Key Topics Covered
GA4 + HubSpot measurement split: GA4 = behavior & channels; HubSpot = identity, lifecycle, deals, revenue
Architecture choices and how to prevent double-tagging (GTM-first, direct installs, HubSpot-hosted)
GA4 implementation essentials: baseline config + decision-stage conversion events (e.g.,
generate_lead, calls, chat, purchases)HubSpot tracking essentials: sitewide tracking + Original vs Latest source and drill-down attribution
The “measurement contract”: event definitions, required parameters, dedupe rules, and mapping across tools
Reliable UTM capture: persist UTMs (cookie/local storage) + hidden fields into HubSpot properties
Instrumenting HubSpot forms/CTAs in GA4: GTM + callbacks + dataLayer, with dedupe
Weekly dashboards + QC: GA4 funnels/CTR and HubSpot MQL/SQL + revenue, with validation checks
This article lays out an implementation blueprint that connects:
GA4 for sessions, engagement, event funnels, and channel performance
HubSpot for contacts, lifecycle stages, deal outcomes, and revenue reporting
A shared “measurement contract” so both tools report consistently, without double-counting or attribution drift
Why I Wrote The Marine Blog Sales Engines
Most marine businesses treat their blog like a marketing accessory.
A “nice-to-have.” A place to post updates. A box to check so the website feels complete.
I wrote The Marine Blog Sales Engines: How Blogs Drive Parts, Service, and High Dollar Marine Sales because I’ve watched that mindset quietly cost marine businesses real money—every week, every season, for years.
And it’s not because those businesses are lazy or clueless.
It’s because the marine industry has its own buying reality, and most marketing advice ignores it.
1) Decide the Measurement Architecture (Avoid Duplication First)
You have three common architectures:
Architecture A: GTM as the “single deployment layer” (recommended)
Install Google Tag Manager once on all pages.
Deploy GA4 Configuration + Events through GTM.
Deploy HubSpot tracking code through GTM or directly on-site (but keep ownership clear).
This is typically the cleanest for change control and consistency.
Architecture B: GA4 installed directly; HubSpot installed directly
Simpler, but harder to govern at scale and easier to break.
Architecture C: HubSpot-hosted content + external site
If your blog or landing pages are hosted in HubSpot, HubSpot supports adding GTM and integrating GA4 for HubSpot content.
Non-negotiable rule: prevent “double-tagging.”
If GA4 is installed in both the site header and GTM, or if HubSpot injects tags while GTM also injects tags, you will inflate sessions/events and corrupt conversion rates.
2) Implement GA4 Correctly (Baseline + Conversions)
2.1 Baseline GA4 setup
Minimum baseline:
One GA4 property per business (or per brand if required)
One web data stream per domain
One GTM container per domain (or shared across domains if you have governance maturity)
2.2 Enable meaningful engagement measurement
GA4’s default engagement model is session-based. Still, you should explicitly track:
Key clicks (CTA interactions)
Form submissions
Call clicks (tel:)
Chat starts
Pricing page views (or key “money pages”)
2.3 Use recommended events when possible
GA4 supports recommended events (and parameters) to keep reporting compatible and predictable. The GA4 documentation outlines recommended events and a formal reference list.
For lead generation, many implementations standardize on generate_lead for true lead submissions (not just “form start”). (You can still track form starts separately if useful.)
2.4 Mark conversions in GA4
In GA4 Admin, mark your decision-stage events as conversions (examples):
generate_leadphone_callchat_startbook_demo(if you use it)purchase(if ecommerce)
Keep conversion events strictly decision-stage to avoid conversion inflation.
3) Implement HubSpot Tracking Correctly (Identity + Source Attribution)
3.1 Install the HubSpot tracking code
HubSpot’s tracking code is what connects anonymous visits to known contacts once a form submission or email click ties identity to a browser. HubSpot provides supported install methods including direct install and via Google Tag Manager.
System requirement: the HubSpot tracking code must load on all pages where you expect:
contact creation
lifecycle progression
cookie-based session stitching
form submissions or chat
3.2 Understand HubSpot’s traffic source model
HubSpot records both Original and Latest traffic source properties with drill-down details, including capturing campaign context (e.g., UTM campaign names when present). This matters because your blog often influences conversion while the “final click” occurs later. HubSpot’s documentation explains the traffic source drill-down model and examples (including UTM-related drill-down behavior).
4) Connect HubSpot Content and GA4 (When HubSpot Hosts Pages)
If your blog or landing pages are hosted on HubSpot, you can implement GA4 and/or GTM through HubSpot settings:
HubSpot provides guidance to add Google Tag Manager code to HubSpot content and also supports integrating GA4 by entering the Measurement ID.
This is particularly useful when your marketing site is partly HubSpot-hosted and partly external.
Best practice: even if HubSpot can inject GA4, consider standardizing on GTM for all tags—unless you have strong reasons to keep HubSpot-hosted injection separate.
5) Make GA4 and HubSpot Agree: Your “Measurement Contract”
Before you build dashboards, define and document:
5.1 Event definitions (one-page spec)
For each conversion-relevant event, define:
Event name (GA4)
Trigger logic
Required parameters
Dedupe rules (critical)
Mapping to HubSpot action (if any)
Example (decision-stage):
GA4 event:
generate_leadTrigger: HubSpot form submit success OR server-side lead endpoint success
Parameters:
content_id,content_category,cta_type,intent_stage,form_idDedupe: once per session per form_id (or once per user per X minutes)
5.2 Channel and campaign standards
UTM naming conventions (source/medium/campaign/content/term)
Paid campaign naming governance
Email campaign standards
HubSpot’s traffic source properties rely on standardized campaign tracking to remain clean at scale.
