Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tells you what people do on your website: where they come from, which pages they read, and whether they take the actions you care about, such as buying, booking or filling in a form. Without it, you can’t tell which marketing is working.
In this Google Analytics 4 tutorial I’ll walk you through setting up GA4 step by step, tracking conversions (now called key events), changing one setting most beginners miss, and reading the reports that actually matter. The steps follow Google’s own Analytics Help documentation.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 is Google’s free web and app analytics tool. It replaced Universal Analytics, which stopped processing data in 2023. GA4 measures everything as events: a page view, a scroll, a click, a purchase. Some events are collected automatically; others you mark as important.
GA4 works alongside Google Search Console. Search Console shows how you appear in Google before the click; GA4 shows what visitors do after they arrive from any channel. My Google Search Console tutorial covers the other half.
Step 1: Create an account and property
- Go to Google Analytics and sign in with your Google account.
- Open Admin, click Create and choose Account. Give it a name (usually your business name) and choose your data-sharing settings.
- Create a property. Enter a property name (usually your website name), your reporting time zone and currency. Getting these right matters, because they affect how your reports are grouped.
- Choose your industry, business size and how you plan to use Analytics, then accept the terms.
Step 2: Add a web data stream
- In Admin › Data collection and modification › Data streams, click Add stream and choose Web.
- Enter your website URL and a stream name.
- Leave Enhanced measurement turned on. It automatically collects page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement and file downloads, without extra code.
- Click Create stream.
Open the stream and copy your Measurement ID. It starts with G-.
Step 3: Add the Google tag to your website
Your site needs the Google tag so it can send data to GA4. Choose the method that fits your site:
- WordPress or another CMS with a GA integration: paste your Measurement ID into the plugin or setting provided. Google’s Site Kit plugin is one common option for WordPress.
- Website builder without an integration: use the stream’s View tag instructions, choose manual installation and paste the code into your builder’s custom HTML or header area.
- Editing HTML yourself: paste the full Google tag snippet immediately after the opening
<head>tag on every page. - Google Tag Manager: add a Google tag in your container with your Measurement ID.
Only install the tag once. Adding it twice (for example, through a theme setting and a plugin) double-counts your data.
Step 4: Check that data is arriving
Google says data collection can take up to 30 minutes to begin. Then open Reports › Realtime and visit your site in another tab. You should see yourself appear as an active user. If not, check that the tag is on every page and that an ad blocker isn’t blocking it in your own browser.
Step 5: Change data retention to 14 months
This is the setting most beginners miss. In Admin › Data collection and modification › Data retention, you can choose how long GA4 keeps user-level and event-level data: 2 months or 14 months for standard properties.
Google says this setting affects explorations and funnel reports, not the standard reports. But if you want to analyse last year’s behaviour in an exploration, you need the longer setting. Choose 14 months and save. It only applies to data that hasn’t already been deleted, so change it on day one.
Step 6: Set up key events (conversions)
A key event is an action that matters to your business. GA4 used to call these conversions.
- Decide what counts as success: a purchase, a contact form submission, a phone-number click, a newsletter sign-up or a booking.
- Make sure that action creates an event. Some are automatic (such as
purchaseon many ecommerce platforms); others need a custom event, often created in Admin › Events › Create event or with Google Tag Manager. A common approach for forms is to create an event when someone reaches the thank-you page. - In Admin › Data display › Events, find the event and mark it as a key event.
Without key events, GA4 can tell you how many people visited, but not which channels brought you customers.
Step 7: Review consent and privacy settings
If you have visitors in regions with privacy laws such as GDPR, you may need a cookie consent banner and Google’s consent mode. Review Admin › Data collection and modification › Consent settings, and get advice on the rules that apply to your business.
The GA4 reports beginners should use
You don’t need every report. Start with these:
| Report | Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Realtime | Reports › Realtime | Who’s on the site right now; useful for testing |
| Traffic acquisition | Reports › Acquisition | Which channels bring visitors (Organic Search, Direct, Referral, Paid Search, Social, Email) |
| Pages and screens | Reports › Engagement | Your most-viewed pages and how engaged visitors are |
| Events | Reports › Engagement | Which actions people take |
| Key events | Reports › Engagement | How often your important actions happen |
| User attributes and tech | Reports › User | Countries, devices and browsers |
Metrics to understand
- Users: the number of people (or, more accurately, browsers and devices) who visited.
- Sessions: visits to your site. One user can have several sessions.
- Engaged sessions: sessions that lasted longer than 10 seconds, had a key event, or included at least two page or screen views.
- Engagement rate: the share of sessions that were engaged. In GA4, bounce rate is simply the opposite of engagement rate.
- Key events: how many times your important actions happened.
How to use GA4 to improve your marketing
- Compare channels by key events, not visits. A channel with fewer visitors can bring more customers.
- Find pages that attract visitors but don’t convert. Add a clearer call to action or a better next step.
- Check mobile vs desktop. If mobile engagement is much lower, test your site on a phone.
- Tag your campaign links with UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign) so email and social campaigns show up correctly in Traffic acquisition.
- Review monthly. Look at trends over a few months rather than reacting to one day.
Common GA4 mistakes
- Installing the tag twice and double-counting data
- Leaving data retention at 2 months
- Not setting up any key events
- Counting your own visits (add a filter for internal traffic)
- Expecting GA4 numbers to match Search Console or ad platforms exactly. Each tool measures differently.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Analytics 4 free? Yes. GA4 is free for most websites. Google also sells Analytics 360 for large organisations with bigger needs.
How long does GA4 take to show data? Google says collection can take up to 30 minutes to start. Realtime shows activity quickly; standard reports can take longer to fill in.
What’s the difference between a key event and a conversion? GA4 now uses “key event” for an action that matters to your business. Google Ads still uses “conversions” for key events you import into your ad campaigns.
Do I need Google Tag Manager for GA4? No. You can add the Google tag directly or through a plugin. Tag Manager is helpful once you want to track many custom events without editing code.
Why don’t GA4 and Search Console numbers match? They measure different things. Search Console counts clicks from Google Search; GA4 counts sessions on your site from all sources, and can miss visitors who block tracking or decline consent.
Related guides on WebTechHelp
- Google Search Console tutorial for beginners
- 5 ways data should inform your marketing plan
- What is digital marketing? A step-by-step guide
Sources
- Google Analytics Help: Set up Analytics for a website and/or app
- Google Analytics Help: Data retention
- Google Analytics Help: Make the switch to Google Analytics 4
