> Chris Abraham audits GA4 and Search Console data, removes ghost traffic, fixes conversion tracking, and explains what your numbers can and can't actually prove.
>
> Source: https://gerriscorp.com/services/analytics/ · Updated 2026-10-05 · By Chris Abraham, Gerris Corp

# Analytics and measurement you can trust

Bad numbers cause bad decisions. A spam traffic spike looks like growth. A tracking change looks like a collapse. A vendor's new methodology looks like lost visibility. I make your measurement accurate, and I tell you what it can and can't prove.

## What I fix
- **Ghost and spam traffic** in GA4, filtered out so real visitors are what you measure.
- **Conversion tracking** for forms, calls, purchases, and bookings, tested end to end.
- **Channel classification,** including AI assistant referrals from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot, which GA4 often lumps into referral or direct.
- **Search Console and GA4 reconciled,** so clicks, sessions, and landing pages tell one consistent story.
- **Bing Webmaster Tools** set up alongside Google, since Bing's index feeds Microsoft Copilot.
- **Dashboards and monthly reports** that connect the numbers to the actions taken and say what comes next, in plain English.

## Reading the data honestly

This is where I'm most useful. Before anyone reacts to a number, I ask what it actually measures:
- **A short window proves little.** A drop in engagement over a few days after a site change might be the change, a tracking glitch, a holiday, or noise. I treat tracking, engagement, and site defects as separate questions, each needing its own evidence.
- **Reports lag.** Search Console data trails reality, and a "fixed" problem can look unfixed for weeks. I check live behavior before declaring success or failure.
- **Vendors change methods.** I once traced an industry-wide drop in a client's AI visibility scores to a change in the vendor's methodology, not a decline in the client's visibility.
- **Coincidences happen.** When two things change at once, I keep them on separate tracks until the data connects them.

## Plain-English reporting

For owners who aren't technical, I write short monthly reports that explain what happened, why, what I did, and what needs a decision, with the charts in support rather than in place of an explanation.

## Measuring AI search

AI assistants send visitors without search-style keyword data, so I track them as their own channel, alongside a fixed set of test prompts run on a schedule. Together they show whether visibility in AI answers is changing, without pretending to more precision than the data allows.

## Common questions

### Can you set up GA4 from scratch?

Yes, including events, conversions, filters, Search Console linking, and a simple report your team will actually read.

### Why don't GA4 and Search Console numbers match?

They measure different things: Search Console counts clicks in Google, GA4 counts sessions it manages to record, and consent banners, ad blockers, and redirects all widen the gap. A consistent gap is normal; a sudden change in the gap is worth investigating.

**Related:** [Data cleanup](https://gerriscorp.com/services/data-cleanup/) · [Search Console](https://gerriscorp.com/services/search-console/) · [Ongoing support](https://gerriscorp.com/services/ongoing-support/)

[Ask me what your numbers mean](https://gerriscorp.com/contact/)

Updated October 5, 2026