management Platform) acts as the gatekeeper for cookie tracking on your site. It displays the familiar consent banner or pop up, records what users agree (or don’t agree) to, and determines whether marketing or analytics tags should be allowed to run.

In short: it helps you stay compliant and builds trust with your users.

Why Manage Your CMP Through GTM?

While your CMP’s native dashboard might seem like the natural place to manage consent, there are real advantages to integrating it with Google Tag Manager instead:

1. One Place to Control All Your Tags

GTM gives you a central control panel for every script running on your site from Google Analytics and Meta Pixel to Hotjar and TikTok.

If you configure your CMP through GTM, you can manage all your tracking tags and consent logic in one place. This removes duplication and simplifies maintenance, especially across complex multi-market sites.

2. More Flexibility With Custom Logic

GTM’s triggers, variables and tag sequencing let you build custom rules around consent.

Want to fire a tag only when a user agrees to marketing cookies and has landed on a specific campaign page? GTM makes that possible. Most CMP dashboards, on the other hand, offer much more limited conditional logic.

3. Improved Compliance with Google Consent Mode

By managing your CMP through GTM, you can also implement Google Consent Mode, which dynamically adjusts how your tags behave based on the user’s consent choices.

Consent Mode ensures that your Google tags (like GA4 and Google Ads) respect user privacy while still collecting meaningful, aggregated data. It’s a critical step in staying compliant with both EU and global data privacy standards.

4. Easier Maintenance Over Time

When your cookie preferences are tied into GTM, you’re not reliant on your CMP vendor for every little change.

Need to update how you trigger analytics? Want to roll out a new marketing tag? You can handle all of that directly in GTM, meaning there’s no need to dig through your CMP’s console or rely on technical support.

5. Data Collection Without Cookies (Using Cookieless Pings)

Here’s the hidden gem: even when users decline cookies, you can still get privacy-friendly signals using cookieless pings; lightweight, non-identifying data that informs tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads of basic interactions (like a page view or conversion).

This is only possible when you configure Consent Mode properly and GTM is currently the best way to do that.

Managing your CMP through GTM allows you to:

Set default consent states before user interaction
Dynamically update those states when consent is given or declined
Collect aggregated, anonymised data even without cookies helping you keep some visibility on performance

In contrast, many CMPs don’t support cookieless pings when set up via their native interfaces, or don’t give you the tools to manage Consent Mode properly. That’s a missed opportunity, especially as third-party cookies are phased out.

So… Should Marketers Use GTM to Manage Cookie Consent?

If you care about data integrity, flexibility, and staying ahead of privacy compliance changes then yes.

While native CMP consoles can work for simpler setups, using GTM gives you much more control, and allows you to implement Consent Mode in a way that’s both privacy-first and data-smart.

For marketers, that means:

Confidence your site is compliant
Visibility into user behaviour (even when cookies are declined)
Less reliance on developers for tag updates

Need Help?

Implementing consent through GTM might sound technical and it can be. But once it’s set up correctly, your marketing team gets a more powerful, flexible and future-proof foundation for tracking and compliance.

If you’re not sure where to start, or want a second opinion on your current setup, get in touch with our team. We’ve helped businesses of all sizes implement CMPs and Consent Mode in a way that works for both compliance teams and marketing goals.

3 Ways to Use F.O.M.O. for Improving Conversions

08/04/2025 10:24 am Leave a Comment

Have you ever rushed to check out after seeing that there are ‘Only 2 Left!’ of the item in your cart? Your purchase may have been influenced by scarcity, a common strategy used by eCommerce brands to compel us towards action based on psychological triggers.

Scarcity is only one example of loss aversion – the human tendency to do all that we can to avoid loss, also known by the popular term ‘F.O.M.O.’ or ‘Fear of Missing Out’. When we see that a product is only available for a limited time or that there’s a chance we could miss out on an offer, we become more motivated to make a quick decision and act on it.

