How to set up GA4

Starting from July 2023, Universal Analytics will no longer be tracking your website performance. Further, as we move to a ‘cookie-free’ world, GA4 will be crucial to safeguard customer data. This means that moving forward, it is essential for you to set up and start using GA4 to stay ahead of the competition. In this edition of The Digital Dose, we’ll help you set up your GA4 account.

How to configure GA4
If you’re new to website tracking, you can sign up to GA4 on analytics.google.com and follow the set up and code installation instructions. For those of you who have been using universal analytics, you can use the GA4 set up assistant to help you seamlessly transition from Universal Analytics to GA4.

While setting up, you will be asked to specify whether you’re tracking a website or an app. These are known as data streams and you can have one data stream tracking website activity,
and another tracking iOS/Android app data. After completing the setup, GA4 will provide you with a measurement ID and tracking code for each data stream which you can use to link your website/app.

Tracking Code
You will need to add the tracking code/measurement ID to your website and/or your mobile app. You can do this by installing the tracking code into the HTML of your website or by choosing the GA4 configuration tag and adding your measurement ID in GTM (Google Tag Manager). When it comes to Mobile app installation, it is important to ensure that it is done correctly. Your app developer should be able to help you with the installation here.
 
And just like that, your website is now ready for the cookie-free world we are transitioning into. It might take 24-48 hours for GA4 to start tracking your website data, after which you should be able to track all activity on your website with ease. If you found this article helpful, be sure to sign up to our bi-weekly newsletter for updates and insights about all things digital!