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Crafted Labs - Google Analytics stack
The Google Analytics stack.
GA4 shouldn't be used in silo, combining with Big Query and Looker studio can give you a fuller picture of your data.
On its own, GA4 will only ever show you the surface of your data. But connect it with BigQuery and Looker Studio, and suddenly you get a deeper, more meaningful understanding of how people interact with your brand.
GA4
Tracks unified cross-platform engagement across your website, capturing user interactions through events to help you understand engagement trends, marketing performance and ROI at a glance.
BigQuery
A scalable data warehouse designed to analyse large, detailed datasets; enabling marketers to uncover deeper behavioural insights beyond GA4's retention limits.
Looker Studio
A visual reporting tool that transforms complex datasets into clear, interactive dashboards; it can blend multiple data sources and automate reporting, allowing marketers to focus on the actionable insights.
Think of it as your full Google Analytics stack. Three platforms, each with a job to do, working together to paint the clearest possible picture of your data. And when you understand what each tool is built for, you don’t just improve your reporting; you level it up.
Used together, this stack helps you maximise opportunities you might otherwise miss, turning scattered data into smarter decisions, sharper optimisation, and a far more confident path forward.
GA4.
GA4 is Google’s latest iteration of its web analytics platform, replacing Universal Analytics back in 2023. GA4 fundamentally changes how data is collected and processed and now limits how far back users can analyse data at a granular level by capping its retention periods to 14 months.
The platform focuses on tracking user engagement across websites and apps, and offers a unified, cross-platform approach to understand user behaviour and their journeys.
An example of a GA4 dashboard
Best used for:
Initial data capture
GA4 acts as the foundation of your data capture, from the moment it’s installed, you can begin capturing data with real-time reporting. Automatic event tracking (page views, scrolls, downloads etc.) and enhanced measurements mean you can get started a lot faster.
Quick wins and insights into trends
Your raw data is turned into digestible insights and reports quickly, which helps to highlight trends. With built-in charts, filtering and exploration reports, you can easily spot patterns without needing custom reports.
This can help you:
Identify traffic and behaviour spikes
Spot drops and anomalies’ early
Understand how users engage and follow their journeys
Marketing attribution and ROI measurement
GA4 significantly improves attribution compared to Universal Analytics. When paired with a strong data strategy, proper conversion setup and consistent campaign tagging, GA4’s cross device tracking and machine learning driven attribution models provide a more accurate picture of what’s driving ROI.
GA4 is at its best when you need fast, directional insight. It is an accessible tool, with various built-in reports for understanding different business priorities, and the option to create custom reports. Explorations are a quick and easy way to create a report for the exact dimensions and metrics you want to measure, segmenting audiences or adding regexed filters for a specific link click.
Having other Google platforms integrated with GA4 data will provide a bigger picture on overall performance. You can check this by going to Admin > Product Links.
Taking GA4 even further.
Setting up custom parameters and dimensions can help you get more value from GA4 and provide greater context on how users interact with your website. By turning event parameters into custom dimensions, you can break down performance by content category, user type, devices or on-page interactions that would otherwise be invisible.
These parameters enrich your event data, enabling you to build more meaningful exploration reports instead of relying on broad totals. When implemented well, they make reporting clearer, more relevant and much more actionable.
Data types available in GA4.
With three data types available in GA4, it’s crucial to know which one you’re using. Pick the right data type and your reporting stays accurate, consistent, and genuinely useful.
Data Type
Definition
Input
Privacy Consent
Observed
Actual, direct user interactions
User-ID, Device ID
Required (Opt-in)
Modelled
Estimated behaviour
Behavioural & Conversion Modelling
Not required (uses Consent Mode)
Blended
A mix of Observed & Modelled
User-ID > Device ID > Modelling
Yes (for best results)
Analysing Cookieless data.
