Google Analytics 4 Tutorial for Beginners (2022)

Name: Google Analytics 4 Tutorial for Beginners (2022)
Uploaded: 2022-03-01T14:00:14.000Z
Duration: 2 h 20 min 54 s

Getting Started with Google Analytics 4

In this video, Julius from Analytics Mania provides a comprehensive guide on how to get started with Google Analytics 4. He covers topics such as creating and configuring GA4, the interface, reports, installing GA4, tracking events, and configuring conversions.

Creating and Configuring GA4

To create a new account in Google Analytics, go to the Google Marketing Platform website or search for "Google Analytics" on Google Search.

Once you log into Google Analytics, enter your business name and click next to create a new property.

A property represents a website or an app. If you run multiple websites that are part of the same user journey or have both a website and mobile app for your business, you can create a single property for all of them.

When creating a new property in GA4, enter the property name, reporting time zone, and currency.

You can also create both GA3 (Universal Analytics) and GA4 properties by toggling the switch under advanced options.

Interface Overview

The main dashboard in GA4 displays key metrics such as active users and engagement rate.

The left-hand menu contains different sections such as Realtime data, Explore tab where you can build custom reports using drag-and-drop functionality.

Reports are divided into categories such as User Acquisition which shows how users found your site/app.

Installing GA4

To install GA4 on your website or app use either gtag.js or Firebase SDK depending on what platform you're using.

After installation verify that data is being collected by checking the Realtime report section.

Tracking Events

Events are actions taken by users on your site/app such as button clicks or form submissions.

To track events in GA4 use event parameters which include event name (e.g., "button_click"), event category (e.g., "navigation"), and event value (e.g., "1" for a single button click).

You can also use custom events to track specific actions unique to your site/app.

Configuring Conversions

Conversions are the goals you want users to complete on your site/app such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

To configure conversions in GA4, create an event that represents the conversion and set it as a conversion event in the Conversion section of GA4.

You can also set up conversion tracking for specific URLs or screens using destination or screen view goals.

Conclusion

Julius provides additional tips and recommendations for learning more about GA4.

Check the comments section of this video for answers to common questions about GA4.

Consider using both GA3 and GA4 properties until GA4 is more developed.

Stay up-to-date with new features and updates by subscribing to Analytics Mania's YouTube channel.

Creating a Google Analytics 4 Property

In this section, the speaker explains how to create a Google Analytics 4 property and provides an overview of the admin panel.

Creating a GA4 Property

To create a GA4 property, enter your demo website URL and click "next." Answer optional questions or skip them and click "create."

Admin Panel Overview

The admin panel has two columns: account and property.

A property can represent one or multiple websites that belong to the same user journey.

Universal Analytics had a third column called view, but it is not available in GA4.

Account settings allow you to change your account name, location, data sharing settings, and delete the account.

Understanding the Admin Panel

This section covers various aspects of the admin panel such as managing users, filters, and setup assistant.

Managing Users

In the account management section, you can add new users by entering their email and giving certain permissions. You can also hide certain metrics from those users.

Filters

Filters for Universal Analytics properties are available in the filter section if you have that property in your account. GA4 filters are only displayed in the column because they work with different logic than UA filters.

Setup Assistant

The setup assistant helps you get up and running faster with GA4 by providing a checklist of things that you could implement or configure in this property.

Google Analytics 4 Property Settings

In this section, we will learn about the different settings available in the Google Analytics 4 property.

Property Settings

The property settings allow you to delete the property, select the industry, change your reporting time zone, change your currency and edit the property name.

Not many things can be done in this section.

Property Access Management

On the account level, users can be managed and given access to certain properties.

In this column, we are looking only at a single property.

To add a user to a single property, click on "Property Access Management".

Add users and define their role along with restrictions if needed.

Data Streams

Data streams are sources of data through which information reaches your Google Analytics 4 property.

A single Google Analytics 4 property can have multiple data streams for different platforms like websites or apps.

Click on "Data Streams" to create a new stream for website tracking by entering the URL of your website and giving it a clear name.

Enhanced measurement is a feature that allows GA4 to track more events out of the box like scrolling, outbound clicks, video engagement etc.

More Tagging Settings

Modify events and Create events options are available under More Tagging Settings.

It is recommended not to use already existing gtag snippets on your website for GA4. Instead migrate to Google Tag Manager and install GA through that.

Configuring domains is also possible in this section.

Google Analytics 4: Web Stream and Enhanced Measurement Settings

In this section, the speaker discusses the web stream and enhanced measurement settings in Google Analytics 4.

