How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 for Your Business Website

If you do not know how many people visit your website, where they come from, what they look at, and what makes them leave — you are running your business blind.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is free, powerful, and takes about 30 minutes to set up properly. Here is how.

Why GA4 and Not Universal Analytics?

Universal Analytics (UA) was retired by Google in July 2023. GA4 is the current standard. It uses an event-based tracking model instead of the session-based model of UA, which means more granular data about how users actually interact with your site.

If you are still using an old UA property, you need to switch.

Step 1: Create a GA4 Property

Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Click “Start measuring” and follow the setup wizard:

• Enter your account name (your business name)
• Create a property and select your time zone and currency
• Choose “Web” as your platform
• Enter your website URL and stream name

GA4 will generate a Measurement ID (format: G-XXXXXXXXXX). You will need this in the next step.

Step 2: Add the Tracking Code to Your Site

For WordPress:

Install the “Site Kit by Google” plugin. It handles the connection directly and requires no manual code editing.

Alternatively, install Google Tag Manager (GTM) and deploy your GA4 Measurement ID through a GTM container. This is the more scalable approach if you plan to add more tracking tags later.

For Shopify:

Go to your Shopify admin, navigate to Online Store > Preferences, and paste your GA4 Measurement ID in the Google Analytics section. Enable “Use Enhanced Ecommerce” if you run a store.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Go back to your GA4 property and click “DebugView” under Admin. Open your website in another tab. You should see real-time events appearing in DebugView within a few seconds.

If nothing appears, double-check that your Measurement ID is correct and there are no ad blockers interfering with your test.

Step 4: Configure Key Events

GA4 automatically tracks page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site searches, video plays, and file downloads. For business websites, also configure:

• Contact form submissions as a conversion event
• Phone number clicks
• CTA button clicks

For e-commerce, enable Enhanced Ecommerce to track add-to-cart, checkout initiation, and purchase events.

Step 5: Link GA4 to Google Search Console

Go to GA4 Admin > Property > Product Links > Search Console Links. Connect your Search Console property. This gives you SEO data (which keywords bring visitors) alongside behavioral data (what they do when they arrive) in one place.

What to Check Weekly

Once set up, review these metrics every week:

• Total users and new vs returning
• Top traffic sources (organic, direct, social, paid)
• Top landing pages by traffic and bounce rate
• Goal/conversion completions

This data tells you what is working and where to focus. Without it, every marketing decision is a guess.