A Complete Guide for Installation of Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Why You Should Use Google Analytics?

If you run a commercial website, you will benefit a lot from the use of Google Analytics. There is no denying here – Google Analytics is a handy marketing tool for all size and type website owners. The primary thing as a website owner you should do while making live your new website is set up data tracking using Google Analytics.

GA is easy to understand/use for the newest and non-technical website owners, and it gives you quick access to tons of essential information for revising your marketing strategy. Below are mentioned some of the exclusive features this tool presents.

Google Analytics has in-built features to produce reports on demand, enabling you to find out more about your users and their mindset.

1. The most important channels driving traffic to your site: it is easy to recognize all the potential sources through which visitors come to your site and where they get you.
2. Your highly visited and profit-making pages: Which web pages are grabbing the eyeball of users and earning the highest profit for your business? Which is lagging and needs to improve?
3. What are the rate of conversions: how many users have taken action? Have any of them purchased something on your site or looking to do so?
4. Check the navigational pattern of users on your site: Get an in-depth idea of how visitors go through your website. It’s crucial to know which sections starting from the landing page to the ones they end up, could be improvised for better conversion.

The above reasons are just the tip of the iceberg for choosing and using Google Analytics and will cover the rest some other day.

How to Begin with Google Analytics?

To begin with GA4, you will have to create a new user account, add your properties (website, app, hardware accessory), and implement the tracking code recommended for the pages on the site. It’s a non-tedious copy-and-paste work, and you will have access to a lot easier installation features with your WordPress site that is free from any manual copy and paste the code on each page.

The installation of GA4 will be complete within 10 minutes, but only if you take care of a few things before starting.

To set up Google Analytics 4 or upgrade Universal Analytics, you should refer to the following four steps:

1. Sign up and create a new account with Google Analytics: Accounts allow you to log in and use Google Analytics personally. You can include multiple properties (websites and applications) in a single account based on your data tracking needs.
2. Add your exclusive properties: Be sure to add your property, a website, an app, or a piece of hardware. Unlike the limited data tracking facility in the earlier previous edition of Google Analytics, each of your added properties in GA4 could gather user data from websites as well as mobile apps.
3. Link one or multiple Data Streams to GA4 property: Each of your added properties in GA4 can have more than one data stream, each of which is considered a data source. You are free to connect a website, an app, or both as data streams in your property.
4. Install GA4: After going through all the above stages, consider adding the tracking code to your website to complete the installation process.

How to Create a New Google Analytics (GA) Account and GA4 Property?

If you do not already have a Google Analytics account, it is recommended that you create one. When you create a new user account with GA4, the program prompts you to enter the information for your new property. You can, however, proceed with the installation and update of Universal Analytics by following the basic instructions.

Step 1: Go to the https://analytics.google.com/analytics/ page after logging in to your Google account.

Step 2: Click on the “Begin Measuring” tab.

Step 3: Enter the name of your account correctly (Normally a company or brand name). Proceed “Next” after entering your company/brand name the way it is registered.

Step 4: Confirm you’re “Property Name” along with a relevant “Reporting Time Zone” and “Currency” type.

Step 5: Click on the “Show Advanced Options” tab to start building a Universal Analytics website Property along with a Google analytics4 property, as seen in the above image.

Step 6: Turn on the toggle and drag it.

Now care to give your site URL and decide whether you would like to create a Universal Analytics property alone or a GA4 property along with it.

After choosing the right option, go “Next.”

Step 7: Fill up the “About Your Business” area by checking the options concerning your business, like Industry Category, business size, and your purpose to use GA, etc.

For creating GA4 and Universal Analytics Property with the newly created user account, select all of the required options and then click on “Create.”

Step 8: Enable the GDPR-authorized Data sharing setting and agree to the Measurement Controller–Controller Data Protection (processing) policy by checking all the necessary boxes.

Now click on the “I Accept” tab.

Step 9: Once you agree to the terms, it will take you to the “Web Stream Details” window, where you could find the Measurement ID in the uppermost corner to the right.

Hurray!!! You are now done with the installation of GA4 and Universal Analytics properties.

How to Set Up Goals In GA4?

There are two ways of setting GA4 goals, via Google Tag Manager and with the help of the GA4 dashboard. But doing it from the dashboard is much easier because it is simpler and faster. Here are some simple steps you can follow to set up goals in GA4:

1. Go to “All Events” and click on “Create Event”.
2. A separate dialogue box will open from which you have to click create.
3. This is where you can create a parameter.
4. Under Matching Conditions, select a parameter that suits you.
5. Next, you just have to select the operator and add the value.

Event Tracking and Conversions Tracking In GA4

A conversion is a result when the user engages with the brand. The more conversions are performed, the more it is advantageous for the firm. To track conversions, you can alter authorization to create an event as a conversion. You can also set an existing event as a conversion. Once you have done that, the event will show in your Conversion Events table. New conversions may take around a day to show up, but still, it is an excellent method to track your activities and conversions.

How Do I Track Events In GA4?

1. Check the events that are automatically tracked and the features that Enhanced Measurement has to offer.
2. If an event (that you desire to track) is not included there, check the suggested events and try to utilize the recommended names and parameters from those recommended events.
3. If none of the recommended events meets your requirements, you can construct a new event to meet your needs.

How to check if Google Analytics is working?

You’ll have to cross-check that the set up done right once you finish with all of the above stages. By taking the help of GA4’s real-time reports, you can manage this effortlessly. Here’s a sneak peek of how to use it.

There is an in-built report option in Google Analytics, letting you track your website visitors in real-time. With this wonderful feature, you can be sure that the setup is done correctly.

Move to the left-hand sidebar menu of Google Analytics and tick “Overview,” showing under the “Real-Time” option to see the report.

After getting the report, consider opening the website in incognito mode. If you can trace any user activity in it simultaneously, you successfully did the setup.

The real-time report is supportive of GA4 and Universal Analytics. Cross-check both of these properties to be sure about a successful setup.

Quick Takeaway

1. In Google Analytics 4, everything is now a triggered event. Even the number of page views.
2. The GA4 interface allows you to alter or correct incoming events.
3. There will be no longer be any Event Action, Event Label, or Event Category fields. However, it is possible to generate them manually as custom parameters.
4. There is no limit (you can have a billion events) to the number of events tracked in a Google Analytics 4 property.
5. Custom parameters (dimensions and metrics) can be sent in conjunction with events.
6. With a single event, you can send up to 25 parameters at the same time.
7. A parameter must be registered as a custom definition before it may appear in the GA4 report. Each property can have up to 50 registered custom dimensions and metrics.
8. You should not just reuse the Event Action, Category, and Label fields from your Universal Analytics events when converting them to GA4 if you are considering doing so. We recommend that you examine your naming convention as well as the parameters you are using.
9. There are certain additional restrictions concerning the length of names.
10. Use the Google Analytics 4 Debug View to test the incoming events more granular than you would usually.

Bottom Line

It is more than anticipation that many changes are on the way since the release of GA4 properties in the market. Moreover, Google Analytics 4 is an entirely new tool rather than just a revised version of an earlier generation. Meanwhile, we suggest you use both and see Google continuously refining the GA4 functionalities.

Hopefully, this post would make setting up your Google Analytics a lot easier and faster. If you are seeking professional help with installing GA4, connect with JDM Web Technologies. Experts at JDM have helped businesses install, read analytics and fix GA4 issues.