Workflow Fieldnotes

Practical notes for better software choices

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MEASUREMENT · REPORTING

Measure the decision, not every available click.

Start with a question you will act on. Then choose the event, search view, or report that can answer it without turning the dashboard into a shrine to activity.

3 categories · 3 tools Sources checked 2026-09-20

What to check, with official sources

Start with a question you will act on. Then choose the event, search view, or report that can answer it without turning the dashboard into a shrine to activity.

These cards link to official documentation, not affiliate offers. A metric does not prove causation, and a report cannot repair unclear consent or data-governance choices.

Begin with one question that changes the next action.

Ask what you will do differently if a number moves. Name the event or search view that answers it, then set a regular review moment before adding another chart.

  1. Define the interaction

    Use an event only when the interaction or occurrence is specific enough to interpret and useful enough to change a decision.

    Google Analytics event documentation

  2. Separate search visibility from on-site behavior

    Search performance can answer how pages appeared and were clicked in Google Search. It is not the same measure as an on-site event.

    Search Console Performance report

  3. Build only the report you will review

    Connect a data source, give the report a useful name, and keep the first view small enough to understand when the numbers change.

    Looker Studio report tutorial

Choose the measurement layer that answers the next decision. More dashboards are not automatically more evidence.

Event names, consent settings, data retention, property access, and report definitions need their own review. Do not collect an interaction just because a platform can display it. Google Analytics event documentation

Shared checks before you adopt a tool

  1. Write the decision, the question, and the smallest signal that can answer it.
  2. Confirm consent, access, naming, and retention choices before adding an event or data source.
  3. Set a review cadence and an action owner so the report leads to a decision rather than a passive dashboard.
Google Analytics event documentationSearch Console Performance report guideLooker Studio report tutorial

Start with the job you need to do

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All 3 tools

Site events

On-site interactions and occurrences that need a defined meaning before they become measurement data.

1 tools

Web analytics event model

Google Analytics 4 Events

Product / scope · Interactions · occurrences

Measure interactionsEvent definitionRecommended-event guidance

Start here whenyou need to define a small number of on-site interactions before you build a report around them

Check firstthe exact event name, parameters, consent state, and retention rule your implementation uses

Official source
Evidence checked and what to verify

What the official source confirms

  • Google's GA4 event documentation defines an event as a way to measure a specific interaction or occurrence on a website or app.
  • Google's recommended-events guide notes that recommended events require meaningful context and are not sent automatically.

What to check before you configure or pay

  • the exact event name, parameters, consent state, and retention rule your implementation uses
  • whether the event answers a decision rather than merely recording activity
  • which people can access the property and how changes to event definitions are reviewed
Read GA4 recommended-event guidance

Search performance

Search visibility and click data that needs to be read separately from on-site analytics.

1 tools

Search performance reporting

Google Search Console Performance

Product / scope · Clicks · impressions · CTR · position

Search metricsQuery and page dimensionsDate-range controls

Start here whenyou need to understand how pages and queries perform in Google Search before changing content or titles

Check firstthe verified property, date range, search type, and filters used for the comparison

Official source
Evidence checked and what to verify

What the official source confirms

  • Google's Performance report documentation lists clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position among the available Search metrics.
  • The guide describes grouping data by dimensions such as queries, pages, countries, devices, and dates.

What to check before you configure or pay

  • the verified property, date range, search type, and filters used for the comparison
  • whether a change in the report represents a trend or only a short, preliminary period
  • what content or technical action you would take if the relevant metric changed

Shared reports

A report layer for connecting a source, shaping a first view, and making a reviewable question visible.

1 tools

Reporting workspace

Looker Studio

Product / scope · Data sources · charts · reports

Connect a data sourceCreate a reportAdd charts deliberately

Start here whenyou need a shareable first report after deciding which source and question matter

Check firstthe data-source owner, access permissions, refresh behavior, and report-sharing setting

Official source
Evidence checked and what to verify

What the official source confirms

  • Google's Looker Studio tutorial starts with creating a report and connecting a new or existing data source.
  • The tutorial then demonstrates adding a chart and naming the report, which keeps the first reporting step concrete.

What to check before you configure or pay

  • the data-source owner, access permissions, refresh behavior, and report-sharing setting
  • whether each chart has a named question and a decision it can change
  • definitions, timezones, filters, and comparison periods before people act on the numbers

Sources checked · 2026-09-20 KST · Plan, availability, permissions, and integration fit can change. Check them in the tool before you configure or pay.

Selected candidates

Compare the conditions side by side

Compare the product scope, the work it fits, and the last thing to verify. This is not a price or compatibility verdict.