The following 3 strategies can help eCommerce brands use loss aversion to compel customers to take the final step towards checkout.

1.‘Next-day delivery if you check out in 01h : 10m : 25s’

Countdown timers are an excellent way to encourage customers to act quickly as they give a specific deadline to take the final step before losing out. This strategy can be used for many different kinds of offers, with next-day delivery thresholds being one of the more common ones. This is because the countdown can be shown on the site every day before a certain cutoff time, and it gives users a very narrow window for action. The next-day delivery offer allows customers to visualise receiving their items almost immediately, and this anticipation can make it feel like quite a loss to have to wait longer if they take too much time to contemplate the purchase.

2.‘Items in your cart are not reserved – check out now!’

This messaging reminds customers that the items in their cart could sell out at any moment, which can motivate them to proceed to checkout as quickly as possible in order to avoid missing out. This loss aversion strategy can be particularly effective when combined with the aforementioned ‘Only 2 Left!’ scarcity messaging, as customers can imagine that the few remaining items could feasibly sell out if they hesitate too long.

An alternative way to use this concept would be to hold the items temporarily and state ‘Items in your cart are reserved for 10 minutes – check out now!’, as this works together with the countdown strategy outlined above to give customers a more concrete vision of losing out if they do not act fast.

3.‘Sale ends tonight – don’t miss out!’

The final days of a sale period can be a great time to use loss aversion to nudge customers towards proceeding to checkout, as there is a risk of missing out on discounts if action is not taken before the sale ends. Onsite messaging such as banners promoting a sale can be updated to remind users when the sale is almost over, and the final hours of the sale can be particularly useful for providing concrete motivation to proceed to checkout. This can again be combined with the timer strategy mentioned above, as the countdown allows users to see the precise amount of time remaining to act before missing out.

These 3 psychology-based strategies can be powerful tools for giving users a final nudge towards making a purchase. Utilising them on your site can have a significant impact on your checkout conversion rates and ensure that potential revenues are not lost at the end of the funnel. For any follow up questions around psychological triggers, feel free to get in touch – https://fabric-analytics.com/contact/

GA4 Annotations: A Guide by Fabric

01/04/2025 12:22 pm Leave a Comment

Google has recently introduced annotations to GA4. This is a pretty simple but powerful feature that will allow users to add notes directly to their reports. The benefits of this is that it makes it easier to track key events, explain data changes and it will improve internal and external collaboration. The key positive to take from annotations now being a part of GA4 is addition clarity, whether it’s a campaign launch, a website update or an unexpected spike in traffic. Annotations will help provide context within your GA4 reports.

Why Use Annotations?

What are Annotations useful for:

The help explain spikes, dips or trends in traffic by linking them to key events such as campaigns, product launches or site changes.
It’s now easier for teams to share insights, reducing the need for external documents and keeping relevant information within GA4
By having clarity within daily reports, brands can quickly understand why changes have occurred and react quicker.
It’s also easier to track changes made in GA4 by internal or external teams reducing the need for WIP’s

How to implement Annotations

Firstly, you will need Editor level access or higher on GA4. Viewers can see annotations but they won’t be able to create or change them.

Limitations:

Each GA4 property can store up to 1,000 annotations
Annotations can be created directly in reports with line graphs or via the Admin API

Getting started

Open Google Analytics and navigate to the Reports section.
Select the report where you want to add an annotation.
Right-click any data point on the line graph and click Add annotation.
Fill in the following details:
- Title (up to 60 characters)
- Description (up to 150 characters)
- Date or Date Range (a single date is recommended for clarity)
- Colour (for better organisation)
Click Create annotation

Your annotation will then be visible across all reports and report cards contating line graphs. You do have the option of hiding annotations from view if needed.

