Why do numbers match inside systems - but not across them?
Inside GA4, things look consistent. Inside ad platforms too. But once you compare GA4, ad accounts, and CRM, cracks appear. Day-level mismatches. Monthly totals that don’t line up.
What’s silently causing this?
Each system lives in its own time logic:
• different time zones
• different attribution windows
• different aggregation rules
The UI hides this. Management decisions suffer from it.
What’s often misdiagnosed?
These gaps aren’t “bad data”. They’re different interpretations of 'when' and 'why' something happened. Without alignment, reports compare different realities.
What I standardize early?
I bring all core reporting to one time reference (usually UTC), document attribution windows, and explicitly state aggregation rules. Any management report starts with these rules - not with charts.
Did you handle timezone in your reports?
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