GA4: integration, consent and server-side
Google Analytics 4 set up properly: Consent Mode v2, server-side wiring, BigQuery export from day one. The standard only earns its keep with clean architecture; we never leave the defaults untouched.
- Event model and native Google Ads ecosystem
- BigQuery export free, raw data from day one
- Consent Mode v2 required, or you lose data
- US cloud, needs a GDPR assessment
The web analytics standard. Huge ecosystem and a free BigQuery export, but consent-dependent, US cloud, and shipped with defaults nobody should leave untouched.
What is GA4?
Google Analytics 4 is the event-based successor to Universal Analytics and the de-facto web standard. Its strength is the ecosystem: native wiring into Google Ads, audiences, Search Console and the free BigQuery export. Its weakness is the defaults: US data flow, sampling in the UI, data loss without a clean consent setup.
When it fits, and when it doesn't
Good fit when:
- Google Ads and audiences are part of the marketing stack
- raw data should flow into the warehouse via BigQuery export
- an existing setup needs care rather than replacement
Not the right call when:
- consent-free measurement is mandatory
- EU hosting is non-negotiable
- the UI is meant to be the only analysis layer
What Datascale builds with GA4
We decide the architecture, then we build:
- a measurement blueprint with clean event design
- Consent Mode v2 wired correctly, default state verified
- wiring through server-side GTM for stable data quality
- BigQuery export from day one, modelling in the warehouse
- an honest comparison against Plausible CE and Piwik PRO
The full picture lives in the matching service. We integrate GA4 where it is the best answer for your case, not as an end in itself. Related: Audit Sprint.
Topical context
- GA4 integration agency
- GA4 agency
- GA4 setup
- GA4 audit
- GA4 BigQuery export
- GA4 Consent Mode v2
- GA4 GDPR
Get the setup built right, from Measurement Blueprint to monitoring and rollback.
Book an Audit Sprint →Is GA4 GDPR-compliant?
Not by default. GA4 runs in the US cloud and needs Consent Mode v2, IP anonymisation, a clean DPA and, depending on your risk profile, a server-side chain in front. Configured properly it is workable in practice; the verdict depends on your privacy setup.
GA4 or an EU alternative?
GA4 wins through the Google Ads ecosystem and the free BigQuery export. If you need consent-free measurement or EU hosting, Plausible CE or Piwik PRO serve you better. Often the answer is both: GA4 for Ads, an EU tool as baseline measurement.
Why BigQuery export from day one?
GA4 only exports raw data from the moment you activate it; there is nothing retroactive. Turn the export on after a year and you have lost a year of raw data. The export is free and takes minutes to enable.
More integrations we work with
- AnalyticsPiwik PROEU-hosted analytics platform. GDPR-compliant by default, enterprise-ready, and the go-to GA4 migration target for consent-critical setups.
- AnalyticsPlausible Community EditionSelf-hosted, cookieless web analytics. GDPR-compliant without a consent banner, full data ownership. This very site runs on it.
- AnalyticsPostHogOpen-source product analytics, feature flags, and experimentation in one. EU self-hosting possible, usable as an assignment layer for server-side experiments.
- AnalyticsMatomoOpen-source classic, darling of the DACH public sector. 100% data ownership, UI a bit dated.
- AnalyticsMixpanelPowerful product analytics with dedicated EU data residency. Funnel and cohort analysis miles ahead of GA4.
- AnalyticsPiano AnalyticsEuropean analytics leader with maximum GDPR safety (CNIL exemption). Strong for publishers and media.