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SMARTLI

Engineering Success, Smartli

Jan22024

Understanding Data Sampling in GA4: When and How to Avoid It

In the world of analytics, data is the lifeblood of informed decision-making. Accurate and comprehensive data is essential for understanding user behavior, optimizing websites and apps, and making strategic choices. However, as data volumes grow, the challenge of processing and analyzing this information becomes increasingly complex. One way analytics tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) address this issue is through data sampling.

Data sampling is a technique used to process a subset of data instead of analyzing the entire dataset. While this can expedite data analysis, it comes with potential pitfalls. In this article, we will explore what data sampling is, when it occurs in GA4, and strategies to avoid or minimize its impact on your analytics.

Understanding Data Sampling

Data sampling occurs when analytics tools like GA4 analyze only a portion of your data rather than every individual data point. This process is employed to save processing time and resources, especially when dealing with large datasets. Sampling can provide a reasonably accurate representation of your data when used correctly, but it can also introduce inaccuracies, particularly when dealing with complex or irregular data patterns.

When Does Data Sampling Occur in GA4?

GA4, like its predecessor Universal Analytics, employs data sampling when it encounters large data volumes. Here are some common scenarios in which data sampling can occur:

  1. Large Date Ranges: When you request data for extended date ranges, especially for websites with high traffic, GA4 may resort to sampling to provide quicker results.
  2. Complex Queries: Custom reports, segments, and advanced filtering can lead to complex queries that trigger sampling.
  3. High Cardinality Dimensions: When you use dimensions with a high number of unique values (e.g., user IDs, session IDs), GA4 may sample data to expedite processing.
  4. Limited Access Level: If you have limited access to your GA4 property, you may encounter sampling more frequently.

Why You Should Be Cautious of Data Sampling

While data sampling can expedite reporting and analysis, it comes with certain caveats:

  1. Loss of Precision: Sampled data may not accurately represent the complete dataset, potentially leading to skewed insights.
  2. Inaccurate Comparisons: When comparing sampled data from different time periods or segments, you may draw incorrect conclusions.
  3. Hidden Anomalies: Sampling can mask outliers and anomalies in your data that are crucial for identifying issues or opportunities.

Strategies to Avoid or Minimize Data Sampling

  1. Use Shorter Date Ranges: To reduce the chances of sampling, focus on smaller date ranges when running reports. If possible, analyze data for shorter time periods to maintain accuracy.
  2. Limit Dimensions: Be mindful of the dimensions you use in your reports. Avoid high-cardinality dimensions unless necessary.
  3. Use Filters Sparingly: Filters can trigger sampling, especially when they involve complex logic. Use them judiciously, and consider pre-processing data if needed.
  4. Segment Data: Instead of applying complex filters to your entire dataset, create segments to analyze specific portions of your data without triggering sampling for the entire dataset.
  5. Upgrade Your GA4 Property: Consider upgrading to a higher-tier GA4 property if you consistently encounter sampling issues. Higher-tier properties offer more data processing resources.
  6. Export Raw Data: For critical analysis or when precision is vital, consider exporting raw data from GA4 and analyzing it with dedicated analytics tools.

To ensure accurate and reliable analytics insights, understanding data sampling in GA4 is essential. While it efficiently processes large datasets, it’s crucial to grasp its limitations and occurrence. By following best practices and minimizing data sampling, you maintain data integrity, making informed decisions. Explore these practices with SmartLi’s GA4 audit and education services, ensuring dependable data for your decisions.

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Mar262025

Managing email marketing for a high ROI 

Best Practices for a Clean and Compliant Email List

1. Keep One Master List Instead of creating multiple email lists, use one main list and organize contacts with tags and segments (e.g., “Newsletter Subscribers” or “Family Law Clients”). This prevents duplicate emails and confusion.

2. Avoid Duplicates Mailchimp automatically prevents duplicate emails in one list. Keeping all contacts in a single list also prevents extra costs and spam complaints from people getting the same email multiple times.

3. Regularly Clean Your List

  • Remove inactive contacts (people who haven’t engaged in 6-12 months).
  • Run re-engagement campaigns to check if inactive users still want to receive emails.
  • Archive or delete bounced and invalid emails.

How to Avoid Email Overload and Duplicates

Having too many lists or duplicate contacts can cause compliance issues and affect email performance. Here’s how to avoid this:

  • Check for Duplicates Before Uploading: Remove duplicates and verify email formats.
  • Use Tags Instead of Multiple Lists: Organize contacts with labels like “Event Attendee” or “Past Client” instead of separate lists.
  • Delete or Suppress Old Contacts: Prevents sending emails to people who no longer engage.

How to Keep Your Email List Engaged

A great email list isn’t just big, it’s active and engaged. Here’s how to keep it that way:

1. Identify Inactive Contacts People who haven’t opened or clicked an email in 6-12 months are likely inactive.

  • If you have implied consent, inactivity for 24 months means they should be removed (unless they give express consent).

2. Send Re-Engagement Emails Give inactive subscribers a reason to stay. Example subject line:

“We Miss You! Want to Keep Getting Our Emails?”

Include a clear action: “Click here to stay subscribed.”

3. Archive or Remove Unresponsive Contacts

  • Archive: Keeps them in your records but removes them from active emails.
  • Delete: Permanently removes them.
  • Suppress: Blocks them from being added again.

Tracking Your Email Success

To improve your email strategy, track these key metrics:

  • Open Rate: How many people open your emails.
  • Click Rate: How many clicks on links.
  • Bounce Rate: How many emails didn’t go through.
  • Unsubscribe Rate: How many opt out.
  • Spam Complaints: Signals if your emails are unwanted.

