Using GA4 with JENTIS: What You Need to Know
Management Summary
GA4 and JENTIS: Special Considerations for Server-Side Configuration
Are you using GA4 and JENTIS? We’ll show you what specific considerations you should keep in mind during configuration to ensure valid data collection.
As a certified JENTIS partner, we value the platform above all for its ability to perfectly combine data sovereignty and GDPR compliance. While GA4 performs many automated functions in the browser using Google’s own gtag.js library, JENTIS collects data without this library and then processes it on the server side.
As a result, certain information and automated processes are no longer directly available to GA4. Functions that are normally triggered or enhanced by gtag.js in the browser must therefore be replicated or configured in JENTIS.
1. Enhanced Measurement Events: Replicating Automatic Tracking Without gtag.js
In a standard GA4 setup, interactions such as clicks on external links, file downloads, internal searches, form submissions, and scrolling are automatically tracked.
Things to keep in mind:
The automatic tracking of these interactions is based on the gtag.js library, which runs in the browser. Since data collection in JENTIS occurs without this library, GA4 cannot automatically detect the corresponding interactions. As a result, the Enhanced Measurement settings in the GA4 data stream do not function as expected in a JENTIS setup.
The solution:
To track these events anyway, you’ll need custom events. These can be added to the page using DataLayer and then created directly in JENTIS. JENTIS then tracks the clicks or scrolls and passes them on to GA4 as clean events. The results in the reports are identical, and the setup simply requires a deliberate process via the backend.
2. Data filters in GA4: Configure traffic exclusion directly on the JENT server
In the GA4 interface, you can set up filters by default to exclude, for example, internal traffic (based on IP addresses) or developer data (Developer Traffic) from the reports.
Things to keep in mind:
JENTIS processes the data before it is transmitted to Google and may filter or pseudonymize the information in the process. As a result, certain data is no longer available in its original form in GA4.
The solution:
With this setup, data cleansing takes place directly on the JENTIS server. If you want to exclude internal traffic, simply configure these filter rules directly in JENTIS.
3. Define Key Events & Conversions in JEN instead of in the GA4 backend
To ensure that GA4 counts important interactions (such as purchases or lead forms) as conversions, you mark them as key events in GA4.
Things to keep in mind:
Anyone who tries to tag key events in GA4 will run into limitations.
The solution:
Here, too, the logic moves forward a bit. Important key events are defined directly in JENTIS and passed on to GA4 as such.
4. Google Signals & Demographic Data: Limitations of 100% Server-Side Tracking
Google Signals helps track cross-device user journeys, collect demographic data (such as age, gender, and interests), and create audiences for remarketing.
Things to keep in mind:
Although Google Signals can be enabled in the GA4 backend, it has no effect on the data. Since JEN runs as 100% server-side tracking, Google lacks direct client interfaces in the browser. As a result, demographic data such as interests or gender does not end up in GA4, and created audiences are not populated.
The solution:
Target audiences should be set up directly within the respective advertising platforms, such as Google Ads or Meta. To measure success, we recommend using the appropriate conversion tags.
Conclusion
The integration of GA4 and JENTIS provides companies with an excellent infrastructure. As a partner on both sides, we know that anyone switching from client-side measurement to JENTIS’s server-side architecture simply needs to adjust their approach. JENTIS takes control of the front end and feeds GA4 with processed data. Enhanced Measurement Events, filter logic, and other tracking requirements are mapped directly in JENTIS and then transferred to GA4. By taking into account the unique aspects of server-side data collection, you lay the foundation for reliable analyses and future-proof data collection.