Viewing and Managing Annotations

To view an annotation: Hover over the annotation icon below the line graph to see its details
To see all annotations for a property:
1. Click Admin in GA4
2. Under Data Display, select Annotations
3. Here, you can create, edit, delete, or export annotations based on your access level
Adjusting settings: Within the Annotations Viewer panel, you can toggle annotations on or off for date ranges

Google Analytics Created Annotations

One thing to be aware of is that Google can automatically create annotations for such things like significant data-impacting events, such as:

System outages
Changes to data processing
Major Google Ads updates

These can’t be deleted or turned off but you can hide the annotations if you don’t want them visible

Best Practice

Keep title and descriptions concise, it doesn’t need to be War and Peace
Colour code strategically like you would you’re calendar
Stick to single-date annotations to avoid confusion when multiple annotations overlap each other
Like everything else, maintenance is required, regular review and update

Final Thoughts

This is another positive step for GA4 and can be a valuable tool if used properly. For any questions or help optimising your current GA4 setup. Get in touch with the team at Fabric https://fabric-analytics.com/contact/

For more information on GA4 Annotations – https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/15884203?hl=en

Why Server-Side Tracking Matters for Your Business

25/03/2025 2:33 pm Leave a Comment

Several brands we work with are continuously advised by platforms like Awin to move to server-side tracking. With brands facing increasing challenges from stricter privacy regulations, browser restrictions and the phasing out of third-party cookies. Many brands are exploring server-side tracking to improve their data accuracy and attribution but is it right for your business? We thought we’d put together the below to talk through what the benefits are and what you need to think about before implementing server-side tracking.

What is it and who benefits?

Server-side tracking is a method of tracking user interaction across web or app by sending the data directly from a website’s server to analytics platforms (Like GA4 or Awin) bypassing the users browser. Traditionally with client-side tracking, data is sent from the users browser using JavaScript Tags (Gtags) which can create challenges like slowing down page speed, privacy and compliance risk and data loss. Switching to server-side offers a number of advantages –

Improved Data Quality: Compared to client-side, server-side offers significantly better data quality. Server-side is able to bypass browser restrictions and ad blockers which client-side cannot. This significantly reduces the risk of incomplete or distorted data as the data is collected in a first-party approach and is less vulnerable to interference
Improved Website speed: Moving a large part of your data processing to the server-side container will improve your page speed, as data processing and transfers are no longer handled by the browser
Data Enrichment: A point that is particularly relevant for ecommerce brands but server-side tracking gives you the ability of further processing the data stream with additional data like Product Data
Privacy Compliance & Security: First-party data collection helps align with GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations

Does Size Matter?

In relation to Server-Side implementation, I’m sorry to say but it kind of does. We don’t believe in just selling something to everyone because it’s become the new buzzword. We’d rather be honest. Large businesses with significant marketing budgets and complex data needs will see the greatest benefit, which in turn justifies the investment of the setup.

Smaller businesses with limited spend, may struggle to justify the cost as the ROI depends on having enough data volume to make meaningful optimisations. Even if it’s not right for now, it’s worth keeping in mind, as your business grows and more investment is put into your data and ad spend.

What Do You Need to Do Before Implementing Server-Side Tracking?

Implementing server-side tracking is not a shortcut to fixing poor data quality, if you’re thinking about moving to server-side tracking you need the ensure these keys steps –

Address Data Quality: Conduct a GA4 audit to avoid amplifying existing data issues with server-side tracking
GA4 Health Check: Fix misconfigurations, such as duplicate events or incorrect attribution, to ensure clean data
Define Key Events & Conversions: Focus on tracking only the most relevant data for your business
Consent Mode: Ensure Consent Mode V2 has been implemented correctly
Verify Platform Integrations: Ensure GA4 is properly linked with Google Ads, Meta, Awin, and other platforms

In short, I think you will know yourself whether you are ready for Server-Side tracking based on the how much you value your current data setup. It’s key to state that server-side tracking is a pretty powerful tool but it’s not a shortcut to fixing poor data. If your GA4 setup isn’t in the right place, moving to server-side tracking will not solve all your data problems as it won’t fix the underlying issues. If you want to ensure you get the most value possible from server-side implementation, you should ensure your GA4 is configured correctly. We are happy to run a free GA4 audit to assess your current setup to ensure a smooth implementation.

