Topic
Tracking and analytics
When tracking breaks, you do not see an error. You see ad performance quietly decay while the numbers still look plausible. This is where I diagnose and fix the real failures: duplicate GA4 purchase events on Shopify, low Meta event match quality, missing fbc and fbp parameters, and the deduplication gaps between pixel and Conversions API. Specific problems, specific fixes.
20 pieces
- Playbook Nov 17, 2026 · 7 min
Incrementality testing for DTC brands
Attribution tells you which channel got credit. Incrementality tells you which sales your ads actually caused. Here is how to test it, so you stop paying for conversions you would have made anyway.
- Field Guide Nov 10, 2026 · 7 min
The Microsoft Ads UET tag: setup for ecommerce
Microsoft Ads reaches a buyer audience many brands ignore, but only works with the UET tag tracking conversions correctly. Here is what the UET tag is and how to set it up for ecommerce.
- Field Guide Nov 3, 2026 · 7 min
The Shopify data layer: what it is and how to use it
The data layer is the structured bridge between your Shopify store and your tracking tags. Get it right and every tool inherits accurate data. Get it wrong and everything downstream is built on sand.
- Playbook Oct 27, 2026 · 7 min
Build an ecommerce dashboard in Looker Studio
Looker Studio connects your scattered ecommerce data into one live, free dashboard. Here is how to build one that answers the questions that actually run the business, instead of another report nobody reads.
- Field Guide Oct 20, 2026 · 7 min
Google Ads enhanced conversions: setup and why it matters
Enhanced conversions recover Google Ads conversion data that browser limits would otherwise lose, by sending hashed first-party data. Here is what it is, why it matters, and how to set it up correctly.
- Playbook Jun 1, 2026 · 8 min
GA4 and Shopify revenue do not match: the full reconciliation
GA4 and Shopify revenue never match exactly, and chasing a perfect match wastes days. Here is how to reconcile them properly, and how to tell a normal gap from a tracking bug that needs fixing.
- Field Guide May 6, 2026 · 9 min
Server-side tracking for Shopify: when you need it and how to set it up
Ad blockers, app tracking prompts, and browser cookie limits are quietly deleting your conversion data. Server-side tracking recovers it. Here is what it is, when you need it, and how to set it up on Shopify.
- Playbook Mar 25, 2026 · 8 min
Why your Google Ads conversion tracking is not working, and how to fix it
When Google Ads stops recording conversions, your bidding goes blind and your spend decisions get made on nothing. Here is how to find the cause, in order of likelihood, and fix it.
- Field Guide Mar 24, 2026 · 8 min
A first-party data strategy for DTC brands
As third-party cookies disappear and browser tracking tightens, the brands that keep measuring and marketing well are the ones that own their data. Here is how to build a first-party data strategy that lasts.
- Playbook Mar 17, 2026 · 7 min
Why GA4 is not tracking your purchases
GA4 showing zero purchases, or revenue that is clearly wrong? Here are the real causes, from a misfiring purchase event to consent and duplicates, and a diagnostic order that finds yours fast.
- Playbook Mar 10, 2026 · 7 min
UTM tagging that keeps your channels clean
Inconsistent UTM tags are the quiet reason your channel reports do not add up. Here is a UTM convention that keeps every source readable, and the discipline that stops the mess before it starts.
- Field Guide Mar 3, 2026 · 8 min
Attribution models, explained for DTC
Attribution decides which channel gets credit for a sale, and the model you use quietly shapes every budget decision. Here is what each model does, where each one misleads, and how to read your channels honestly.
- Playbook Feb 24, 2026 · 7 min
Consent Mode v2 for ecommerce
Consent Mode v2 is how Google keeps measuring and advertising while respecting a shopper's consent choices. In many regions it is required. Here is what it is, why it matters, and how to set it up correctly.
- Playbook Feb 24, 2026 · 7 min
Shopify GA4 purchase event firing twice: the fast fix
Duplicate purchase events in GA4 on Shopify almost always come from two sources firing the same event, or the thank-you page being reloaded. Here is how to find the source and stop the double count.
- Field Guide Feb 17, 2026 · 8 min
Server-side Google Tag Manager: a setup walkthrough
Server-side Google Tag Manager moves your tracking off the shopper's browser and onto a server you control, recovering signal browsers now block. Here is what it is, when you need it, and how to stand it up.
- Playbook Feb 3, 2026 · 8 min
Why your Meta event match quality is low, and how to fix it
Low event match quality almost always comes down to three things: Enhanced instead of Maximum data sharing, a Conversions API that is not sending fbc and fbp, or thin customer parameters. Here is how to find which, and fix it.
- Field Guide Jan 20, 2026 · 8 min
GA4 ecommerce tracking on Shopify: the setup
GA4 ecommerce tracking on Shopify is easy to set up wrong, with missing items, double-counted purchases, or no revenue at all. Here is the correct setup, event by event, so the data you act on is the data that is true.
- Playbook Jan 15, 2026 · 8 min
Set up the TikTok Pixel and Events API the right way
The TikTok Pixel alone loses a chunk of your conversions to browsers and consent. Here is how to set up the Pixel and the Events API together, deduplicated and matched, so TikTok optimizes on real data.
- Field Guide Jan 4, 2026 · 9 min
The complete ecommerce tracking stack in 2026
Tracking in 2026 is not one pixel; it is a stack. Here is what each layer does, in order, from one source of truth to server-side and deduplication, so your data is something you can actually trust.
- Field Guide Dec 2, 2025 · 8 min
Meta Conversions API: a setup guide
The Meta Pixel alone now loses a real share of your conversions. The Conversions API recovers them, server-side. Here is how to set it up, deduplicated and matched, without double-counting.