AI Summary
Google Analytics 4 is the key to understanding what's working on your website—and what isn't. This guide covers everything from initial setup to tracking conversions that matter for your business. You'll learn how to configure GA4 properly, set up goal tracking for leads and sales, create useful reports, and connect GA4 to your advertising platforms for better ROI measurement.
Why GA4 Matters for Your Business
Without analytics, you're flying blind. You might think your website is working, but without data, you don't know which pages convert, which marketing channels drive leads, or where visitors drop off.
What Proper Analytics Reveals:
- • Traffic sources: Which marketing efforts actually drive visitors
- • User behavior: What people do on your site (and where they leave)
- • Conversions: Which pages and channels generate leads and sales
- • ROI: Whether your marketing spend is profitable
- • Opportunities: Where you're losing potential customers
GA4 is Google's latest analytics platform, replacing Universal Analytics. It's event-based rather than session-based, meaning it tracks specific user actions rather than just page views. This gives you much richer data about how people actually interact with your site.
Setting Up GA4: Step by Step
Step 1: Create Your GA4 Property
- 1.Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account
- 2.Click Admin (gear icon) in the bottom left
- 3.Click Create Property
- 4.Enter your property name (usually your business name)
- 5.Select your time zone and currency
- 6.Answer the business questions (industry, size)
- 7.Select Web as your platform
- 8.Enter your website URL and stream name
Pro Tip:
After creating your property, immediately extend data retention from 2 months to 14 months: Admin → Data Settings → Data Retention → Change to 14 months → Save. This preserves your data longer for trend analysis.
Step 2: Install the Tracking Code
You have two main options for installing GA4: direct code installation or Google Tag Manager. We strongly recommend Google Tag Manager for flexibility.
Option A: Direct Installation
Simpler but less flexible. Copy the GA4 tag from your web stream and paste it in your website's <head> section.
Best for: Simple sites with minimal tracking needs
Option B: Google Tag Manager (Recommended)
More setup upfront, but much easier to manage long-term. Lets you add/modify tracking without touching your website code.
Best for: Any business that wants proper tracking
Setting Up Google Tag Manager + GA4
- 1.Create a GTM account at tagmanager.google.com
- 2.Install the GTM container code on your website (two snippets: one in <head>, one after <body>)
- 3.In GTM, create a new tag: Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration
- 4.Enter your Measurement ID (starts with G-) from GA4
- 5.Set the trigger to All Pages
- 6.Save the tag and Publish your container
Step 3: Verify Your Installation
Always verify that tracking is working before moving on:
Verification Methods:
- • Real-time reports: In GA4, go to Reports → Real-time. Visit your site in another tab and watch for your visit to appear.
- • DebugView: In GA4, go to Admin → DebugView. Enable debug mode in your browser and watch events stream in.
- • Tag Assistant: Use the Tag Assistant Chrome extension or tagassistant.google.com to verify tags are firing.
Setting Up Conversion Tracking
This is where most businesses fail. They install analytics but never set up conversion tracking—so they have traffic data but no idea which traffic actually generates leads or sales.
Identify Your Key Conversions
First, identify what actions represent value for your business:
Common Conversions by Business Type:
Local Service Businesses:
Phone calls (tel: clicks), contact form submissions, appointment bookings, direction requests
E-commerce:
Purchases, add to cart, begin checkout, account creation
B2B/SaaS:
Demo requests, free trial signups, content downloads, contact form submissions
Content/Media:
Newsletter signups, account creation, subscription purchases
Setting Up Event Tracking
GA4 tracks some events automatically (enhanced measurement), but you'll need to set up custom events for most conversions.
Example: Tracking Phone Number Clicks
Using Google Tag Manager:
- 1. Create a new Trigger → Click - Just Links
- 2. Set to fire on "Some Link Clicks" where Click URL contains "tel:"
- 3. Create a new Tag → GA4 Event
- 4. Event name: "phone_call_click"
- 5. Add parameter: phone_number = {{Click URL}}
- 6. Trigger: Your new phone link trigger
- 7. Publish the container
Mark Events as Conversions
Once events are tracking, you need to tell GA4 which ones are conversions:
- 1.In GA4, go to Admin → Events
- 2.Find your event in the list (it may take 24-48 hours to appear)
- 3.Toggle the "Mark as conversion" switch to on
Alternatively, you can pre-configure conversions in Admin → Conversions → New conversion event, which will automatically mark the event as a conversion when it first fires.
Essential GA4 Reports to Monitor
GA4 has many reports, but these are the ones you should check regularly:
Traffic Acquisition Report
Location: Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
This shows where your visitors come from: organic search, paid search, social media, direct, referrals, etc. Look for which channels drive the most conversions, not just the most traffic.
Key Insight:
Add "Conversions" as a column in this report. A channel with 500 sessions and 20 conversions is more valuable than one with 2,000 sessions and 5 conversions. This helps you focus marketing budget on what actually works.
Pages and Screens Report
Location: Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens
Shows which pages get the most views and engagement. Look for pages with high views but low engagement—these may need improvement. Also identify pages that drive conversions vs. pages where people leave.
Conversions Report
Location: Reports → Engagement → Conversions
Overview of all your conversion events over time. Track trends and seasonality. Combined with the attribution reports, this helps you understand your customer journey.
