Step 1: Create a property
Once you have created an account, click on “Admin” at the bottom left of the page. Select your new account and then click on “GA4 Setup Assistant”.
Step 2: Get started
Click on “Get started” and then “Create property”. Now Google Analytics will automatically create a GA4 property and you can then click on the “Go to your GA4 property” button.
Step 3: Add data
Now click on “Data streams” and then on “Ad stream”, there you can choose whether you want to create for web or app. Next, click on “Google Tag Manager” where you will receive instructions to set up a tag to be able to track your website data in your new GA4 property through Google Tag Manager (GTM).
Step 4: Set up the tracking code
GA4 uses a new tracking code that is different from Universal Analytics (UA). You can find it next to “Measurement ID”. Inside your GTM account under “New tag” you can name your GA4 property and add your measurement ID tag under “GA4 Configuration”. Add this for all pages and click save. You then need to click on “Preview” and if a new tab does not open in your browser, this means that it is blocked.
Step 5: Connect, Submit and Publish
If necessary, add your website URL and click connect. After you click connect, a new tab should open in your web browser. Then click back to the previous page showing your Tag Manager preview mode and click “Continue”. If you then see that the tag is “Fired” under “GA4 tracking – All pages”, everything is correct and you can click “Submit” on your GTM account and publish.
It is important to note that if you have GA4 enabled, it is a default setting and you will need to set up your custom triggers and events for each page where you want to pull data. This can be a challenge for many, and therefore many choose to seek help from their web agency to facilitate the process.