Attribution Is Dead – Treat Your Campaigns Like Your Website

12/03/2025 4:41 pm Leave a Comment

The holy grail of marketing was once considered to be attribution. Multi-touch points, user journeys and fractional credit assignments were obsessed over by marketers. Then came GDPR, iOS privacy changes and the slow painful death of cookies. Would you class them as decision making tools now? As these days they look more like incomplete puzzles.

Here’s the truth. We’ve had better ways of measuring marketing effectiveness for years now. Instead of relying solely on attribution reports, we should be focussing on two core things –

Forming Hypotheses That Matter

Instead of over analysing user paths, focus on Big Picture Questions

Does increasing spend on X channel actually drive more revenue?
Should we shift budget from paid social to search?
Is brand marketing really paying off?

Measuring Success at the Right Level

Although attribution reports provide useful signals, they should not be the only source of truth. The real power lies in aggregated data models that work with tracking individuals –

Marketing Mix Models (MMM): Analysing long term spend vs revenue trends to understand where investment pays off
Regression Models: Identifying the relationship between spend and performance using aggregated data
Causal Impact Analysis: Measuring the actual effect of increased spend by isolating external noise

The Takeaway? Test, Don’t Just Track

Attribution reports still have value but they only tell part of the story. If you’re unsure on whether an increase in spend has actually had an impact, test it. If you want to know whether your brand campaign is driving sales, model it.

On reflection attribution probably isn’t dead, more evolving (Not as catchy a title though) The key lesson though is it’s time to stop solely relying on incomplete path data and start treating marketing measurement like we treat web performance. By focusing on broader patterns, testing changes and using aggregated insight to drive decisions.

Google Tag Manager Update – What You Need to Know!

11/03/2025 12:08 pm Leave a Comment

Google has recently announced plans to update how Google Tag Manager interacts with Google Ads to streamline data collection and improve tracking reliability. From 10th April, this year, GTM will automatically load a Google Tag for containers with Google Ads and Floodlight tags. GA4 started doing this a few months ago to help fix “Unassigned” conversion attribution issues, and now Google Ads via GTM is following suit to improve tracking accuracy.

What’s Changing?

Automatic Google Tag Loading: GTM will automatically load a Google tag before firing events in containers with Google Ads and Floodlight tags for more reliable tracking.
User Provided Data Collection: Auto enabled if you’ve accepted Google’s customer data terms
Enhanced Feature Accessibility: Access to enhanced conversions, cross-domain tracking, and auto-events will be simplified via the Google tag settings.

Recommended Actions

Add the Google Tag to your GTM container to preview the changes before the update.
Monitor for automatic updates – the update takes effect on April 10, 2025.
Consult support if you have any concerns or questions regarding the update.

What You Should Do?

Audit your site for duplicate tags
Test your Consent Mode & cross-domain tracking
Monitor your GA4 & Google Ads for unexpected data changes

Overall, this is a pretty positive update but like all things, proactive testing is the best way to ensure there are no data issues. At Fabric Analytics, we can help you ensure your setup is ready for this change. From auditing your current tag implementation to testing your setup and providing proactive guidance, our team can help prevent potential issues and optimize your tracking. Reach out to us to make sure your data collection is future proof.

Does Microsoft Clarity Provide Clarity To Your Customers?

13/02/2025 3:29 pm Leave a Comment

What’s the Problem?

To Paraphrase an old saying, ‘When a product is free, the chances are you’re the product’. This is often the case when it comes to a software products like Facebook, Instagram etc…. It turns out that Microsoft Clarity is unfortunately no different.

