The essentials
- Eight deliverables: measurement audit, measurement plan, configuration (GA4, tags, conversions, UTM), glossary of indicators, dashboard, commented monthly report, recommendations, handover documentation.
- Timescales in 2026: audit in 1 to 2 weeks, measurement plan and configuration in 3 to 6 weeks, dashboard in 2 to 4 weeks, then the monthly report.
- 2026 costs: €1,500 to €6,000 for a complete setup in a small business, then €300 to €1,500 a month for the analysis and the follow-up.
- Warning signs: a dashboard without targets, a report without actions, accounts in the provider’s name, no documentation.
A data marketing provider (agency, freelance, analytics consultant) sells an ability to measure and understand marketing results. What they actually deliver is often vague in the quote, which leads to engagements where you pay for a dashboard nobody reads and reports nobody acts on. This article lists the eight deliverables to insist on, their contents, the timescales and the costs in 2026. The questions to ask before signing are in KPIs and dashboards: 12 questions to ask, and the role of the data analyst in the role of the marketing data analyst.
The eight deliverables and their contents
| Deliverable | Expected contents | Timescale |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Measurement audit | The state of GA4, the tags, the conversions, consent and the UTMs; a list of the gaps and of the unusable data | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 2. Measurement plan | Company objectives, the KPIs attached to them, the events and conversions to measure, the sources, the owners | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 3. Configuration | GA4 and Tag Manager, conversions, Consent Mode v2, import into Google Ads and Meta, UTM convention, CRM connection | 2 to 4 weeks |
| 4. Glossary of indicators | The formula, source, period and target of each KPI, on one page | With the measurement plan |
| 5. Dashboard | A leadership page (5 to 8 KPIs with targets), one page per channel, permanent access, daily update | 2 to 4 weeks |
| 6. Commented monthly report | Gaps to target, causes, proposed actions, results of past actions; 2 to 4 pages | Each month, within 5 working days |
| 7. Recommendations | Prioritised by impact and effort, costed, with the indicator that will measure the effect | Quarterly |
| 8. Handover documentation | Access, tag architecture, conventions, procedures; makes it possible to change provider | At setup, updated at every change |
The measurement plan, the founding deliverable
The measurement plan links each company objective to indicators, then to technical events. For example: objective “30% more leads”; KPIs “qualified leads by channel, cost per lead”; events “form submission, click on the phone number, demo request”; source “GA4, CRM”; owner “marketing manager”. Without this document, the configuration measures what is easy rather than what is useful. It fits on two or three pages and acts as a contract between the provider and the company. The method for linking objectives and indicators is detailed in connecting business objectives and marketing KPIs.
The dashboard: what it must contain
- A leadership page: 5 to 8 indicators linked to revenue, each with its target and its gap, and a 12-month trend line.
- One page per channel: SEO and GEO, advertising, social media, email, with the optimisation indicators of each channel.
- A measurement page: event volume, share of consented traffic, anomalies; it flags tracking failures before they distort the other pages.
- Permanent access: online, in the company’s name, updated at least daily, with alerts on the leadership indicators.
The dashboards to ask for are detailed by use case in which dashboards to ask your provider for ; the deliverables specific to GA4 in the key deliverables from a GA4 provider.
The monthly report: from description to decision
A 30-page report of screenshots is not a deliverable, it is an export. The expected report runs to two to four pages: the gaps to target for the month, the causes identified (with the measurement checks carried out), the proposed actions with an owner and a date, and the outcome of the previous month’s actions. The report is read in a 30-minute meeting; it is not meant to be read alone. A good test: each page must contain at least one sentence beginning with “we recommend” or “you need to”. The indicators to insist on are listed in which reports to require from your provider.
2026 costs
| Service | Small business (1 to 3 channels) | Mid-sized company or e-commerce (5 channels or more) |
|---|---|---|
| Audit and measurement plan | €800 to €2,000 | €2,000 to €5,000 |
| Complete configuration (GA4, tags, conversions, UTM, CRM) | €1,000 to €3,000 | €3,000 to €10,000 |
| Dashboard | €500 to €2,000 | €2,000 to €6,000 |
| Monthly follow-up (report, meeting, maintenance) | €300 to €800 a month | €800 to €2,500 a month |
| Quarterly recommendations | Included or €500 to €1,000 | €1,000 to €3,000 |
The daily rates of freelances and consultants sit between €500 and €1,000 in 2026, those of agencies between €800 and €1,500. The cost of ongoing analytics support is detailed in what analytics support costs.
The signs of a rushed deliverable
- A dashboard with no target and no comparison: figures without a reference, unreadable for a leadership team.
- A report with no action: observations, screenshots, no dated recommendation.
- Unverified conversions: a form counted twice, a purchase with no value; the measurement page of the dashboard reveals them.
- Accounts in the provider’s name: GA4, Tag Manager or Looker Studio owned by the agency; the company does not own its data.
- No documentation: impossible to change provider without redoing everything.
- A missing glossary: the definitions change from one report to the next, the comparisons are wrong.
Writing the deliverables into the contract
The quote must name each deliverable, its contents, its date and its format, along with the ownership of the accounts and the terms of handover at the end of the contract. One useful clause: the handover documentation is delivered at setup, not at termination. Another: the provider reports any measurement anomaly within 48 hours. The criteria for choosing the provider itself are detailed in choosing an agency specialised in data marketing.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the deliverables of a data marketing engagement?
Eight deliverables: measurement audit, measurement plan, configuration (GA4, tags, conversions, consent, UTM, CRM), glossary of indicators, dashboard with targets, commented monthly report, quarterly recommendations and handover documentation.
How much does a data marketing provider cost in 2026?
For a small business, €1,500 to €6,000 for the complete setup (audit, measurement plan, configuration, dashboard), then €300 to €800 a month for the follow-up. For a mid-sized company or a multichannel e-commerce site, €7,000 to €20,000 for the setup and €800 to €2,500 a month.
What should the monthly report contain?
Two to four pages: gaps to target, verified causes (measurement included), proposed actions with an owner and a date, results of the previous month’s actions. It is presented in a 30-minute meeting. A report of screenshots with no recommendation is not a deliverable.
Who should own the GA4 and Tag Manager accounts and the dashboard?
The company, with the provider invited as an administrator or editor. Accounts created in the agency’s name make changing provider expensive and lose the history. The handover of access and documentation must appear in the contract.
What is handover documentation for?
To make the engagement transferable: access, tag architecture, UTM conventions, definitions, update procedures. Delivered at setup and kept up to date at every change, it makes it possible to change provider or bring the work in house without rebuilding everything.