{"id":503533,"date":"2026-03-12T20:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/?p=503533"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:31:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:31:42","slug":"minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/","title":{"rendered":"Minimal Web Analytics Stack For Small Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Small websites also need to have a basic stack for Analytics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otherwise how are they even supposed to understand their digital business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I show you one of the many alternatives you can choose from, based on my experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>P.S. I tried to simplify the topic and avoid going into too much technical detail. This is mostly on a business level.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f7852f38c1b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f7852f38c1b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Being_%E2%80%9CSmall%E2%80%9D\" >Being &#8220;Small&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Define_Key_Questions\" >Define Key Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Overview_of_the_Minimal_Viable_Stack\" >Overview of the Minimal Viable Stack<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Ok%E2%80%A6_So_Why_Those_Steps\" >Ok&#8230; So Why Those Steps?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Whats_The_Timeline\" >What&#8217;s The Timeline?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Cant_I_Just_Use_The_Tools\" >Can&#8217;t I Just Use The Tools?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Google_Search_Console_GSC\" >Google Search Console (GSC)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Bing_Webmaster_Tools_BWT\" >Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Google_Analytics_4_GA4\" >Google Analytics 4 (GA4)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Google_Tag_Manager_GTM\" >Google Tag Manager (GTM)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Looker_Studio\" >Looker Studio<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Google_Ads\" >Google Ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Google_BigQuery\" >Google BigQuery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Dataform\" >Dataform<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Buy_OR_Build\" >Buy OR Build<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Clarification_On_Reporting_BigQuery\" >Clarification On Reporting &amp; BigQuery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#What_About_GA4_Explorations\" >What About GA4 Explorations?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#Cost_Analysis\" >Cost Analysis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#LLM_Assistance\" >LLM Assistance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/#How_Do_You_Know_Its_Working\" >How Do You Know It&#8217;s Working<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-2b107363 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Being_%E2%80%9CSmall%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>Being &#8220;Small&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If we go by the legal definition, a SME is a company that&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Web-wise, a small company doesn&#8217;t have enough bulk of traffic or pages to justify complex solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having 10,000 pages doesn&#8217;t make you big&#8230; but if you have 1M then you are big! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The majority of websites out there are indeed small and need simple solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are a local business (e.g. a bakery), I don&#8217;t think Web Data is that important, focus on growth instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples of small websites:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Personal blogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small business websites (local services, consultancies, agencies)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Side project landing pages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early-stage SaaS products<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Portfolio sites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small e-commerce (under 500 SKUs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-0fc60458 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Define_Key_Questions\"><\/span>Define Key Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s the mistake most small site owners make: they start with tools instead of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Should I use BigQuery? What about dbt? Do I need a data warehouse?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wrong starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start here instead: <strong>What business questions do you need to answer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"878\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Web-Analytics-Questions-1024x878.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Web-Analytics-Questions-1024x878.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Web-Analytics-Questions-300x257.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Web-Analytics-Questions-768x659.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Web-Analytics-Questions-1536x1318.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Web-Analytics-Questions.png 2040w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For most small websites, the list is short:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How much traffic am I getting?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where is it coming from?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What content performs best?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are people converting? (subscribing, buying, signing up, whatever)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What&#8217;s working and what&#8217;s not?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t need complex data architecture to answer these, only the basic tools, configured properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analytics stack should serve the business, not the other way around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re spending more time managing your analytics than using the insights, something&#8217;s wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, it will become intuitive where to find the answers to your questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/star-schema-1024x567.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504001\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/star-schema-1024x567.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/star-schema-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/star-schema-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/star-schema-1536x851.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/star-schema-2048x1135.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-bf47fde8 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Overview_of_the_Minimal_Viable_Stack\"><\/span>Overview of the Minimal Viable Stack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Data is the digital representation (or approximation) of your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s your raw material for decision making, after all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what a small business can get away with: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"989\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/minimal-analytics-stack-small-websites-1024x989.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-502879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/minimal-analytics-stack-small-websites-1024x989.