To those who aren’t familiar with Microsoft Clarity, it’s a behaviour tool that collects valuable information about how visitors navigate your website, analysing such things as session recordings, heatmapping and provides many useful insights and metrics that will help you optimise your website. It is an incredibly valuable tool which Fabric Analytics endorses due to it’s amazing capability and its cost… (Free!) There is one thing to be aware of, it doesn’t exactly provide ‘clarity’ on how it uses your websites data. (Apologies for the clarity puns but it’s too easy)

What information was being collected?

Now I’m not going to get all George Orwell, 1984 on you but it’s a bit creepy. So technically, Microsoft Clarity doesn’t collect any Personally Identifiable Information but it does collect enough to be able to track the customer geographically as well as understand what browser, device and operating system they are using. In theory it could be used to identify a customer or at the very least track their online activity. Unlikely, but worth considering.

It does this by dropping Bing Cookies on to the users’ browser , which unless set up to work with your cookie management platform won’t be compliant. Potentially dropping as soon as the consumer is on the website before they’ve even had chance to make a choice on cookie consent.

What does this mean for you?

So first of all you have the obvious compliance issues that can leave you legally exposed but there is also you reputation to consider. Even seemingly minor issues can escalate if perceived as significant, potentially exposing your brand to –

Unconsented Data Collection: Your website visitors’ behavior data being sent to Microsoft without their or your explicit approval.
Risk of Legal Penalties:
Non compliance with Consent Mode V2 could result in hefty fines. With the ICO tightening regulations on transparency and data collection practices, the stakes are set to get even higher.
Data Sharing Concerns:
Bing cookies may transmit user data for Microsoft’s advertising ecosystem, which could involve processing beyond your control, further complicating compliance.
Erosion of Trust: Allowing this unapproved tracking can harm your brand’s reputation, especially in an age where data privacy is paramount.

What Can You Do About It?

As mentioned, we love Microsoft Clarity as a tool. It’s free of charge and its insights can be invaluable so we would never want to discourage anyone from using it. Here’s what you need to do –

Integrate a Consent Management Platform (CMP):
- Implement a robust CMP to block all cookies, including Bing cookies, until users explicitly opt in.
Update privacy policy
- Update privacy policy with Microsoft Clarity clearly listed

Take Control of Your Compliance

Navigating the complexities of data privacy laws can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. At Fabric, we specialise in ensuring your analytics setup is compliant while delivering valuable insights.

Get in touch today to book a GA4 and compliance audit and safeguard your data practices.

The Critical Role of a Proper GA4 Setup in Effective CRO

20/01/2025 2:33 pm Leave a Comment

When it comes to Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), data isn’t just important—it’s essential. But the quality of data matters just as much as its availability. Without a meticulously implemented Google Analytics 4 (GA4) setup, you’re essentially risking decisions based on incomplete or misleading data that could undermine your CRO efforts. In this post, we’ll delve into why a precise GA4 configuration is a prerequisite before embarking on CRO initiatives, and how a free audit can set you on the path to actionable insights.

Accurate Data Foundations: Why GA4 Matters

CRO hinges on the ability to test, measure, and refine strategies based on accurate and actionable data. GA4’s event-based tracking model is a game-changer for capturing granular insights into user behavior, making it an indispensable tool for driving conversion optimisation.

With a robust GA4 setup, you gain access to:

Comprehensive tracking of key interactions like add to basket, viewing products, out of stock, check abandonment rate and all other key metrics including traffic, category and onsite performance.

Granular user behavior data, which helps identify patterns, detect bottlenecks in the user journey, and pinpoint the precise areas that require optimisation.

If these critical elements are neglected or improperly configured, CRO efforts will be built on flawed assumptions or incomplete data, rendering optimisations ineffective. Especially as all activity should be measured via an analytics platform and NOT a testing tool directly

Granular Event Tracking: Focus on the Metrics That Matter

One of the greatest strengths of GA4 is its flexibility in capturing detailed user interactions. A generic GA4 implementation often overlooks the nuanced actions that directly influence your site’s performance. To fuel effective CRO strategies, you need to ensure that your GA4 setup includes:

Advanced event tracking such as scroll depth, specific button clicks, and interactions with multi-step forms. These events help uncover hidden friction points within the user experience.

