Guide to Google Analytics 4

What is Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google's web analytics tool. Unlike the previous Universal Analytics, which was based on sessions and pageviews, GA4 uses an event-based model. Every user interaction is an event - page view, click, scroll, purchase.

GA4 is designed for a cookieless future, uses machine learning to fill gaps in data, and offers cross-platform tracking (site + mobile app in one property). For every company with a website, GA4 is a mandatory tool for understanding user behavior.

1. Setting up GA4

Creating a GA4 property

Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with a Google account. Click Admin (the gear icon) > Create Property. Enter the site name, choose the time zone (for example GMT for the United Kingdom), and the currency (such as EUR or GBP).

Installing the tracking code

There are three ways to install the GA4 tracking code on your site:

• Google Tag Manager (recommended): Add the GTM container to the site, then create a GA4 Configuration tag in GTM. The most flexible option that lets you add future tags without editing site code.
• Directly in HTML: Copy the gtag.js snippet from GA4 and paste it into the head section of every page. Simple but less flexible.
• WordPress plugin: Use Site Kit by Google (the official plugin) or MonsterInsights for one-click integration. The easiest for WordPress users.

Installation verification

After installation, verify GA4 is receiving data correctly. Go to Reports > Realtime in GA4 and open your site in another tab. You should see at least one active user. You can also use the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension for detailed diagnostics.

2. Understanding events

In GA4, everything is an event. There are four event categories to understand.

Automatically collected events

GA4 automatically tracks these events without any additional configuration: first_visit, session_start, user_engagement. These give you basic information about a site visit.

Enhanced Measurement

Enable Enhanced Measurement in Admin > Data Streams > your stream to automatically track:

• page_view: View of every page on the site.
• scroll: When the user reaches 90% of page height.
• click: Clicks on external (outbound) links.
• view_search_results: When the user searches on the site.
• video_start, video_progress, video_complete: Interaction with embedded YouTube videos.
• file_download: File downloads (PDF, DOCX, ZIP, etc.).

Recommended events

Google recommends standard names for common events. Using standard names lets GA4 automatically recognize and show additional information:

• login: When the user logs in to the site.
• sign_up: New account signup.
• purchase: Completed purchase.
• add_to_cart: Adding a product to cart.
• begin_checkout: Start of checkout.
• generate_lead: Contact form submission or quote request.

Custom events

For interactions specific to your site, create custom events. For example, a click on a CTA button, opening a chat, or watching a tutorial video. Custom events are created via GTM or gtag() JavaScript calls.

3. Conversions

A conversion in GA4 is an event you marked as important for your business. Unlike Universal Analytics where you created "Goals", in GA4 you simply mark an existing event as a conversion.

How to set up conversions

• Go to Admin > Events.
• Find the event you want to mark as a conversion.
• Toggle "Mark as conversion" to ON.
• If the event does not exist yet, you can create one: Admin > Events > Create Event.

Typical conversions for business sites

• Contact form: Create an event that fires when a user successfully submits the contact form (thank you page or form submission event).
• Phone call: Track clicks on tel: links as conversions.
• Email click: Clicks on mailto: links.
• Purchase: Purchase event with transaction value.
• Newsletter signup: sign_up event with parameter method: "newsletter".

4. Key GA4 reports

Acquisition

Shows where your visitors come from. Track which channels (organic, paid, social, direct) bring the most traffic and conversions. Focus on the Traffic Acquisition report to understand sources by session.

Engagement

Measures how engaged users are on the site. Key metrics: average engagement time per session, bounce rate, events per session, and engagement rate. GA4 defines an "engaged session" as a session lasting more than 10 seconds, having a conversion, or having 2+ pageviews.

Monetization

For e-commerce sites, this report shows revenue, transactions, average order value, and best-selling products. Requires e-commerce tracking implementation.

Retention

How many users return to the site? The Retention report shows new vs returning users, user retention by cohort, and lifetime value. Important for understanding user loyalty.

5. E-commerce tracking

For online stores, e-commerce tracking in GA4 is essential for understanding the buying process and optimizing sales.

E-commerce events

• view_item: User viewed a product page.
• add_to_cart: Product was added to cart.
• remove_from_cart: Product was removed from cart.
• begin_checkout: User started checkout.
• add_shipping_info: User entered shipping info.
• add_payment_info: User entered payment info.
• purchase: Purchase completed.

Implementation for WooCommerce

The easiest way is via the Google Listing & Ads plugin or MonsterInsights Pro with the E-commerce add-on. These plugins automatically send all e-commerce events to GA4 without manual coding. For custom implementation, use dataLayer and GTM.

6. GA4 Explorations

Explorations is an advanced tool for custom data analysis in GA4. Unlike standard reports, Explorations give you complete freedom in building analyses.

• Free Form: Create custom tables with any combination of dimensions and metrics. Drag-and-drop interface.
• Funnel Exploration: Visualize the user path through defined steps (e.g. homepage > product page > cart > checkout > purchase) and identify where users drop off.
• Path Exploration: Track user paths through the site - which pages they visit before converting.
• Segment Overlap: Compare different user segments (mobile vs desktop, new vs returning).

Conclusion

Google Analytics 4 is a powerful tool that requires an initial time investment to set up, but gives you priceless insights into user behavior on the site. Start with the basics - install the tracking code, enable Enhanced Measurement, and set up key conversions. Then gradually explore advanced features like Explorations and e-commerce tracking. Data from GA4 will help you make informed decisions about content, design, and marketing of your site.