Use Mailchimp’s segmenting tools to group contacts based on engagement (e.g., “Opened Last 3 Emails” or “Inactive for 12 Months”).

Quarterly Email Maintenance Checklist

Every 3 months, review your email strategy:

  • Check Campaign Reports: Look at open rates and click rates.
  • Identify Inactive Contacts: Remove or re-engage them.
  • Backup Engagement Data: Keep a record for compliance.
  • Clean Bounced Emails: Archive invalid emails.
  • Update Consent Records: Track new subscribers and opt-outs.

Need help optimizing your email marketing? SMARTLI offers expert guidance and training. Reach out today!

Mar252025

Value of email marketing and  legal standards compliance

Elevate Your Email Marketing Strategy: Simple, Compliant, and Effective

Email marketing is a powerful tool to connect with your audience, build relationships, and grow your business. But to get the best results, your strategy needs to be both effective and legally compliant with rules like CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation) and PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act). Whether you’re in the legal industry or any other field, these best practices will help you run a clean, compliant, and results-driven email marketing campaign.

Why Email Marketing Works

Email marketing offers key benefits that make it one of the best ways to reach your audience:

  • Direct Communication: Emails go straight to inboxes, avoiding social media algorithms.
  • High ROI: Email marketing gives some of the highest and cost effective (nina – combined both points here)) returns on investment (ROI) in digital marketing.
  • Stronger Relationships: Regular emails help keep your business top of mind. Your messaging remains personalized, building  trust and strengthening client relationships.
  • Measurable Results: Tools like Mailchimp let you track open rates, clicks, and conversions.
  • Ownership of Your Audience: Unlike social media, you own your email list and control how you reach people.

Following the Rules: CASL & PIPEDA

To avoid fines and ensure trust, your emails must follow Canada’s email marketing laws.

CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation)

  • You need permission (either express or implied) before sending marketing emails.
  • Every email must include:
    • Your business name and contact details.
    • An easy unsubscribe option (requests must be processed within 10 days).
    • Proof of consent records (when and how someone signed up).

PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act)

  • Businesses must handle personal information carefully.
  • You must:
    • Get clear (informed maybe-nina?) consent before collecting personal data.
    • Keep personal data secure (e.g., encryption, password protection).
    • Allow people to access or update their information.
    • Have a privacy policy explaining how data is used.

Not following these rules can result in fines up to $10 million, so compliance is critical.

Building a CASL-Compliant Signup Form

Your signup form is where compliance starts. Here’s how to do it right:

1. Use a Consent Checkbox Make sure users actively opt-in to receive emails. Example wording:

“Yes, I agree to receive emails with updates, events, and newsletters. I can unsubscribe anytime.”

2. Enable Double Opt-In A double opt-in means users confirm their email after signing up. This helps prevent fake signups and improves list quality.

3. Keep Consent Records Mailchimp automatically logs when, where, and how users signed up, which helps with legal compliance.

Mar102025

PMax Campaigns Take Advantage of Branded Search Terms: here is details….

Google’s Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are often positioned as a highly efficient, AI-powered solution for reaching customers across all Google inventory. While the concept is promising, it’s important for advertisers—and especially clients investing in paid media—to understand how PMax performance metrics can often be misleading without proper scrutiny.

Branded Search Traffic: Inflated Performance That Masks Reality

One critical but often overlooked factor is that PMax campaigns are heavily driven by branded search traffic by default. In other words, users who are already searching for your brand by name are being captured within your PMax campaign.

These users are already high-intent and low-cost to convert—often influenced by prior brand awareness, organic marketing, or other non-paid efforts. As a result, PMax reports often show an artificially low cost per acquisition (CPA), leading to a perceived sense of strong performance that doesn’t reflect true campaign effectiveness in reaching new audiences.

What Happens When You Exclude Brand Terms?

To assess the true value of PMax, we conducted a test by excluding branded terms from the campaign. Keep in mind, we only excluded EXACT MATCH brand term(s). The outcome was telling: cost per conversion increased by 4x.

While this might seem alarming at first, it reveals something important—the initial performance was largely subsidized by branded traffic, not necessarily by the campaign’s ability to drive new, incremental demand.

This type of insight is essential for informed decision-making, ensuring that marketing investments are measured against business growth objectives—not just surface-level metrics.

The Limitations of PMax: Lack of Control Over Brand Exclusions

Unfortunately, advertisers are not given full control over brand exclusions within the Google Ads platform. There is no native option to apply brand negative keywords directly in a PMax campaign.

To exclude branded traffic, advertisers must submit a manual request to Google via this form:

👉 Google Ads PMax Brand Exclusion Request Form

This process is cumbersome, opaque, and raises concerns about platform transparency, particularly when advertisers are trying to separate true prospecting efforts from existing brand demand.

What This Means for Advertisers and Clients

At the end of the day, our responsibility is to protect the integrity of your media investments. While PMax campaigns may still have a role to play in a broader strategy, it’s critical to interpret performance data with caution—and to ask the right questions:

• Are these results truly incremental?

• Is the platform providing us with the transparency and control we need?

• How can we isolate campaign impact from organic or brand-driven conversions?

Google’s automation tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated—but so is the need for independent analysis and strategic oversight. As your marketing partner, we remain committed to ensuring your campaigns are optimized for real business impact—not just favourable platform metrics.

If you’re currently running PMax campaigns and haven’t yet audited the role of branded traffic, now is the time to do so. Understanding the difference can have a significant impact on your media strategy and bottom line.