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/minimal-analytics-stack-small-websites-300x290.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/minimal-analytics-stack-small-websites-768x742.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/minimal-analytics-stack-small-websites-1536x1484.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/minimal-analytics-stack-small-websites-2048x1979.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Super cheap, fast and easy to explain. You can even make it more radical and only use a Google stack, which is fine for many: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"437\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-stack-elt-1024x437.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-stack-elt-1024x437.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-stack-elt-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-stack-elt-768x328.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-stack-elt-1536x656.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-stack-elt-2048x874.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If using the full Google stack with Dataform, I really recommend using GA4Dataform to process GA4 data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its free tier, you can get usable data and even save money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GA4 alternatives like Matomo, Piwik Pro, Amplitude, Mixpanel, etc. are also fine if you know how to work with them but they will cost!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Importante note: Amplitude and Mixpanel completely trump GA4 for Product Analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a stack for what we call &#8220;Marketing Analytics&#8221;. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The &#8220;European stack&#8221; makes sense if you are more interested in data privacy and can afford a little bit more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason is that you pay more and in most countries it&#8217;s harder to find someone with experience in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google tools are universal and what many professionals forget is that a company should also find labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>More supply of professionals = companies can pay less<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the company perspective, mainstream tools win. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can&#8217;t find who to hire, you are screwed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google has the edge in terms of ecosystem, documentation and distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-f85dc110 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ok%E2%80%A6_So_Why_Those_Steps\"><\/span>Ok&#8230; So Why Those Steps?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason why the stack is split in steps is very simple: <strong>you can&#8217;t work on the data as you get it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, you need to extract the data from your data sources, like GA4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You load it into a safe warehouse like BigQuery, so you can store and protect it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"713\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-1024x713.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-1024x713.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-768x535.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-1536x1070.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-2048x1427.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is what&#8217;s happening today in Web Analytics, focus more on strategy and solid processes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You transform the data with a tool like Dataform and make sure the output is what you need for your use cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you show to the end user is a data product, like a dashboard in Looker Studio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This process is called <strong>Extract, Load, Transform (ELT)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-576cbdbc gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_The_Timeline\"><\/span>What&#8217;s The Timeline?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As I will share in one of my upcoming case studies, the timeline is quick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A simple setup can be done in a few days, technically speaking.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The real time sink is understanding the business and what is needed to track\/understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am purely involved with the analytical part and not the manual tracking\/tagging setup, that can require some thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that is already done, then the rest is quite quick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-06a5de99 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cant_I_Just_Use_The_Tools\"><\/span>Can&#8217;t I Just Use The Tools? <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If it&#8217;s a small website, why even bother with BigQuery? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>The thing is, tools can&#8217;t scale and are unreliable.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;d rather store your data as soon as you start since you&#8217;d either pay $0 or a very low fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowadays the skills required to work with data warehouses like BigQuery aren&#8217;t even that expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many analysts are now familiar with these topics and a small website can follow a standard setup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-aab480ef gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Search_Console_GSC\"><\/span>Google Search Console (GSC)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>GSC is your entry point to Google Search data, aka Organic Search, and the 1st SEO tool to check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It contains the queries people type on Google to find your website and the performance of the pages ranking for said queries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.18.35-1024x357.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.18.35-1024x357.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.18.35-300x105.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.18.35-768x268.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.18.35-1536x535.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.18.35-2048x714.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a free BigQuery Bulk Export option to store your data safely (without backfilling). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Third-party GSC tools (most are unnecessary for small sites)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Daily monitoring (weekly check-ins are fine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obsessive position tracking (focus on traffic trends, not rank fluctuations)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regular review of top queries and top pages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BigQuery export for GSC data (same reasons as GA4, interface limits hide data)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Periodical technical checks (indexing, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-b3755826 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bing_Webmaster_Tools_BWT\"><\/span>Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>BWT is the same as GSC but for Bing and you can actually import your Google setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve talked about the <a href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/gsc-vs-bwt-differences\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"503631\">differences between GSC and BWT<\/a> in the past, go check them out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite what many think, Bing is useful for SEO and even more for those working in B2B. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can set it up after GSC as you can export your settings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bwt-add-websites-1024x692.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bwt-add-websites-1024x692.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bwt-add-websites-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bwt-add-websites-768x519.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bwt-add-websites-1536x1039.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bwt-add-websites.png 1896w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only downside is that there is no export to BigQuery and their API is not exactly optimal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since it&#8217;s free, I&#8217;d recommend using it, although you&#8217;d need to build a connector yourself&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>so you can stick to the UI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bing also added a dedicated AI performance tab, you don&#8217;t want to miss that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What already said for GSC applies here<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Proper setup (correct measurement ID, domain configuration)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Storing Bing data via API (can be cumbersome so this is optional)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Periodical technical checks (BWT is much better at it)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-65589ed0 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Analytics_4_GA4\"><\/span>Google Analytics 4 (GA4)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>GA4 is the undisputed king of Web Analytics and is still the top player in the market by share. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It tells you the events that happen on your website and details about your users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.25.21-1024x518.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.25.21-1024x518.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.25.21-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.25.21-768x388.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.25.21-1536x777.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-08-at-19.25.21.png 1594w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many small businesses complain about the UI because it&#8217;s barely usable and complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, this is why you use the BigQuery Linking instead and only touch GA4 for the settings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s how it should be in a proper data mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GA4 360 (enterprise paid version) &#8211; Complete overkill for small sites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Complex event tracking beyond business &#8211; critical actions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Every possible custom dimension and metric<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Proper setup (correct measurement ID, domain configuration)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Business-relevant events tracked in GTM (more on this below)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Basic conversions configured (newsletter signups, purchases, form submissions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-65c430a3 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Tag_Manager_GTM\"><\/span>Google Tag Manager (GTM)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This can&#8217;t be skipped and it&#8217;s probably the hardest tool of the bunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Proper tracking can make or break your entire Analytics&#8230; even though GTM will NOT affect your GSC and Google Ads data anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Server-side tracking, namely sending data to your server before it lands into GA4, can also be extremely beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-18.38.27-1024x199.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504004\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-18.38.27-1024x199.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-18.38.27-300x58.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-18.38.27-768x149.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-18.38.27-1536x298.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-18.38.27-2048x397.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this way, you can control the data a tool like GA4 receives and send what&#8217;s appropriate for privacy goals as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stape.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stape<\/a> can help with that and is what I&#8217;d recommend for most common use cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-0496f85f gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Looker_Studio\"><\/span>Looker Studio<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Great tool for visualizing data, although limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looker Studio is the quickest way to show something to your stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In most cases this is a pro since you want a simple and quick solution with Google integrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.33.00-1024x428.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.33.00-1024x428.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.33.00-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.33.00-768x321.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.33.00-1536x642.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.33.00-2048x856.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Barebone MVPs you can build in 20 minutes. It takes more time to make it nice than the actual grunt work.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could even pay for the Pro version adding more collaboration features but that&#8217;s overkill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The free version is more than fine for 99% of the &#8220;small&#8221; organizations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Elaborate multi-page dashboards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Real-time updating (daily is fine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Complex calculated metrics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beautiful design (functional beats pretty)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One simple dashboard with key metrics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filters for date ranges and maybe traffic source <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clear charts that answer your business questions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-6e66dc65 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Ads\"><\/span>Google Ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is your PPC tool of reference, much like GSC for SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike GSC and GA4, you don&#8217;t have an actual export to BigQuery but a native data transfer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"312\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ads-interface-censored-1024x312.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ads-interface-censored-1024x312.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ads-interface-censored-300x92.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ads-interface-censored-768x234.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ads-interface-censored-1536x469.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ads-interface-censored.png 1872w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Some censorship here but the idea is the same.