Week 1: Introduction to Google Analytics 4 (7-Week Google Analytics Tutorial)

Objective: Understand the key differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics and learn how to set up a GA4 property.

What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics, designed to offer deeper insights into user behavior across platforms (websites, mobile apps, etc.). Unlike the previous version, Universal Analytics (UA), which focuses primarily on sessions and pageviews, GA4 emphasizes events and user interactions.

• Event-Based Tracking: GA4 tracks user interactions as events. This means that instead of focusing solely on page views, it can track clicks, scrolls, video plays, form submissions, and any other user actions.
• Cross-Platform Tracking: GA4 unifies tracking across websites, apps, and other devices, making it possible to track the full user journey regardless of the platform they interact with.
• Privacy-Centric: GA4 has built-in features that respect user privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, with options for data deletion and more control over data storage.
• AI and Machine Learning: GA4 provides predictive metrics like purchase probability and churn prediction, offering actionable insights through machine learning models.

Key Differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics

Why Transition to GA4?

The move to GA4 is essential for businesses that need to understand user behavior across multiple platforms and devices. GA4 allows for more sophisticated tracking, reporting, and insights, especially in an era of increasing privacy regulations. Some of the key benefits include:

1. Unified Tracking Across Platforms: Whether your users are on your website or app, GA4 can track their entire journey seamlessly.
2. Better Event Tracking: Every user interaction can be tracked as an event, providing greater insight into user behavior.
3. Improved User Privacy: With built-in privacy features, GA4 helps you stay compliant with international privacy regulations.
4. AI-Powered Insights: GA4 leverages machine learning to predict user behavior, such as the likelihood of making a purchase or the potential for churn.
5. Future-Proofing: Google has announced that GA4 will be the standard moving forward, so transitioning sooner rather than later will ensure you’re prepared for future updates.

How to Set Up a GA4 Property

Setting up a GA4 property is essential for collecting and analyzing data. Follow these steps to set up your GA4 property:

Sign in to Google Analytics:

• Visit analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account.

Access Admin Panel:

• Once signed in, navigate to the "Admin" panel in the lower-left corner of the screen. The Admin panel is divided into three columns: Account, Property, and View.

Create a GA4 Property:

• Under the Property column, click on "Create Property."
• You will be prompted to name your property, select a reporting time zone, and choose the currency for the data. Make sure to name your property something descriptive, like "My Website GA4" or "My App GA4."
• Click Next to proceed.

Configure Your Property Settings:

• In the next screen, you’ll need to provide basic information about your business, including your industry and the size of your business. Google uses this information to tailor recommendations and reporting insights for you.
• After entering your business details, click Create.

Choose GA4 Property Setup:

• You’ll now be presented with the option to create a GA4 property. Select GA4 Setup Assistant to create your GA4 property.
• If you already have a Universal Analytics property, Google provides an option to link the two properties. This allows you to collect data in both the new GA4 property and the existing Universal Analytics property for comparison.

Setup Data Streams:

• GA4 collects data through data streams. You can set up multiple data streams if you have a website and a mobile app.
• Click on "Data Streams" and select the platform you want to set up first (e.g., Web or App).
• For Web, enter your website URL and name the stream.
• Google will generate a Measurement ID, which you will need to implement on your website to start collecting data.

Install GA4 Tag on Your Website:

• If you’re using a website, you’ll need to implement the GA4 Measurement ID in your site’s code. You can do this by using Google Tag Manager or directly embedding the tracking code into your website’s HTML.
• For Google Tag Manager users: Go to Google Tag Manager > Create a new tag, select Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration > Enter your Measurement ID, configure the trigger (e.g., "All Pages"), and save.
• For direct integration: Copy the generated global site tag (gtag.js) from GA4 > Paste the tag inside the <head> tag of your website’s HTML on every page where you want to track data.

Verify Data Collection:

• After you’ve set up the tracking code, wait for a few minutes, then return to the GA4 dashboard.
• Click on Realtime under the "Reports" section in the left-hand menu to verify that data is being collected correctly. You should see active users from your site or app in real-time.

Example: Setting Up GA4 for a Website

Let’s say you own an online store, and you want to track user behavior using GA4. After setting up your GA4 property and data stream for your website, you would install the GA4 tag on your website. Once that’s done, you can head over to the "Realtime" report to verify that GA4 is capturing user activity as visitors browse your product pages or make a purchase.

Next Steps:

Now that you’ve successfully set up GA4, you’re ready to dive deeper into the platform. In Week 2, we’ll explore the GA4 interface and the essential reports you’ll need to start analyzing your data.