GA4 Implementation Agency

The short answer

Tack Media implements Google Analytics 4 properly: event and conversion design, server-side tagging, consent mode, cross-domain and CRM stitching, then the reporting that follows. The point is measurement a business can act on, not a property that collects everything and explains nothing. Engagements start at $5,000 a month.

What we actually do with GA4

Most GA4 properties we inherit were installed once and never designed. Events fire with default names, key events were set by whoever clicked first, and nobody can answer what a lead is worth. That is a design problem, not a tool problem.

• Measurement plan first. Written down: which events exist, what parameters they carry, which are key events, and what business question each one answers. Before any tag is touched.
• Implementation. Google Tag Manager containers built cleanly, custom events with consistent parameter naming, custom dimensions registered, and ecommerce implemented to the standard schema rather than improvised.
• Server-side tagging. Where browser restrictions, ad blockers or page speed make client-side collection unreliable, we move collection server-side and take control of what is sent onward.
• Consent mode. Implemented so the site is compliant and the data is still usable, which is a narrower path than most implementations manage.
• Cross-domain and CRM stitching. Client ID and session ID captured on forms and passed into HubSpot or Salesforce, so a closed deal can be traced back to a session.
• BigQuery export and reporting. Raw event data out of the interface’s limits and into a warehouse, then presented in Looker Studio against questions somebody actually asks.

What it connects to

Where teams get stuck

AI assistant traffic lands in Direct, and the channel report goes quiet. GA4’s rules are mechanical. Direct is defined as source exactly matching (direct) with medium (not set) or (none), Referral requires a medium of referral, app or link, and Unassigned is used when no channel rule matches the event data. When a chat assistant sends a visitor without a usable referrer, that visit is not “AI traffic” in your reports. It is Direct. The fix is not a setting. It is a custom channel group, referrer inspection and, where possible, tagged links in the content the assistant is reading. Notably, GA4 counts arrivals from Google’s AI Overviews inside Organic Search rather than as a separate channel.

Consent mode was installed in the version that destroys the data. Google draws a hard line between the two implementations: in advanced consent mode tags load before the consent dialog and send cookieless pings when consent is denied, enabling conversion modelling and behavioural modelling, while in basic consent mode tags are blocked until consent is granted and modelling is not available. Basic is easier to implement and quietly costs you the gap-filling. Most implementations we audit are basic and nobody chose it.

Attribution is misread as truth. GA4 offers data-driven attribution, paid and organic last click, and Google paid channels last click, with conversions able to be reattributed for up to 7 days after the conversion. A number that moves after the fact is not an error, it is the model updating. Reporting that ignores this generates a monthly argument.

Property limits bite in reporting, not collection. As of 26 August 2026, Google documents that a standard property allows 25 event parameters per event, 50 event-scoped custom dimensions, 30 key events and 5 calculated metrics, against 100, 125, 50 and 50 respectively on Analytics 360. Demographic and interest data is also withheld when thresholds are not met, which is why a report can go blank without warning. Design inside the limits or plan for 360.

How it works — 1, 2, 3

1. Audit and access, week 1 to 2. Property configuration, tag container, consent implementation, key events, data streams and filters. You get a written audit that says what is wrong and what it is costing you in decisions.
2. Build and connect, week 3 to 6. Measurement plan, tag rebuild, consent mode, CRM stitching, BigQuery export and Google Ads linking. Validated against real sessions in staging before it goes live.
3. Run and report, ongoing. Monthly reporting, anomaly checks, and maintenance when the site changes. A tag container without an owner degrades within two quarters.

What it costs

Tack Media engagements start at $5,000 a month. What moves the number: site complexity, whether server-side tagging is required, how many properties and domains, whether ecommerce is involved, and how deep the CRM stitching goes.

GA4 itself is free at standard tier. Analytics 360 is sold by Google with custom pricing and lifts the limits above. Where measurement is part of a wider programme, this sits alongside paid media and CRO and marketing systems.

Questions we get asked

Who owns the GA4 property?

You do. It lives in your Google account with your team as administrators. We are added as users. If we stop working together we are removed and the historical data stays exactly where it is.

Can we see AI assistant traffic separately?

Partially, and only if it is built. Some assistants pass a referrer that can be captured into a custom channel group. Others pass nothing, and that traffic lands in Direct. Anyone promising complete AI referral attribution is overselling.

Do you work with our existing setup?

Usually. We rarely recommend a new property because historical data has value. We do often rebuild the tag container, since that is where most of the damage sits.

Do we need BigQuery?

If you care about anything the interface cannot show, or you have hit the reporting limits, yes. If you have moderate traffic and simple questions, no, and we will say so.

What if we already have an analytics partner?

Then we can build only the connection between GA4, the ad platforms and the CRM and leave reporting where it is. That is a common and sensible split.

The bottom line

GA4 gives accurate answers to questions it was configured to answer, and misleading answers to everything else. Consent mode, channel grouping and the attribution model decide what you see long before anyone opens a report.

If your numbers do not agree with your bank account, book a call with a Tack Media expert or phone 310-620-1141.

Sources

• Google Analytics Help — Default channel group
• Google Analytics Help — Consent mode on websites and mobile apps
• Google Analytics Help — Get started with attribution
• Google Analytics Help — Analytics 360 limits for GA4 properties
• Google Analytics Help — Predefined user dimensions and data thresholds