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It means the process is slightly different and you get backfilling options, which is NOT bad!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Paid connectors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strange engineering to get your historical data<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Proper setup of campaigns and account<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Good PPC knowledge to avoid overspending<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-4524d2e6 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_BigQuery\"><\/span>Google BigQuery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where you store your web data to avoid losing it over time. And this is also where calculations run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can&#8217;t stress enough how this is important and relevant for ANY business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rampant misinformation on social media convinced business owners that BigQuery is expensive&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>which is completely false!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see from the tests below, the cost for storing your data is almost null, just be careful with how you pull the data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-20.37.34-1024x523.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-20.37.34-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-20.37.34-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-20.37.34-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-20.37.34-1536x785.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-20.37.34-2048x1046.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BigQuery pricing is $5 per TB of data processed. Your GA4 data is tiny, we&#8217;re talking megabytes per day for small sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I run several small projects, what&#8217;s my total BigQuery costs? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Less than $1 per month across all of them, like $0.12.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The storage itself is almost free (pennies per GB per month). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You only pay meaningfully when you query large amounts of data, which you won&#8217;t be doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The GA4 and GSC exports also give you more data than both the interface and the APIs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve talked about this previously in my article on the <a href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/bigquery-gsc-ga4-differences\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"502571\">differences with BigQuery<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Complex query optimization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Detailed partitioning and clustering strategies (aka engineering)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cost management tooling (your costs will be trivial)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data engineering pipelines (not yet, anyway)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GA4 + GSC BigQuery exports enabled (takes 15 minutes to set up)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Basic SQL knowledge (or willingness to use AI tools to generate queries)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Occasional queries when you need data the GA4 interface doesn&#8217;t show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-5d928c44 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dataform\"><\/span>Dataform<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The data you get is far from being usable! This is why you need to process the data first, with a tool like Dataform. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"582\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dataform-test.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dataform-test.webp 582w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dataform-test-260x300.webp 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are nice tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/ga4dataform.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GA4Dataform<\/a> giving you help in data modeling for free. This is what I recommend everyone for <a href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/ga4-bigquery-data-modeling\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"503443\">making GA4 data usable<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dataform is integrated within BigQuery and only works inside Google Cloud, such is the cost of simplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you plan on using other data, then DBT is the superior choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you don&#8217;t need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Complex query optimization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lots of tables<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advanced use cases <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you do need:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GA4Dataform (free tier), there is no reason to avoid it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Functioning pipelines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-ed16b095 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buy_OR_Build\"><\/span>Buy OR Build<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on how small you are, there is no need for external help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this website, I did it all myself in one day + some extra hours here and there for my dashboard and some GTM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For smaller clients, the work I had to do was naturally more methodical and detailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The areas you can delegate are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Complicate\/Privacy checks (unlikely you get sued for it but you want to do it properly and legally)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Metric definition and help <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Growth\/Marketing, you need good fractional professionals who can help you<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The technology per se is not the bottleneck&#8230; but rather how you use it and how it&#8217;s even related to growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-2f759c71 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Clarification_On_Reporting_BigQuery\"><\/span>Clarification On Reporting &amp; BigQuery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A very common mistake is thinking that your end users will actually go to BigQuery and write queries&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>NO!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BigQuery is only for storing your data and for analysts to write queries, stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your final users will use data products, like dashboards, reports or web apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This applies to GA4 and GSC as well&#8230; you shouldn&#8217;t let non-technical users go near them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"755\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bq-ls-misconception-1024x755.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504003\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bq-ls-misconception-1024x755.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bq-ls-misconception-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bq-ls-misconception-768x566.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bq-ls-misconception-1536x1132.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bq-ls-misconception-2048x1510.