Most small businesses are told they need Google Analytics, Google Ads, Search Console, and Meta before they've made their first online sale. That's four accounts, four dashboards, four sets of numbers to interpret, and very little guidance on which ones actually matter on day one versus year two.
This guide cuts through it. Six chapters cover what each platform does, how they talk to each other, which combination makes sense for your type of business, and the order to connect them so you're not flying blind from the start.
The five platforms at a glance
What GA4, Search Console, Google Ads, Meta, and Merchant Center each do, and the key metrics to know for each one.
3 minHow the platforms connect
The four critical integrations that make your data actually useful, and what you miss if a connection is missing.
2 minWhich platforms does your business actually need?
A business-type matrix showing which platforms are essential, worth adding, or not yet needed for local services, eCommerce, B2B, and content sites.
2 minThe right order to set everything up
A 7-step timeline from day one to your first paid campaign, with time estimates and the exact order that avoids the most common traps.
3 minWhat to watch in your first year
The two or three metrics per platform that give you signal in year one, and what a problem looks like before it becomes expensive.
2 minThe mistakes most small businesses make
Six patterns that come up repeatedly when a business first gets serious about its data, and exactly how to avoid each one.
2 minGo deeper by platform
See all your platforms in one report.
Connect GA4, Search Console, or Ads and build a live report, free for one report.