Marketing analytics for small business, in plain English.
How many people called last month, and what sent them: a Google search, your map listing, an ad? We set up GA4, Search Console and call and form tracking properly, then send a short monthly report that answers those questions without the jargon.
Tracking setup is quoted up front
You can't fix what nobody is counting
You know when the phone rings. What's harder to know is what made it ring. Google's free tools can answer that, once someone sets them up to count leads, not just visits. And if your site's only Google Analytics ID starts with UA-, it has recorded nothing for years: Google stopped processing standard Universal Analytics data (opens in a new tab) on July 1, 2023.
a.
The call is the lead, and nobody counts it
The call is the lead, and nobody counts it
For a plumber or a barbershop, the phone call is the lead. GA4's automatic tracking covers page views, scrolls, outbound links and form submissions, but not taps on your phone number, and a call or form only counts as a lead once someone marks it as a key event.
b.
Four logins, no answers
Four logins, no answers
GA4, Search Console, your Google Business Profile and your ad account each hold part of the story, in their own vocabulary. Nobody running a shop has time to reconcile four dashboards every month.
c.
Reports that don't say what to do
Reports that don't say what to do
A thick PDF of charts isn't a report. You need to know what happened, why it happened and what changes next month, in words you'd use yourself.
Marketing analytics that count calls, not just visits
01
GA4, set up or repaired
GA4, set up or repaired
A clean Google Analytics 4 property with your own shop's visits filtered out and data retention set to 14 months, the longest a standard property allows. Already have one? We audit it before changing anything.
02
Calls, texts and forms as key events
Calls, texts and forms as key events
Taps on your phone number, taps to text, form submissions and booking clicks, each recorded and marked as a key event. That's GA4's name for the actions that matter most to your business; it used to call them conversions.
03
Search Console, connected
Search Console, connected
Your site verified, your sitemap submitted and indexing checked, so you can see which searches showed your site and how often people clicked through.
04
Your Google listing in the same picture
Your Google listing in the same picture
We link your Business Profile to GA4, so calls, direction requests and website clicks from your listing sit beside your website numbers instead of in a separate app.
05
Tagged links for every channel
Tagged links for every channel
The website link on your Google listing, your social bios, your emails and your printed QR codes carry campaign tags, so each one shows up as its own source instead of blending into “Google” or “direct.”
06
Call tracking
Call tracking
Every tap on your number is counted on every page, and your Business Profile counts taps on its own call button. When a campaign needs exact numbers, a tracking number measures that one source. Add missed-call text-back so an unanswered call still gets a reply.
07
The monthly report
The monthly report
One short report: calls, messages and direction requests, where they came from, what people searched, what changed and what we'd do next, in a few sentences instead of a stack of charts.
How analytics setup runs, week by week
Audit what's there
We check what's installed, what's being counted, what's broken and who has access. Nothing gets deleted until we know what it was doing.
Set it up and test it
GA4, Search Console, key events, tagged links and the Business Profile link, tested with real taps on a real phone before we call it done.
Set the baseline
Your first full month becomes the line every later report is measured against. Once there's a year of data, we compare each month with the same month last year, because a slow January in Minnesota isn't news.
Report and adjust
The report arrives with one to three recommendations. When a number moves, up or down, we explain why in a sentence, not a chart.
Sample outline of a monthly report. Every number comes from your own accounts.
| Section | The question it answers | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Calls | How many people called or tapped to call? | Call taps on your site in GA4, plus calls from your Google listing |
| Messages and forms | How many people wrote in, and from which page? | Key events in GA4 |
| Directions | How many people asked Google for directions to you? | Business Profile performance |
| Where they came from | Search, the map, social, ads, email or print? | GA4 traffic sources and tagged links |
| What they searched | Which searches showed your site and your listing? | Search Console and your Business Profile |
| Reviews | What came in this month, and has each one been answered? | Your Google Business Profile |
| Next month | What should change, and why? | Us, in a few plain sentences |
Check your own tracking in five minutes
Check your own tracking in five minutes
- Ask whoever built your site which Google Analytics ID it uses. An ID starting with G- is GA4; one starting with UA- stopped recording in July 2023.
- Tap the phone number on your own site, then open GA4's Realtime report. No tap event means calls from your site are invisible.
- Look for key events in GA4. If none are marked, GA4 can't tell you how many leads you got.
- Try logging in to Search Console for your domain. No access means no view of the searches that show your site.
- Check who owns each account. Analytics, Search Console and your Business Profile belong under a login your business controls.
- Open your Business Profile's Performance page and write down last month's calls and direction requests. That's your baseline.
Tracking setup is quoted up front
Compare pricesWhat marketing analytics costs
Need tracking on the site you already have? We'll scope it on a free 30-minute call and tell you the price first. On our monthly packages with local SEO or ad management, the monthly report is already part of the work.
Analytics questions owners ask
How much does marketing analytics cost for a small business?
It depends on what you already have. Setting up GA4, Search Console and call and form tracking on your current site is priced up front: book a free call and you'll know the number before we start. If you're on one of our packages with local SEO or ad management, the monthly report comes with it.
Do I even have Google Analytics?
Maybe, and maybe the retired version. Our free site audit shows whether a Google tag is on your site at all, and the five-minute check on this page tells you which kind it is. Or send us your web address and we'll look.
Will a tracking number mess up my Google listing?
Not the way we use them. Your main number stays on your Business Profile, your website and your directory listings, so customers and Google always see the same one. Tracking numbers go only on the thing being measured, like a single ad campaign or a mailer.
Who owns the accounts and the data?
Your business does. We set up GA4 and Search Console under your business's Google account and add ourselves as users, so the history stays with you. Google itself advises owners to give an SEO read-only access to Search Console for an audit, and we're happy to start that way.
Is Google's free software enough, or do I need paid tools?
For most local businesses the free tools cover it: GA4, Search Console and your Business Profile's performance data. The hard part is setting them up to count the right things and turning the numbers into decisions, which is the part you pay us for.
What will you actually tell me each month?
Where your calls, messages and direction requests came from, what changed and what we'd do about it. That might mean fixing your Google listing, moving Google Ads budget toward what produces calls, or adding a page for something people keep searching. Every recommendation comes with the number behind it.
Do I need a new website to get this?
No. We can add tracking to most existing sites, as long as a small tag can go on every page. If you're rebuilding anyway, we'll build tracking in from the start, and you see your site before you pay.
Talk it through first.
Tell us how leads reach you today and where they slip. We will map what we would set up, and what it costs, on a short call.