Why is GA4 Analytics Setup so important ?

When you use data to make important decisions about your marketing performance, there few things as important as setting up your GA4 Analytics data collection model in the correct way. Think about it – you can make great, logical decisions, but if the data that you base that decision on contains double counts, measures irrelevant events or misses key elements, those great decisions will still lead to poor results.

What are the main components of a good GA4 Analytics setup

The basics:

Google Analytics Account: An overarching account that represents your relationship with Google Analytics. You need a Google account to create a Google Analytics account.

Property: Within a Google Analytics account, you create properties to represent the websites, apps, or other digital assets you want to track. Each property has its own unique tracking code.

Tracking Code: A piece of JavaScript code generated by Google Analytics for each property. This code is placed on every page of your website or in your app, allowing Google Analytics to collect data about user interactions.

Tracking ID: A unique identifier associated with each property. It is included in the tracking code and helps Google Analytics distinguish between different properties within an account.

This setup does provide you with the most basic tracking, but to get insights that are worthy of decision making, you will require some additional setup.

Events & Conversions:

Events:

Events: Events are user interactions that are tracked separately from pageviews. Examples include clicks on certain buttons, video views, or downloads. You can set up event tracking to gain insights into specific user actions.

Conversions: Conversion are important events that signify an action that a user takes, like a purchase or a form fill. You can go to the events page and use the toggle switch to mark certain events as conversions.

Advanced Setup

Audiences: While this is considered an advanced element, it does not mean it’s optional. Audiences are one of the most important features of GA4. The new analytics model introduces a user-friendly approach to audience creation. You can create audiences based on user interactions, lifecycle stages, or other criteria, and use them for analysis, targeting, or personalization.

Stay Up to Date

Setting up Google Analytics involves configuring these components to align with your specific tracking and reporting requirements. Keep in mind that Google Analytics may evolve, so it’s always a good idea to refer to the official Google Analytics documentation for the latest information and best practices. If you worked with Universal Analytics before, it’s important to note that GA4 represents a significant shift from Universal Analytics – things will look much different and certain fields are not available anymore.

Now you know why it’s so important to have a professional set up your Google Analytics 4 configuration prior to getting traffic to your website, or if you already have one in place, have it audited from time to time.