Freya, Data Executive
GA4 is ideal for analysing cookieless data, closing gaps from unaccepted cookies, and modelling missing information. Data is only stored for 14 months, so ensure you are checking reports regularly and importing data into BigQuery for longer term storage.
BigQuery.
BigQuery is data warehouse provided by Google Cloud. It allows us to analyse detailed datasets and provide granular insights to understand different user journeys.
An example BigQuery dashboard.
Best used for:
Deeper analysis
BigQuery is built for large datasets, making it ideal for integrating multiple data sources. Its granular, event‑level analysis goes far beyond what GA4 alone can provide, and the ability to create custom metrics, dimensions and segments dramatically expands your analytical depth.
Understanding longer trends
With no retention limits, BigQuery becomes your source of truth for long-term trends and historical context. The more historic data you have available, the more accurate your baselines become.
Advanced modelling and automated reporting pipelines
BigQuery is designed for scale and seamless connection across data systems. Its integration with Google’s broader data ecosystem makes it ideal for building machine learning models and producing automated, multi‑source reporting pipelines with minimal manual effort.
Having direct access to raw event data provides complete control on how we choose to explore. Only a few lines of SQL, a familiar language to many analysts, can quickly aggregate and filter the data to exactly what you are looking to understand, for better decision-making and faster insights.
Another advantage of BigQuery is its affordability. BigQuery only charges what you use, rather than a fixed infrastructure. This means it’s a great platform for all business sizes, not just the larger models.
Observed data only
Alex, Data Executive
Remember BigQuery only provides detailed data on observed data sets. Cookieless data isn’t available, but having all the observed data means you can make accurate judgements on user behaviour.
Sync your data early.
To make the most out of BigQuery, ensure all relevant platforms, such as GA4, are synced as early as possible. While BigQuery can store historical data indefinitely, it only begins collecting from the moment the export is enabled, meaning any delays cannot be backfilled.
Early integration protects the continuity of your data for long-term analysis. It allows you to review GA4 data beyond the 14 month retention limit, giving you a more complete dataset and increasing BigQuery’s reliability for reporting and insight generation.
Looker Studio.
Looker Studio is a free tool used to create dashboards that transforms large datasets into clear, easy-to-understand insights through interactive reports.
An example of a Looker Studio dashboard being built.
Best used for:
Digestible, interactive reports
Looker Studio is built for interaction, allowing you to create custom reports with filter controls, data range pickers and cross-filters. You have complete control over how the reports look, from ensuring your branding is consistent to showcasing detailed performance data with scorecards, charts and custom visualisations.
Connecting and blending multiple data sources
The platform connects to multiple sources, from Google’s data and marketing ecosystems to wider third-party platforms. Whether you want to bring media performance together with web analytics or combine offline conversion with digital metrics, Looker Studio’s data blending capabilities allow you to create one unified cross-channel view.
Easy sharing and collaboration
Looker Studio reports are designed to be shared, whether it’s through PDFs, scheduled emails or link sharing. You have complete control over your dashboards’ visibility. Flexible access permissions help teams collaborate smoothly without compromising report integrity.
Looker Studio offers many free direct connections, such as GA4 and BigQuery, allowing users to work with complex data using dimensions and metrics. With a broad selection of charts, graphs, and control options, Looker helps create engaging client reports and enables precise filtering to measure performance effectively.
Converting to Looker Studio dashboards for our clients has meant that what was once a very manual, time-consuming task has now been mostly automated, freeing up teams to focus on delivering the actionable insights that matter.
In short, it’s where your data becomes genuinely usable - clear enough for teams to act on, and accessible enough for stakeholders to understand.
In conclusion.
GA4 gives you the what. BigQuery uncovers the why. Looker Studio shows it in a way everyone can understand.
Used together, these platforms turn your analytics into a connected, future‑proof ecosystem. One that grows with your business and keeps your decisions grounded in real behaviour.
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Our data team can help you see the full picture your analytics stack was built to reveal.
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