Web Stream Settings

Belonging to these domains is clicked on your website. This will not be treated as an outbound link.

Define internal traffic based on IP address.

Exclude unwanted referrals by adding them to a list.

Adjust default session timeout if necessary.

Enhanced Measurement Settings

Google Analytics 4 is capable of tracking events such as scrolling, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement, and file downloads.

Disable specific events if desired.

Scroll event is tracked when a visitor scrolls below the 90% threshold of your website

Outbound click event is tracked when a visitor clicks a link that redirects them to another website

Site search event is dispatched when a user uses the search feature on your website

Video engagement applies to embedded future video players on the website

File download event tracks when a visitor downloads files such as PDF or Word documents from your website.

Configuring Google Analytics 4

In this section, the speaker explains how to configure Google Analytics 4 and its features.

Enabling Ad Personalization

You can configure certain regions where you don't want to enable ad personalization.

Acknowledge that you have necessary privacy features on your website before activating tracking codes.

Ask for user consent before starting to track their data.

Data Retention Feature

By default, you can work with data that is two months old or newer.

To use data older than two months, switch to 14 months in the explore section.

The free version of Google Analytics 4 cannot offer a longer period than 14 months for analysis.

Data Filters

Configure internal traffic by going to the settings of your data stream and selecting "define internal traffic."

Visitors coming from certain IP addresses will be marked as traffic type "internal."

Internal traffic filter is still in testing state and needs to be set as active to exclude employee data from reports.

Create another filter for developers that excludes debug mode or debug event from reports.

Importing Data

Import additional information about users or costs data of ads running on non-Google platforms.

Click the provided link for more information.

Reporting Identity

Default setting is by user ID or device (cookies).

Use user ID if people can log into your website and make it available to your Google Analytics property.

User ID helps identify the same person across multiple devices.

Google Analytics 4: Settings and Reports Overview

In this section, the speaker provides an overview of the settings and reports available in Google Analytics 4.

Admin Panel

Three options for data collection: Web, iOS, and Android.

Attribution settings allow you to decide how conversions are attributed to marketing channels.

Data deletion requests allow you to delete specific personal data collected about visitors.

You can link other Google products like Ads or Search Console with GA4.

Reports

Four sections on the left sidebar: Home, Realtime, Audience, Acquisition.

Standard reports are not affected by data retention settings and show older data.

Customizable reports can be created in the library section.

Comparisons can be made between different groups of users in reports.

Realtime Reports

Realtime reports show data from the last 30 minutes instead of just five minutes like in GA3.

Acquisitions Reports

No bullet points as no information was provided.

Overview of Google Analytics Reports

In this section, the speaker provides an overview of the different types of reports available in Google Analytics and how to access them.

Types of Reports

The speaker explains that there are two types of reports available in Google Analytics - standard reports and exploration reports.

Standard reports include information on user engagement, events, conversions, pages/screens, monetization, retention, demographics data, and tech overview.

Exploration reports allow for custom analysis and deeper dives into data. There are several techniques available including free form tables, funnel exploration, path exploration, segment overlap, cohort analysis and user lifetime value.

Standard Reports

User Engagement

This report displays information on sessions from visitors who land on your website from different sources such as Google search or paid advertising. It also shows automatic events like scroll or page view as well as custom events that you send from your website to GA4.

Conversions are important events such as purchases or newsletter sign-ups which can be tracked by configuring conversions in GA4.

Monetization

These reports display sales data if you have implemented sales tracking or ads on your website. Information includes aggregated sales data such as popular products viewed and item revenue.

Retention

The speaker does not use these reports often due to limitations introduced by web browsers like cookie expiration dates but they are still available in GA4.

Demographics Data

If you have enabled Google signals and collected some data for a while then additional information about your users such as gender and interests will be available.

The demographic details report also allows you to see your users by country and change the mentioned dimension from country to something else like city.

Tech Overview

This report displays information on operating systems, platforms, browsers, and other device-related information of your website visitors.

Exploration Reports

Free Form

This technique is usually a table that allows for custom analysis of data.

Funnel Exploration

Funnels have been greatly improved compared to the previous GA version.

Path Exploration

This technique has also improved in GA4.

Using Variables and Exploration in Google Analytics

In this section, the speaker explains how to use variables and exploration in Google Analytics.

Adding Dimensions, Metrics, and Segments

To use a certain parameter or dimension in a report, you will need to first include it in the variables column.

You can add dimensions by clicking the plus icon and selecting from the list of available options.

Once added, you can drag them to the tab settings column or click on them to display a list of all available dimensions. The same applies to metrics and segments.

