How to Use Google Analytics 4?

13 minutes read

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google's web analytics platform. It offers enhanced features and capabilities compared to its predecessor, Universal Analytics. Here's a general overview of how to use Google Analytics 4:

  1. Set up a Google Analytics 4 property: Start by creating a new property in your Google Analytics account. You will receive a Measurement ID to integrate with your website or app.
  2. Install the GA4 tracking code: Once you have the Measurement ID, add the GA4 tracking code to your website or app. This code will collect data and send it to your GA4 property.
  3. Configure data streams: GA4 introduces the concept of data streams which are sources of data such as websites, apps, or other devices. Configure the relevant data streams based on your tracking requirements.
  4. Understand the GA4 interface: The GA4 interface has a new layout and organization compared to Universal Analytics. Familiarize yourself with the various sections like Home, Realtime, Analysis, and Admin.
  5. Explore standard reports: GA4 provides pre-built standard reports that offer insights into user behavior, acquisition sources, engagement metrics, and more. Analyze these reports to gain key insights into your website or app performance.
  6. Create custom reports and dashboards: GA4 allows you to create custom reports and dashboards tailored to your specific needs. Utilize these features to track and analyze metrics that are most relevant to your business objectives.
  7. Utilize advanced analysis features: GA4 offers advanced analysis options like Exploration, Funnel Analysis, and User Lifetime. Explore these features to gain deeper insights into user behavior and optimize your digital strategies.
  8. Set up conversion tracking: Track important conversions and events on your website or app by defining goals and events within GA4. This helps measure performance and identify areas for improvement.
  9. Enable data-driven insights: GA4 leverages machine learning to provide predictive insights and recommendations. Take advantage of these data-driven insights to improve your marketing efforts and drive better outcomes.
  10. Stay updated with GA4 changes: Google frequently updates and adds new features to GA4. Stay informed about the latest updates and changes to maximize the capabilities of the platform.


Remember, this is just a general overview of how to use Google Analytics 4. For more detailed instructions, consult Google's official documentation or seek professional guidance.

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How to measure the effectiveness of advertising channels in Google Analytics 4?

To measure the effectiveness of advertising channels in Google Analytics 4, you can follow these steps:

  1. Set up conversion tracking: Make sure you have set up goals or events to track conversions on your website. This will help you measure the effectiveness of different advertising channels in bringing in conversions.
  2. Create UTM parameters: Use UTM parameters to tag the URLs used in your advertising campaigns. You can add UTM parameters like source, medium, and campaign to the destination URL. This will help you track the performance of each advertising channel in Google Analytics 4.
  3. View the Acquisition reports: In Google Analytics 4, go to the "Acquisition" section to find the "Traffic Channels" report. This report provides an overview of the performance of different marketing and advertising channels.
  4. Analyze the Traffic Channels report: In the Traffic Channels report, you can see a breakdown of your website traffic by channels such as organic search, direct, social, and others. You can analyze the performance of each channel based on metrics like conversions, revenue, average session duration, bounce rate, and more.
  5. Compare advertising channels: You can compare the performance of different advertising channels by selecting them in the Traffic Channels report. This will help you identify which channels bring in more conversions, revenue, or engagement.
  6. Use attribution models: Google Analytics 4 offers various attribution models to analyze the impact of different advertising channels at different stages of the customer journey. You can experiment with different attribution models to understand how each channel contributes to conversions.
  7. Create custom reports: If you want more detailed analysis, you can create custom reports in Google Analytics 4. These reports can include specific metrics and dimensions related to advertising channels to get a deeper understanding of their effectiveness.


By following these steps, you can effectively measure and analyze the performance of advertising channels in Google Analytics 4, helping you make informed decisions for your marketing strategies.


How to set up data filters in Google Analytics 4?