Enhanced conversions tracking, designed to work within the constraints of privacy regulations like GDPR and Consent Mode V2. This ensures you’re collecting meaningful, privacy-compliant data that aligns with your goals.

With these metrics, you can hone in on what truly drives conversions and optimise the user journey accordingly.

Eliminating Data Noise: Avoid Skewed Insights

Inadequate GA4 setups often introduce data noise, which clouds decision-making and distorts the understanding of user behavior. Common issues include:

Duplicated events that artificially inflate interaction counts, skewing performance metrics and making optimisation efforts appear less effective.

Misaligned attribution models, leading to inaccurate conclusions about which marketing channels contribute to conversions.

Sampling in reports, which can undermine the reliability of insights, especially when analysing larger data sets.

By ensuring a well-configured GA4 setup, you can eliminate these data anomalies, providing clean, actionable insights that form the backbone of an effective CRO strategy.

Custom Dimensions and Metrics: Tailor Your Analytics to Your Goals

Every business has unique KPIs and user behaviors, and GA4’s customisation capabilities allow you to tailor your tracking setup accordingly. This includes:

Custom dimensions, such as user segmentation, funnel stages, or customer personas, which allow you to segment data for a deeper understanding of your audience’s journey.

Custom metrics, such as revenue attributed to specific product categories or drop-off rates at specific stages of the checkout process. These customised configurations provide insights that directly inform your CRO strategy and improve resource allocation.

By tailoring your analytics setup, you ensure that your data aligns precisely with your business objectives, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that maximise your ROI.

Enhanced Attribution: Understand True Performance

GA4’s advanced cross-channel attribution (DDA) model is designed to provide clarity on how different touchpoints contribute to conversions across marketing channels. A proper GA4 setup ensures:

Accurate credit assignment across multiple marketing channels, from paid search to organic social, to help you understand the true value of each touchpoint.

Cross-platform tracking, ensuring you capture the full scope of user interactions, whether on desktop, mobile, or app, providing a holistic view of how users engage with your brand.

This enhanced attribution enables you to identify high-performing channels, optimise them, and better allocate resources, thereby amplifying your CRO efforts.

Confidence in Testing Outcomes

The effectiveness of any CRO experiment is tied to the reliability of the data on which it’s based. A properly configured GA4 setup ensures:

Accurate and de-duplicated event tracking, so you’re measuring the right user actions without noise.

Actionable data that allows you to validate hypotheses, track A/B test results, and gauge the impact of optimisation changes with confidence.

With clean and reliable data flowing from your GA4 setup, you can confidently implement CRO strategies knowing the insights are rooted in solid, actionable metrics.

Start with a Free GA4 Audit

Not sure if your GA4 setup is primed for effective CRO? That’s where we come in. At Fabric Analytics, we offer a FREE GA4 audit to assess your tracking, data quality, and overall implementation. Here’s how it works:

Comprehensive evaluation: We audit your current GA4 setup to identify gaps, flaws, and areas that need improvement.

Actionable recommendations: We provide a tailored roadmap that outlines steps to optimise your GA4 configuration for maximum impact on your CRO strategy.

Expert guidance: Collaborate with our seasoned analytics professionals to align your GA4 setup with your specific business objectives and CRO goals.

Conclusion: Build the Right Foundation for CRO Success

A proper GA4 implementation isn’t just a technical requirement—it’s the foundation for successful CRO. By ensuring that data collection is accurate, customised to your goals, and enhanced by robust attribution models, you’re setting the stage for optimisation efforts that deliver measurable ROI.

Ready to take your CRO strategy to the next level? Contact us today for your free GA4 audit and let’s build the data-driven foundation that will drive your website optimisation success.

Author Archives: Adam Walker