Hey Reader!
I've been building a Looker Data Studio dashboard for a client where we need to combine different pieces of data that are about the same location, but the location name is saved in two different custom dimensions or sometimes under neither, in which case I have to infer it from the page path (which itself is a giant CASE function). On top of that, BigQuery isn't an option for this data, so everything has to come straight from the GA4 connector. Here's what I ended up with:
Is it elegant? Absolutely not. Does it work? It sure does! As I said to Jaime yesterday, "this dashboard is held together with popsicle sticks and dreams," which got me thinking that a lot of dashboards out there are probably held together the same way.
I used to be a perfectionist. Then I started working in SEO, where the answer to most questions is "it depends," and that cured me pretty quickly. I always remind myself that done is better than perfect. Sure, this particular dashboard is fragile, and if we ever get BigQuery running for this client I'll happily swap the whole thing out but today it works, and putting it together using this method helped us stay in budget.
In addition to done is better than perfect, let’s consider budget when it comes to dashboard builds. Maybe you saw a fancy technique online and couldn't make it happen because you ran out of time and that’s okay! Especially for a smaller business, the time it would take to build often isn't worth what it returns. The other thing worth checking is where you or your client sits on the analytics maturity framework. Building a level 4 dashboard for an organization that just reached level 2 is a sure recipe for a dashboard that’ll never get used.
In that vein, tell me your best "popsicle sticks and a dream" stories! Especially if it’s something that really shouldn’t work but somehow does and now you can’t touch it in case it does actually break.
How I Use Claude to Build Dashboards Faster
The slowest part of building a dashboard has never been the building, rather it's deciding what belongs on it. I wrote up how I use Claude projects, loaded with call transcripts, client records from Notion, and onboarding survey answers, to get to a structured spec instead of a blank page. It’s a massive time saver!
Read this →
Articles Worth Your Time
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Is web analytics at an inflection point?
Juliana Jackson makes the case that we've optimized conversion, ROI and ROAS so thoroughly that we've gone blind to the part of the job that actually builds the business. Her practical suggestions are really smart and include tracking share of search as a leading indicator and splitting brand from non-brand demand. And of course I really like her framing on precision because it mirrors my own thinking around directional reporting.
Split GA events between client-side and server-side dispatch
If you're running server-side GTM, you're likely paying to route every last event through it, including plenty that you don’t actually need. GTM wizard Simo Ahava shows how to override server_container_url at the individual tag level, setting it to an empty string on the tags you'd rather send straight to Google. Yes this article is a real technical dive but if you’re using sGTM you should absolutely check it out.
Trakasite consent audit
Steve Lamar at ReallyGoodData built a free scanner that tells you which pixels and trackers fire on your site, and whether they fire before anyone consents. You enter a URL, pick a region and its privacy law, and it runs the page through three scenarios: before consent, after accepting, after rejecting. It of course is not legal advice, and Steve says as much on the page, but it provides a very useful starting point for a conversation with the people who do give legal advice.
Where You Can Find Me
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SMX Advanced Europe
September 29 to October 1, 2026 | Berlin, Germany
I'm moderating, and possibly speaking if any last-minute callouts come up. Let me know if you'll be there, I’d love to say hi!
That's it for this edition of The Huddle. As always, if you have questions or want to share what you're working on, just hit reply!