Freeform Exploration

In freeform exploration, you can change visualizations, add segments, and rows.

To create a report of the most popular events on your website, drag the event name dimension to rows and remove columns or breakdowns. Add an event count metric in values column by dragging it or double-clicking it.

Funnel Exploration

Create a funnel exploration tab by clicking on "funnel" under exploration method for that particular tab.

Define steps for your funnel by clicking on pencil icon next to "steps". Add conditions for each step based on event names such as "add to cart", "begin checkout", etc.

Once all steps are configured, click apply to see where are the biggest drop-offs in your funnel.

Path Exploration

Path exploration is similar to flow reports but allows you to select not only starting point but also ending points.

Understanding Visitor Behavior

In this section, the speaker explains how to use Google Analytics to understand visitor behavior and improve website conversion rates.

Analyzing User Behavior

Click on every node and go backwards for up to 10 steps in order to understand what visitors are doing before they make a purchase.

Find loops that people are jumping from one page to another because maybe they are stuck because of some reason.

This will give ideas of what could be improved on a website and therefore what could improve conversion rate.

Analyzing Traffic Sources

Use the Advertising section in Google Analytics to see how different traffic sources contribute to overall success of the business.

Identify which traffic sources drive the most sales and what kind of role do they play in that user journey.

Use Conversion Paths report to see what kind of role various traffic sources play in the user journey.

Attribution Models

Understand different attribution models such as cross channel last click model or time decay attribution model.

The most recent traffic sources before the conversion occurred get the most attribution for that conversion under time decay attribution model.

Paid advertising plays an important role in early stages of customer journey even if it doesn't convert immediately.

Importance of Paid Advertising

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of paid advertising in driving cold traffic towards a website and eventually converting them into paying customers.

Role of Paid Advertising

Paid advertising plays an important role in driving cold traffic towards a website.

Even if paid advertising doesn't convert immediately, it introduces visitors to brand, content, offerings etc.

Without paid search or paid advertising, businesses wouldn't be able to convert visitors in the first place.

Comparing Attribution Models

Compare different attribution models such as first click attribution and data-driven attribution to see how different traffic sources perform.

Introduction to Google Analytics 4

In this section, the speaker introduces Google Analytics 4 and explains how to mark events as conversions.

Marking Events as Conversions

General numbers are available in the interface, but clicking on them only provides a closer view of the event.

To mark an event as a conversion, click on it and select "mark as conversion."

It takes up to 24 hours for newly tracked events to appear in Google Analytics.

Creating Audiences

To create an audience, click "new audience" and add conditions such as "event name is add to cart."

Audiences do not work with historic data; they start collecting data from the moment they are created.

Once saved, audiences can be used in Google Ads when linked with Google Analytics 4.

Installing Google Analytics 4

In the admin section, select "data streams" and then your website data stream to find your measurement ID.

Use Google Tag Manager by adding two codes to the website's head and opening body tags.

Developers should add these codes.

Conclusion

The speaker concludes by summarizing what was covered in this video.

Summary

This video introduced Google Analytics 4 and explained how to mark events as conversions and create audiences.

It also covered how to install GA4 using Google Tag Manager.

Installing Google Analytics 4 with Google Tag Manager

In this section, the speaker explains how to install Google Analytics 4 on a website using Google Tag Manager. The steps include configuring the tag in the Tag Configuration section, entering the measurement ID, selecting all pages for triggering, and testing whether the tracking code is working properly.

Configuring the Tag

To configure the tag, click anywhere on Tag Configuration or on the pencil icon.

Select GA4 Configuration and enter the measurement ID in the field provided.

Click anywhere in Triggering and select All Pages.

Name the tag appropriately and save it.

Testing Whether Tracking Code is Working Properly

Click Preview to test whether tracking code is working properly.

Check if data from this tag has reached its destination by using debug view of google analytics 4.

Debugging with Google Analytics 4

In this section, we learn how to use debug view of google analytics 4 to check if data from tags have reached their destination.

Using Debug View of Google Analytics 4

Enable debug view of google analytics 4 to see data coming from your device.

Check what are values of other parameters such as traffic source.

Use debug view to see automatic event tracking such as user engagement event.

Automatic Event Tracking with GA4

In this section, we learn about automatic event tracking with GA4. We see examples of events that are automatically tracked such as scroll event and outbound click event.

Automatic Event Tracking with GA4

Scroll event is automatically tracked when you scroll down to bottom of page.

Outbound click event is automatically tracked when you click on a link that opens a different website.

Google Analytics 4 Installation

In this section, we will learn how to install Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics in parallel.

