How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) - Step-by-Step Guide
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's latest analytics platform. It replaced Universal Analytics in July 2023. If you have not set it up yet - or if you set it up but are not sure what you are looking at - this guide will walk you through everything from scratch.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a free tool from Google that tracks how people use your website. It tells you how many people visited your site, where they came from, which pages they looked at, and what they did. GA4 uses an event-based model - instead of tracking page views, it tracks actions like button clicks, form submissions, and video plays.
Google Analytics 4 Help Centre ↗Step 1: Create a GA4 property
Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Click Admin (the gear icon at the bottom left). Under Account, click Create Account if you do not have one. Then under Property, click Create Property. Give it a name (your business name), choose your time zone and currency, and click Next.
Step 2: Add a data stream
After creating your property, GA4 will ask you to add a data stream. Choose Web. Enter your website URL and give the stream a name. GA4 will give you a Measurement ID (it starts with G-). Copy this ID - you will need it in the next step.
Set up a GA4 data stream ↗Step 3: Install the tracking code
The easiest way to install GA4 is through Google Tag Manager. If you use GTM, create a new Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration tag, paste your Measurement ID, and set the trigger to All Pages. If you do not use GTM, you can add the GA4 code directly to your website's HTML - paste it in the <head> section of every page.
Google Tag Manager Help ↗Step 4: Verify your setup
After installing the code, go back to GA4 and click the DebugView report (under Admin > DebugView). Open your website in a new tab. If the setup is working, you will see events appearing in DebugView in real time. You should see a page_view event within a few seconds of opening your site.
The most important GA4 reports to check every month
Once GA4 is set up, check these three reports every month: (1) Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition - see where your visitors come from. (2) Engagement > Pages and Screens - see which pages get the most traffic. (3) Conversions - see how many people complete your key goals. These three reports give you 80% of the insights you need to make smart marketing decisions.
GA4 Reports Overview ↗Frequently Asked Questions
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