Notes from the questions clients bring me.
Each note starts with something a marketing team or agency asked me about: a form count, a report that went blank, a consent banner, a tracking change. The newest are at the top. To read them grouped by topic, start with the field guides.
- An AI assistant says your tracking needs fixing. Should you act on it?
Why AI advice about GA4 and GTM often misses, and how to check it before you act.
- Google tag gateway or server-side GTM: which, if either, do you need?
What each one does for your data, and which, if either, your site needs.
- Which consent management platform should you choose?
Compare the main platforms by fit, price and how they count your traffic.
- Does your website need a CMP?
Consider the website and requirements before selecting a platform.
- The banner is visible. Does tracking follow the choice?
Understand the connection between visitor choices and tracking behavior.
- A CMP and Google Consent Mode: what each does.
Connect CMP setup, Google Consent Mode and measurement questions.
- A CIPA pen register demand arrived. What is your website actually running?
Get help with the technical setup when a tracking concern prompts questions.
- Two form events. One inquiry. Which number goes in the report?
Two events can describe one inquiry. Agree on the outcome before adding the numbers together, so a tracking detail does not become a reporting mistake.
- Before the redesign: the tracking you cannot afford to lose.
The new website can look better while quietly losing the measurement your team relies on. Put the important forms, checkouts and signups in the brief before the old site disappears.
- The tag is paused. Why is the event still showing up?
A paused tag is a clue about one collection path. Ask the implementation owner which version is live and where a newly sent event is coming from.
- Your lead count can be right while the source data is wrong.
You can have a reliable inquiry count and still lack the information to compare marketing channels fairly. Here is how I keep those two questions separate.
- Two reports disagree. Start with what each is counting.
The totals differ. Start by finding out what each report counts, which records it includes, and whether the comparison is fair.
- The dashboard went blank after one edit. Where would you look first?
If a chart went blank after an edit, check whether its source data is still available. That helps the report owner decide where to investigate.
- When a tracking repair changes the conversion chart.
A jump in recorded conversions may mean the measurement improved. The report needs that context before the change is credited to marketing.
Recognize one of these?
Tell me what your team is looking at. A couple of sentences is enough.