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Practical7 min

What to set up at home before you call an ads agency

If the pixel isn't in, GA4 is a mess, and Google Ads conversions aren't firing, any agency burns 2-3 weeks on setup. Sometimes they bill you for it. Do the foundation yourself. One weekend is enough.

Most founders who reach out think the agency handles everything. Truth. Sometimes we do, but it costs. If you arrive with tracking already working, we start optimizing on day 1. If you arrive with nothing, the first 3 weeks go on setup. And if you're working on retainer, you pay those 3 weeks for nothing.

So. Here's what I want to see already in place when we open the onboarding call. It doesn't have to be perfect. It has to exist and fire.

Meta Pixel plus Conversions API

  • Pixel installed on every page of the site. Through Google Tag Manager or directly in theme, either works.
  • Events wired with standard names. PageView, ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, Purchase. Don't reinvent names.
  • Conversions API running. Either server-side or via Shopify or WooCommerce plugin. Without it you lose 20-30% of attribution on iOS.
  • Test Events verified in Events Manager. Every event must show „Received" and dedup on event_id.
  • Aggregated Event Measurement set up with 8 priority events. Not optional since iOS 14.5.

Google Analytics 4

  • GA4 property opened with the correct timezone from day one. Changing it later breaks historical data.
  • Ecommerce events wired. view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase. All with items and value.
  • Transaction ID passed on purchase. Without it you can't dedup repeat purchases.
  • Enhanced Conversions active with user-provided data, email and phone hashed in SHA-256.

Google Ads

  • Google Ads account in your name. Not the agency's. Never the agency's.
  • Conversion tracking wired. Either GA4 import or direct Google Tag. Both work, pick one.
  • Enhanced Conversions active. Without them, Search and PMax campaigns perform 15-20% worse.
  • Google Merchant Center connected with a clean product feed. Mandatory for Shopping and Performance Max.

TikTok Pixel, if you're opening that channel

  • TikTok Pixel installed and verified with TikTok Pixel Helper
  • Events API wired for dedup, same as on Meta
  • Core events connected: Page View, Add to Cart, Complete Payment

What the agency can handle itself

Not everything above has to come from you. A few pieces we cover in the first weeks without extra invoicing, if we're on commission:

  • Custom audiences in Meta. They need 30 days of pixel data anyway before they're useful.
  • Initial test campaigns. We design them based on what we see in Shopping and GA4.
  • Creative A/B testing. We build the plan after the first two weeks of data.
  • Enhanced conversions refinement. We tune it iteratively in month one.

Real cost, you vs agency

If you do it yourself, following Meta and Google official docs, one weekend covers it:

  • Shopify or WooCommerce with pixel and CAPI plugin, 2-3 hours of work, 0 euro.
  • Manual GA4 setup with ecommerce events, 1-2 hours, 0 euro.
  • Google Ads conversion tracking and Enhanced Conversions, 30-45 minutes.
  • Total: one Saturday. Zero invoices. You have everything ready to sign on Monday.

If you pay an agency or a tracking freelancer to do it all, between 500 and 1,500 euro one-time. Plus 1-2 weeks of launch delay, since your ads agency is waiting for it anyway. So you pay twice. Once for setup, once for the weeks the accounts sit idle.

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