Setting Up GA4 for CMS-Hosted Sites like WordPress: A Comprehensive Guide

In the last article, we talked about the complete setup process of GA4 and its similarities with earlier versions of Analytics we used. In today's article, we are going to understand how this new version of google analytics is still not acceptable for some CMS platforms and what are our options if our CMS still accepts only UI ids.

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Setting up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for the content management system (CMS) hosted sites, such as WordPress, is crucial for tracking and analyzing website performance. GA4 offers advanced features and improved tracking capabilities to help you gain valuable insights into your website's user behavior and optimize your content strategy. In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up GA4 for CMS-hosted sites, and address the common concern of platforms that only accept "UA-" IDs. Additionally, we will provide a list of CMS platforms that support GA4 IDs and those that do not.

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Step-by-Step Guide:

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1.?Create a GA4 Property:

-?Go to the Google Analytics website (analytics.google.com) and sign in with your Google account.

-?Click on "Admin" in the lower-left corner of the page.

-?Under the "Property" column, click on "Create Property."

-?Follow the prompts to set up a new GA4 property by providing a property name and website URL.

-?Once the property is created, you will be provided with a GA4 measurement ID in the format "G-XXXXXXXXXX".

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2.?Install the GA4 Tracking Code on WordPress:

-?Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.

-?Install a GA4 plugin like "Google Analytics for WordPress" or "Site Kit by Google."

-?Configure the plugin settings by entering your GA4 measurement ID.

-?Save the changes, and the plugin will automatically insert the tracking code into your website.

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3.?Verify Installation:

-?Return to the Google Analytics website after installing the tracking code.

-?Click on "Admin" and select the GA4 property you created earlier.

-?Navigate to the "Realtime" section and open your website in a separate tab.

-?Check if the Realtime overview shows active users on your website, indicating successful installation.

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What if my platform only accepts a "UA-" ID?

Some CMS platforms, particularly older ones, may only accept the traditional Universal Analytics (UA) tracking ID format, which starts with "UA-". In such cases, you have a couple of options:

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1.?Universal Analytics (UA) Configuration:

-?Follow the instructions provided by your CMS platform to configure and insert the UA tracking code on your website.

-?Note that while you won't be able to take advantage of the advanced features of GA4, you can still collect basic website analytics.

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2.?Use GTM (Google Tag Manager):

-?If your CMS platform supports Google Tag Manager (GTM), you can set up GA4 tracking through GTM.

-?Create a new GTM container and configure it to fire the GA4 tags instead of UA tags.

-?Follow the GTM documentation to install the GTM container on your website.

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CMS Platforms supporting GA4 IDs:

-?WordPress: Various plugins like "Google Analytics for WordPress" and "Site Kit by Google" support GA4 tracking.

-?Joomla: Extensions like "Google Analytics" and "JSN PowerAdmin" offer GA4 integration.

-?Drupal: Modules such as "Google Analytics" and "Google Analytics Enhanced Ecommerce" support GA4 tracking.

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CMS Platforms not supporting GA4 IDs:

-?Wix: Wix currently does not support GA4 natively but offers its own analytics solution.

-?Squarespace: Squarespace does not provide native support for GA4 but integrates with Universal Analytics (UA).

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Conclusion:

Setting up GA4 for CMS-hosted sites, like WordPress, enables you to track and analyze website performance effectively. By following the step-by-step guide provided, you can integrate GA4 seamlessly and gain valuable insights into user behavior on your website.