6) Capture UTMs Reliably (So Leads Don’t “Lose” Their Source)
A common failure mode:
User lands from a campaign with UTMs
Browses multiple pages
Submits a form later
UTMs are no longer in the URL at submission time
HubSpot’s Original/Latest source model helps, but if you want durable, queryable UTM fields on the contact record, many teams store UTMs explicitly as contact properties via hidden form fields and/or workflows.
HubSpot communities and documentation discussions frequently point to using HubSpot’s original source drill-down data, and many implementations also persist UTMs into contact properties for reporting fidelity.
Implementation pattern (recommended):
On first landing page view, store UTMs in a first-party cookie or local storage.
On form render, populate hidden fields from storage.
On submit, HubSpot captures those values into properties.
This gives you:
Original source attribution (HubSpot)
Explicit UTM properties for segmentation and reporting (HubSpot)
Campaign/traffic analysis in GA4 using UTMs (GA4)
7) Track HubSpot Forms and CTAs in GA4 (Without Guesswork)
7.1 The core issue
HubSpot forms can be embedded, pop-up, or rendered dynamically. GA4 will not automatically know “a HubSpot form submitted” unless you instrument it.
7.2 Preferred implementation: GTM + HubSpot form callbacks
Use Google Tag Manager to:
Listen for HubSpot form submission events (via HubSpot’s embed callbacks / message events in many deployments)
Push a standardized
dataLayereventFire GA4 event
generate_leadwith parameters:form_idcontent_id(slug)intent_stagecta_type
Then, in GA4:
Mark
generate_leadas a conversionBuild funnels by content category, source/medium, device, geo
Why this matters: GA4’s recommended event framework is designed to keep reporting consistent across your measurement model.
7.3 Dedupe logic
Without dedupe, you’ll see:
multiple GA4 events for one submission
inflated conversion rates
broken cost-per-lead analysis
Common dedupe rules:
one submission event per
form_idper sessionor one per
form_idper user per 30 minutes
Choose one and enforce it in GTM.
8) Map “Blog Revenue” Across GA4 and HubSpot
8.1 What GA4 is best at
Acquisition performance (source/medium/campaign)
Content engagement (engaged sessions, scroll, click paths)
Event funnels (CTA click → lead → next step)
Conversion rate by segment
8.2 What HubSpot is best at
Identity resolution (anonymous → known contact)
Lifecycle stages (subscriber → lead → MQL → SQL → customer)
Closed-loop attribution at contact/deal level
Revenue reporting by deal outcomes
8.3 The operational system
Use GA4 to optimize content behavior; use HubSpot to validate revenue.
A weekly workflow that stays honest:
In GA4, report:
blog entrances
engaged sessions
money-page click-through rate
generate_leadconversion rate
In HubSpot, report:
contacts created from blog sessions (or influenced by blog)
MQL/SQL rates by original source and drill-down
closed-won revenue influenced by blog content and campaigns
HubSpot’s traffic source drill-down properties can support “how did this contact first/last arrive?” analysis and campaign drill-down.
9) Practical Dashboards to Build (So You Can Run This Weekly)
GA4 dashboards (behavior + conversion)
Blog conversion rate:
generate_lead / engaged_sessions(segment by source/medium)CTA click rate by blog category
Content-to-money-page CTR (blog → pricing/product/contact)
Conversion rate by device (mobile vs desktop)
HubSpot dashboards (identity + revenue)
Leads by Original Source + Drill-Down
MQL/SQL conversion rates by campaign (UTM campaign + source drill-down)
Closed-won revenue influenced by blog (content and campaign views)
Sales cycle velocity for blog-influenced leads vs others
10) Quality Control Checklist (Implementation Validation)
Run these validations before you trust the numbers:
Single GA4 pageview per page load (no double installation)
Single HubSpot page tracking (no duplicate tracking code)
One lead submission = one GA4
generate_leadeventUTMs persist from first landing → form submission
HubSpot Original Source aligns with UTMs and expectations (spot-check in contact records)
HubSpot-hosted pages properly pass through GA4/GTM if applicable
Closing: The Outcome You Want
A robust GA4 + HubSpot implementation yields three practical advantages:
Operational optimization: GA4 tells you which content and CTAs increase conversion behavior now.
Revenue validation: HubSpot tells you which content and campaigns created customers and revenue later.
Attribution stability: a shared taxonomy + UTM governance prevents ongoing “conversion rate” disputes.
Why Colby Uva Is Qualified To Talk About This Topic
1) 15+ Years Driving Buyer Traffic That Converts
Colby Uva has generated millions of high-intent visitors through Search Everywhere Optimization—focused on turning attention into real revenue, not empty impressions.
2) Operator Experience in Fishing Media + DTC
He owned and operated a direct-to-consumer fishing line brand and a fishing magazine for over a decade—so he understands the marine audience and how enthusiasts buy.
3) 6,000+ Blog Posts and Content Refreshes
Colby has created and edited 6,000+ blog posts and refreshes, giving him deep pattern-recognition on what ranks, what drives inquiries, and what moves buyers toward a decision.
4) Proven Revenue Impact Beyond Traffic
He helped increase his family business’s average order value by 20%, tying content and visibility directly to conversion and purchase behavior.
5) Built Recognition Across Social From Scratch
Colby has driven millions of views and grown 100,000+ subscribers across Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook—supporting “search everywhere” discovery across the platforms marine customers actually use.
If you tell me your location + fleet type + trip offerings, I can turn this into a 90-day content plan with exact titles, page structure, and CTAs mapped to your booking flow.
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