Real-time Report
Location: Reports → Real-time
Shows what's happening on your site right now. Useful for monitoring traffic during campaigns, events, or after publishing new content. Also great for verifying that new tracking is working.
Connecting GA4 to Other Platforms
Linking Google Ads
If you run Google Ads, linking to GA4 is essential. It allows you to:
- •See Google Ads data in your GA4 reports
- •Import GA4 conversions into Google Ads for bidding optimization
- •Create GA4 audiences for remarketing campaigns
To link: Admin → Product Links → Google Ads Links → Link → Select your account → Enable all options → Submit
Linking Search Console
Connecting Google Search Console gives you organic search data directly in GA4—what queries bring traffic, click-through rates, and search positions.
To link: Admin → Product Links → Search Console Links → Link → Select your property → Submit
This data is especially useful when combined with your local SEO strategy to understand which keywords drive traffic to your business.
Common GA4 Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake: Not setting up conversion tracking
Traffic data alone doesn't tell you what's working. Always track conversions.
Mistake: Leaving data retention at 2 months
Change to 14 months immediately. You'll want year-over-year comparisons.
Mistake: Not filtering internal traffic
Exclude your own visits so you're only measuring real customer behavior.
Mistake: Installing GA4 twice
If using GTM, don't also install the code directly. This causes double-counting.
Mistake: Not linking to Google Ads
If you advertise on Google, always link for proper attribution and optimization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?
GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is a complete rebuild of Google Analytics with an event-based data model instead of session-based. Key differences: GA4 tracks events rather than pageviews as the primary unit, uses machine learning for insights and predictions, works across websites and apps in one property, has built-in privacy features like cookieless measurement, and offers different reports focused on user engagement rather than just sessions. Universal Analytics was sunset in July 2023, and GA4 is now the only option.
How long does it take for GA4 to show data?
GA4 real-time reports show data within seconds of events occurring. Standard reports have a 24-48 hour processing delay for most data. Exploration reports and BigQuery exports may take slightly longer. If you don't see data after 48 hours, check that your tracking code is installed correctly using Google Tag Assistant or the GA4 DebugView in real-time.
What are the most important GA4 events to track?
The most critical events depend on your business type, but generally prioritize: conversion events (form submissions, phone calls, purchases), engagement events (scroll depth, video plays, file downloads), and navigation events (clicks to key pages, outbound links). For local businesses, focus on phone clicks (tel: links), direction requests, and contact form submissions. GA4 tracks some events automatically like page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, and site search.
Should I use Google Tag Manager with GA4?
Yes, using Google Tag Manager (GTM) with GA4 is strongly recommended. GTM allows you to add, edit, and remove tracking without modifying your website code, makes it easier to set up custom events and conversions, provides better organization of multiple tags (ads, remarketing, etc.), offers preview/debug mode for testing before publishing, and keeps your website code cleaner. The small additional setup time pays off in long-term flexibility and maintainability.
How do I track phone calls in GA4?
There are several ways to track phone calls: 1) Track clicks on tel: links (phone number clicks) as events using GTM, 2) Use call tracking software like CallRail or CallTrackingMetrics that provides unique numbers and integrates with GA4, 3) For Google Ads, use call extensions with Google forwarding numbers. The tel: link method only tracks clicks, not actual calls. Call tracking software provides more complete data including call duration and outcomes.
What is a good bounce rate in GA4?
GA4 replaced "bounce rate" with "engagement rate," which is the inverse. An engaged session is one that lasts 10+ seconds, has a conversion event, or has 2+ page views. A typical engagement rate is 50-60% for most websites. For blog content, 40-50% is normal (users read one article and leave). For landing pages, aim for 60%+. Focus on improving engagement rate rather than obsessing over specific numbers—look for trends over time and compare across your own pages.
How do I connect GA4 to Google Ads?
To link GA4 with Google Ads: 1) In GA4, go to Admin > Product Links > Google Ads Links, 2) Click "Link" and select your Google Ads account, 3) Enable auto-tagging in your Google Ads account, 4) Import your GA4 conversions into Google Ads for campaign optimization. Once linked, you can see Google Ads data in GA4 reports, create audiences in GA4 to use for remarketing, and use GA4 conversions for Google Ads bidding optimization.
How long does GA4 retain data?
GA4's default data retention is 2 months for event data used in explorations. You can extend this to 14 months in Admin > Data Settings > Data Retention. Standard reports use aggregated data that's retained indefinitely. For long-term data storage, export to BigQuery (requires a Google Cloud account, free tier available). Note: Changing retention settings only affects new data, not historical data already collected.
Your GA4 Setup Checklist
Day 1: Basic Setup
- □Create GA4 property
- □Set up Google Tag Manager
- □Install GA4 via GTM
- □Verify installation with real-time reports
- □Extend data retention to 14 months
Week 1: Conversion Tracking
- □Identify your key conversions
- □Set up phone click tracking
- □Set up form submission tracking
- □Mark events as conversions in GA4
Week 2: Integration & Optimization
- □Link Google Search Console
- □Link Google Ads (if applicable)
- □Set up internal traffic filter
- □Create key reports/explorations
Need Help Setting Up Analytics?
At Verlua, we configure GA4 properly from day one, ensuring you have the data you need to make smart marketing decisions. Our analytics setup includes conversion tracking, Google Ads integration, and custom reporting dashboards.
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