To set up data filters in Google Analytics 4, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to your Google Analytics account and select the property you want to set up the data filters for.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click on "Admin" to access the administration settings.
  3. Under the "Property" column, click on "Data Streams".
  4. Select the data stream you want to apply the filters to.
  5. Click on "Data Filters" under the "Configuration" section.
  6. Click on the blue plus button to create a new filter.
  7. In the filter configuration, specify the filter name and description.
  8. Choose the filter type. There are several options available, such as excluding traffic from specific IP addresses or applying filters based on predefined patterns.
  9. Provide the necessary details based on the filter type you selected. For example, if you're filtering traffic based on IP addresses, you would specify the IP addresses to exclude.
  10. Save the filter by clicking on the blue "Save" button.
  11. Repeat the above steps to add more filters if needed.


Note: It is recommended to test the filters before applying them to your main data stream to avoid any unintended consequences. You can create a test property within the same account to test and validate the filters.


How to track video engagement using Google Analytics 4?

To track video engagement using Google Analytics 4, you can follow these steps:

  1. Set up Google Analytics 4 for your website or app and ensure that it is properly integrated.
  2. Add the GA4 tracking code to your website or app. This can be done by following the instructions provided by Google Analytics.
  3. Use the event tracking feature in Google Analytics 4 to track video engagement. You can track different video-related events such as play, pause, and completion. These events allow you to understand how users are interacting with your videos.


Here's an example of how you can track video engagement events using GA4:

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// Track video play event
gtag('event', 'video_play', {
  'event_category': 'video_engagement',
  'event_label': 'video_name',
  'value': 'play_duration_seconds'
});

// Track video pause event
gtag('event', 'video_pause', {
  'event_category': 'video_engagement',
  'event_label': 'video_name',
  'value': 'pause_duration_seconds'
});

// Track video completion event
gtag('event', 'video_complete', {
  'event_category': 'video_engagement',
  'event_label': 'video_name',
  'value': 'total_duration_seconds'
});


Make sure to replace 'video_name', 'play_duration_seconds', 'pause_duration_seconds', and 'total_duration_seconds' with the relevant values for your videos.

  1. In the Google Analytics 4 dashboard, navigate to the "Events" section to view the video engagement data. You can analyze metrics such as play rate, completion rate, and average engagement duration to gain insights into how users are engaging with your videos.


Remember to test the implementation and make sure the events are firing correctly before relying on the data.


How to track email campaign performance using Google Analytics 4?

To track email campaign performance using Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you can follow these steps:

  1. Set up your GA4 property: Make sure you have a GA4 property created in your Google Analytics account.
  2. Configure email tracking: In your email marketing software or platform, add UTM parameters to the links in your email campaigns. Use the campaign source, medium, name, and content parameters to provide relevant information that will help you identify your campaigns in GA4. For example, your email link might look like this: https://www.example.com/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_content=versionA
  3. Create an audience: To track email campaign performance in GA4, you can create an audience segment specifically for your email campaigns. This step is optional but can be useful for analyzing email campaign performance separately. In GA4, navigate to the "Audiences" section under "Data Streams." Click on the "+ New audience" button and create a new audience with specific rules that identify email campaign traffic. For example, you can filter by "Source/Medium" and set it to "email/marketing."
  4. Analyze email campaign performance: After setting up your campaign tracking and audience, you can now analyze your email campaign performance. In GA4, you can go to the "Reporting" section and navigate to the desired reports to find relevant metrics. Some useful reports to analyze email campaign performance include: Acquisition reports: Analyze the number of sessions, time on site, bounce rate, and conversion rate for your email campaigns. You can find these metrics under the "Acquisition" section. Behavior reports: Analyze the pages visited, average time on page, and conversion funnels of users coming from your email campaigns. These metrics can be found under the "Engagement" and "Conversion" sections. Custom reports: You can create custom reports in GA4 to track specific goals or events related to your email campaigns. This allows you to analyze the performance of your campaigns in more depth.


Remember to adjust the timeframe in the GA4 interface to the period you want to analyze. This will allow you to compare the performance of different email campaigns, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.

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