Adhering to user ePrivacy norms and complying with GDPR regulations entail the substantial responsibility of navigating the hurdles posed by the resulting data gaps. This scenario can be captured by “In the realm of data, adherence to privacy norms is both a shield and a sword, guarding user privacy while navigating the labyrinth of data gaps.”
One of the challenges that arises from data loss attributed to missing cookie consents is prompting the critical query: ‘Is your data truly reliable?’. A cursory examination of standard GA4 reporting might portray a satisfactory data capture, but it’s everything but that. The data represented is solely from users who have consented to cookies, thereby omitting a substantial segment of your website’s traffic. Our proposed solution? Introducing Recapture. The mission is straightforward – to mitigate data loss in GA4. Recapture is devised to counter survivorship bias, creating a holistic view of your data while being built upon a privacy-centric approach.
How Recapture Can Help
Recapture is a solution developed by IIH Nordic that is particularly tailored for GA4 using the Google Cloud Platform and GTM Server-Side. In your GA4 property, without addressing missing data, the reports you receive will be constrained by survivorship bias. Consequently, any insights you obtain and decisions you make will always favor users who have consented to cookies. Thus, your GA4 implementation is failing to provide an accurate reflection of your entire website audience. Recapture solves the survivorship bias dilemma by irreversibly anonymizing data collection when users reject statistical cookies. This means you can access session-level data from both consented and anonymous traffic, either separately or combined. Recapture provides a holistic and unbiased view of your data, empowering you to make well-informed business decisions.
How Recapture works
Recapture takes advantage of the latest GA4 and GTM features and IIH Nordic has added its own engineering- and analytics-mastery to it, addressing the challenges of missing data in GA4 with. It employs a holistic approach that combines several key components:
Consent Mode: Recapture utilizes Google’s Consent Mode, an essential element for a privacy-aware Google Analytics implementation. Consent Mode enables websites to adapt tracking behavior based on user consent preferences. It allows you to collect data in compliance with privacy regulations like ePrivacy by ensuring you respect user choices regarding cookies.
GTM Server-Side: Recapture leverages Google Tag Manager (GTM) Server-Side to process data. GTM Server-Side extends the capabilities of GTM, allowing you to move tracking processes to an EU-based server which you control. This piece of technology is crucial for countering ad blockers, enhancing data reliability, and redacting or removing sensitive data points before you share them with Google Furthermore, adopting GTM Server-Side adds a needed flexibility to your infrastructure that equips you with the agility needed to navigate the ever-changing privacy landscape.
IIH Nordic Recapture Service: To streamline the processes of anonymization, redaction, and removal, thereby safeguarding your users’ privacy, IIH Nordic has crafted a specialized service. This service empowers you to configure which data points are collected and the manner of their collection. This capability is crucial for adhering to legal standards and fulfilling business requisites concerning your GA4 data collection.
Self-Hosting of GTM Scripts: To further mitigate potential data loss, Recapture incorporates self-hosting of GTM scripts. This self-hosting strategy minimizes the impact of ad blockers, ensuring that your tracking scripts are executed, even in cases where traditional third-party scripts may be blocked.
By combining these components, Recapture excels in bridging data gaps and maintaining data integrity. It works harmoniously with GA4, ensuring that you have access to comprehensive data while upholding user privacy and compliance with data protection regulations.
Benefits of Recapture
- More accurate insights: Recapture helps you overcome survivorship bias and gain a more complete understanding of user behavior.
- Better decision-making: With Recapture, you can make informed decisions about your business based on a complete and unbiased view of your data, unlocking commercial opportunities with GA4.
- Increased revenue: By understanding your customers better, you can improve your products and services, leading to increased revenue.
Complete GDPR Compliance with GA4
With Recapture, it is possible to continue gathering all website traffic data without compromising cookie and privacy policies. The Recapture service by IIH Nordic is crafted to align with the 7 guidelines as outlined by the French data protection authorities CNIL – specifically for Google Analytics. In fact, this service has been independently reviewed by a leading Danish law firm, specialized in GDPR and Cookie Compliance.
All things considered, Recapture is a powerful GA4 extension that can help you overcome survivorship bias and unlock the true power of your data by recapturing what you lost. Recapture will give you the insights you need to optimize your marketing budgets and allow you to take back control of your content.
If you aspire to future-proof your company with a dependable data collection and you are dedicated to making well-informed, data-driven decisions, then integrating Recapture into your GA4 toolkit now is a must-have for your business.