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The output of this stack is exactly the same of what many companies do today: Looker Studio (or any alternative). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The missing key steps are storing and processing the data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-e0d5e612 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_About_GA4_Explorations\"><\/span>What About GA4 Explorations?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A common question I get asked is: &#8220;Will we actually stop using GA4 altogether?&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer is NO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also use GA4 and GSC for quick checks and GA4 has some great reports in the form of Explorations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ga4-exploration-cohort-1024x366.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504012\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ga4-exploration-cohort-1024x366.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ga4-exploration-cohort-300x107.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ga4-exploration-cohort-768x275.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ga4-exploration-cohort-1536x549.png 1536w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ga4-exploration-cohort-2048x733.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A cohort analysis like this one is 100% replicable with this stack BUT&#8230; since it&#8217;s usually a one-off use case, you can use GA4. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only caveat is&#8230; don&#8217;t use GA4 as your main reporting tool, only use Explorations for very specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>It&#8217;s fine to reduce friction and speed up decision making but don&#8217;t fall back to the vicious circle of technical debt.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-3da3009d gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cost_Analysis\"><\/span>Cost Analysis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The entire idea about a Minimum Viable Stack (MVS) is that you the benefits outweight the costs by a lot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For smaller businesses, the costs should be extremely low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this website, the cost sits at CHF 0.02\/month, peanuts! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For &#8220;bigger&#8221; clients I follow, the cost can be around $2\/3\/month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"152\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.29.49-1024x152.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-504006\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.29.49-1024x152.png 1024w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.29.49-300x45.png 300w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.29.49-768x114.png 768w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-20.29.49.png 1252w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pretty much nothing and this is considering a dashboard I prepared for an Ecommerce client with around 35K sessions\/month (not estimated, otherwise it&#8217;s around 70K with blended identity).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to convince reluctant SMEs is to show them the cost\/benefit ratio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people live under the false belief that data topics are expensive and niche&#8230; they are not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The real expense is paying a professional to do it for you, if you need to find the main cost driver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-ce52675b gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"LLM_Assistance\"><\/span>LLM Assistance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If this wasn&#8217;t enough, now LLMs can make a big part of your job remarkably easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As already explained in my <a href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/llm-analytics-playbook-stack\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"503761\">LLM for Analytics Playbook<\/a>, now the threshold to extract value from data is lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We will see LLM technology embedded everywhere, as already shown by Databricks and Microsoft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GA4 is already integrating AI into its tool but the result as of now is abysmal.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/claude-code-terminal-launch.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-503898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/claude-code-terminal-launch.png 620w, https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/claude-code-terminal-launch-300x87.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Claude Code is still leading the tech industry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this reason, my advice is to use other LLMs and connect your data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I don&#8217;t mean using MCPs<\/span> but rather using LLMs to write code and speed up the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MCPs can&#8217;t be documented or controlled, it&#8217;s LLM random delusions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We rely on good code so that everything is 100% testable and can be fact-checked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can still use MCPs to help you at work but don&#8217;t rely on them for processes or even actual analysis (please).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LLMs also miserably fail at:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interpreting your data (without prior business context)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generating production-ready code<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reliable and stable output<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-19d14c27 gb-headline-text\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_You_Know_Its_Working\"><\/span>How Do You Know It&#8217;s Working<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are actively using your data to make decisions and these turn into some form of competitive advantage, then you are good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Larger organizations struggle with data due to technical debt and the volume of data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have neither, so you have the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure to have an &#8220;acceptable&#8221; implementation and worry about technical data problems later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, why should you even worry about complex data governance if there is nothing to govern? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Small websites also need to have a basic stack for Analytics. Otherwise how are they even supposed to understand their digital business? I show you one of the many alternatives you can choose from, based on my experience. P.S. I tried to simplify the topic and avoid going into too much technical detail. This is &#8230; <a title=\"Minimal Web Analytics Stack For Small Businesses\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/minimum-viable-web-analytics-stack\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Minimal Web Analytics Stack For Small Businesses\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":504009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100012],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-503533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503533"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":504046,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503533\/revisions\/504046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seotistics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}