Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics. It is a more powerful and flexible event-based analytics platform that can help you track and measure your website traffic and conversions.
In this blog post, I will show you how to create a GA4 account and set it up from scratch.
Step 1: Create a Google Analytics 4 Account
To create a GA4 account, go to the Google Analytics website and click on the Create Account button.
You will need to provide the following information:
- Your email address
- Your company name
- The URL of your website
Once you have entered this information, click on the Create button.
Step 2: Set Up Your GA4 Property
Once you have created your GA4 account, you will need to set up your property. A property is a container for your data. You can have multiple properties in a single GA4 account.
To set up your property, click on the Property button in the left navigation menu.
You will need to provide the following information:
- Property name: This is the name of your property.
- Industry: This is the industry that your website belongs to.
- Reporting time zone: This is the time zone that you will use for your reports.
Once you have entered this information, click on the Create button.
Step 3: Install the GA4 Tracking Code
To track your website traffic with GA4, you need to install the GA4 tracking code on your website. The tracking code is a piece of JavaScript code that tells Google Analytics how to collect data from your website.
You can find the GA4 tracking code in your GA4 property settings.
To install the GA4 tracking code, you will need to add it to the <head> of your website’s HTML code.
Step 4: Start Collecting Data
Once you have installed the GA4 tracking code, Google Analytics will start collecting data from your website. The data that Google Analytics collects includes:
- The pages that visitors view on your website
- The time that visitors spend on each page
- The demographics & tech details of your users
- The devices that visitors use to access your website
You can view your GA4 data in built in GA4 reports.
Step 5: Explore the GA4 Reports
The GA4 reports provide you with insights into your website traffic and conversions. You can use the reports to track the performance of your website over time, identify trends, and optimize your website for better results.
To explore the GA4 reports, click on the Reports button in the left navigation menu.
You will find a variety of reports in the GA4 reports section. You can use these reports to track the performance of your website in different ways.
For example, you can use the Overview report to get an overview of your website traffic. You can use the Sessions report to track the number of sessions that your website receives each day. You can use the Pages report to track the pages that visitors view on your website.
You can also use the GA4 reports to create custom reports. Custom reports allow you to track the performance of your website in a way that is specific to your needs.
To create a custom report, click on the Create Report button in the left navigation menu.
You will need to provide the following information:
- Report name: This is the name of your report.
- Report type: This is the type of report that you want to create.
- Dimensions: These are the variables that you want to track in your report.
- Measures: These are the values that you want to track for each dimension.
Once you have entered this information, click on the Create button.
Conclusion
Google Analytics 4 is a powerful and flexible analytics platform that can help you track and measure your website traffic and conversions. In this blog post, I have shown you how to create a GA4 account and set it up from scratch. I have also shown you how to explore the GA4 reports.
I hope this blog post has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.