Basic Installation of Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 tracks page views and several other events.

To publish these changes live, go to Google Tag Manager, click submit, enter GA4 installation, and hit publish.

This will publish a new version of the container that is now live on your website.

Visitors data will not be visible in the debug view because it is only for those who work with the implementation.

Running Both Versions of Google Analytics in Parallel

It is recommended to run both versions of Google Analytics in parallel.

Create a second property at the same time which is Universal Analytics or GA3.

Switch to another property that is universal analytics by going to admin then tracking info then tracking code and copying the tracking ID.

Installing Universal Analytics

Go to Tags > New > Tag Configuration > Choose Universal Analytics.

Keep track type as page view.

In Google Analytics settings variable, click new variable and enter the tracking ID right here. Name this variable something like GA Settings and save it.

Fire this tag on all pages and name it UA-pageview or something similar.

Enhanced Measurement

Enhanced measurement tracks events such as outbound clicks or video watched.

Use exploration reports to see additional data about these events by going to explore free form. Remove dimensions from rows and columns then add an additional dimension such as URL link clicked.

Filtering and Tracking Events

In this section, we learn how to filter events in Google Analytics and track custom events using Google Tag Manager.

Filtering Click Events

To filter click events, go to the filters in the tap settings column and select event name.

Enter "click" as the event name to include only click events.

Apply the filter to see all outbound link clicks on a website.

Event Counts

Add an additional metric to the values column to report on event counts.

The table shows 10 results by default but can be changed by selecting a different number in the show rows field.

Tracking Custom Events

Use Google Tag Manager's element visibility trigger to track when a visitor sees an image for at least two seconds.

Configure the trigger by entering the ID of the element you want to track and setting it to fire once.

Create a new tag configuration for GA4 event and select your existing configuration tag.

Use lowercase letters connected with underscores for naming conventions, such as "banner_displayed."

Add parameters like banner_name or banner_ID if necessary.

Implementing Custom Events in Google Analytics 4

In this section, the speaker explains how to implement custom events in Google Analytics 4 and register custom dimensions to view parameters in reports.

Entering URL and Connecting

To enter the URL, click connect after entering the demo page URL.

Nothing will appear about element visibility yet.

Element Visibility Event

After scrolling down and staying for two seconds, an element visibility event will appear.

Click on the event to fire a tag called "banner displayed".

This event can be seen in Google Analytics 4's debug view under page views.

Configuring Banner Displayed Event

Copy the exact parameter name from Google Tag Manager and paste it into the event parameter name field.

Enter a dimension name for how you want to see that dimension displayed in your GA4 interface.

The scope must be set as an event because every value of banner name could technically be different for each event.

Save this dimension and wait up to 24 hours before using it in places like explorations.

Registering Custom Dimensions

Go to configure, then custom definitions, and create a custom dimension by registering banner name as a dimension in GA4.

A description can be added if needed.

The scope must be set as an event because every value of banner name could technically be different for each event.

It is important to wait at least several hours or up to 24 hours after publishing a new GTM version before checking if events are firing correctly.

Sending Custom Events to Google Analytics 4

In this section, the speaker explains how to send custom events to Google Analytics 4 and how to track them as conversions.

Creating Custom Events

To send custom events with Google Tag Manager, you don't need to additionally create the same event in the "Create Event" button.

Conversion tracking is important for businesses that want to track specific events as conversions.

Once you configure conversions, you will be able to see data related to them in standard reports such as acquisition and traffic acquisition.

Using Create Event Feature

Use the "Create Event" feature when you want to mark certain page views as conversions.

The toggle switch will not work if you want more specific conversion events like thank-you page visits or order confirmation page visits.

You can create a report that shows pages on which conversions happen most often by using dimensions and metrics.

GA4 Tutorial for Beginners

In this section, the speaker concludes the tutorial by providing tips on what topics beginners should learn next.

Tips for Beginners

Learn event tracking because it is the core of Google Analytics 4.

Learn about user properties and audiences because they are essential for creating targeted marketing campaigns.

Google Analytics 4 Course

In this section, the speaker promotes his Google Analytics 4 course and encourages viewers to enroll in it.

Enrolling in the Course

To properly plan, implement, and get value out of your data with Google Analytics 4, consider enrolling in the speaker's full course.

At the time of publishing this video, the course is still being recorded but can be pre-ordered by clicking on a link below the video.

If you are watching this video further in the future, it means that the course is ready for enrollment. Click on a link below to learn more about it.

Conclusion

The speaker concludes by thanking viewers for watching and encouraging them to give a thumbs up if they liked the video and subscribe to his channel.