Simo Ahava

Top Creator

Simo Ahava is a Top Analytics Creator. Part of Swipe Insight Select, a curated list of top creators.

Top Analytics Creator

Finland

24 Swipes

About

Simo is a partner and co-founder at 8-bit-sheep and co-founder of Simmer, an online course platform for technical marketers. A Google Developer Expert for Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager since 2014, he hails from Espoo, Finland. With a background in English language, IT, digital marketing, and web development, he has been programming since 1997. His blog aims to simplify complex topics in web analytics, digital marketing, SEO, and Google Cloud Platform, promoting knowledge sharing.

Achievements

Coming Soon 🤞

Swipes

Microsoft Clarity updates Consent Mode GTM template ahead of October 2025 enforcement

1 days ago

Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity will enforce consent signals starting October 31, 2025, for users in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland. A new Consent Mode GTM template will update to apply consent states to Clarity, ensuring compliance. Clarity plans a direct Google Consent Mode integration by mid-September 2025, which will make the template update unnecessary if released on time. Websites using GCM need no extra changes.

Google Analytics session number now accessible via gtag.js get API update

7 days ago

Google Analytics Tracking

The gtag.js get() API now supports retrieving the Google Analytics session number from the session cookie, in addition to the session ID. The get command fetches values set with gtag.js, using gtag('get', '<target>', '<field_name>', callback). Supported field names include client_id, session_id, session_number for GA4, and gclid for Google Ads and Floodlight.

Update to server-side Google Tag Manager changes how Google libraries load

20 days ago

Tracking Google Tag Manager

Server-side GTM no longer loads gtag.js with GA4 Client; all Google JS libraries load via Web Container Client. To load gtag.js, create or modify a Web Container Client and allowlist Measurement IDs. The "Automatically serve all dependent Google scripts" option auto-handles tags without separate ID listing. Using the Web Container Client for gtag.js loading is optional.

Marketing Workflow Templates

Featured

Markifact offers ready-to-use marketing workflow templates to save time and automate digital marketing tasks. It is a no-code platform that enables users to create AI-powered workflows for automating decisions and actions across various marketing channels. Scale your marketing with agentic workflows, start using Markifact now for free!

GA4 Measurement Protocol adds geolocation override with user_location and ip_override

3 months ago

Google Analytics

GA4 Measurement Protocol now allows overriding user geographic location using ip_override or user_location attributes. user_location takes precedence and should include details like country_id and region_id at minimum. The user_location object can specify city, region_id, country_id, subcontinent_id, and continent_id with respective codes. This helps provide accurate geographic info for events.

First-party Mode with Cloudflare rebranded as Google Tag Gateway

3 months ago

Tracking Google Tag Manager

Cloudflare and Google have introduced first-party domain mapping for Google Tag, part of all Cloudflare plans. This feature allows users to mask Google Tag URLs with a first-party domain, redirecting them to Google in the backend. While it improves performance, more complex setups are needed for additional destinations. Any domain proxied through Cloudflare can serve Google tags, enhancing measurement signals and campaign performance, with early testers seeing an uplift.

Safari 18.4 Adds Support for CHIPS, Improving Third-Party Cookie Management

5 months ago

Tracking

Safari 18.4 introduces CHIPS (Cookies Having Independent Partitioned State) to enhance web privacy and functionality. CHIPS allows developers to use third-party cookies with a Partitioned; flag, limiting access to specific site relationships. Safari blocks third-party cookies by default but allows partitioned cookies unless flagged by Intelligent Tracking Prevention. This update balances privacy with development needs, aligning Safari with Chrome and Edge.

Google Migrates Server-Side Tag Manager from Container Registry to Artifact Registry

6 months ago

Google Tag Manager

Google is moving its Server-side Google Tag Manager from Container Registry to Artifact Registry on Google Cloud Platform. The migration is seamless, with no URL changes, so existing deployments remain functional. Server-side tagging applications need no user action, while Cloud Run Functions will automatically migrate if the Artifact Registry API is enabled. Users of other services that rely on Container Registry should refer to Google's migration guide.

Safari Technology Preview 212 Introduces Partitioned Cookie Storage Support

7 months ago

Tracking Attribution

Safari's Technology Preview introduces support for the Partitioned flag in cookies, enhancing privacy. This feature is opt-in, meaning cookies are not automatically partitioned. Third-party cookies are blocked by default, but those with the Partitioned flag are exempt. Different browsers handle cookie partitioning differently. The partitioned storage uses a double-keying system based on the site that set the cookie and the site the user visits, limiting access to specific domain combinations.

Google Tag Manager Server-Side Introduces Automatic GA4 Configuration Fetching

11 months ago

Google Analytics Google Tag Manager