Google Analytics 4 guide: the complete tutorial for 2026

What is Google Analytics 4 and why does it matter?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's newest analytics platform, which fully replaced the previous version, Universal Analytics (UA), in 2023. GA4 is fundamentally a new platform, not just an update: it is based on events, not sessions, and is built to work with future privacy requirements.

Why does GA4 matter? Without correctly configured analytics you fly blind. You do not know where your visitors come from, what they do on your site or whether your marketing works. GA4 gives you the data to make smarter decisions: where to invest, which campaigns work and where the bottlenecks in your sales funnel are.

The main differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics: an event-based model (everything is an 'event'), built-in machine learning analytics, stronger privacy protection (cookieless tracking), web and app data in one place, free BigQuery export, a new interface and report structure.

How to set up Google Analytics 4

Step 1: create a GA4 property

Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Click 'Admin' (the gear icon at the bottom left), choose 'Create' and then 'Property'. Fill in the required fields: property name (your website's name), time zone, currency (EUR). Answer the business information questions and click 'Create'.

Step 2: set up a data stream

After creating the property you have to create a data stream. Choose 'Web' (for a website). Enter your website URL and give the stream a name. Click 'Create stream'. You receive your Measurement ID (in the G-XXXXXXX format) and setup instructions.

Step 3: install the tracking code

There are several ways to install the GA4 code:

  • Google tag (gtag.js): add the code to your website's <head> section. The simplest way, but it requires access to the code.

  • Google Tag Manager: the recommended method. GTM lets you manage all your tracking codes in one place without changing the code.

  • Platform integrations: Shopify, Wix, WordPress and other platforms have built-in GA4 integrations. Just enter your Measurement ID.

Step 4: check that it works

In GA4 go to 'Reports' > 'Realtime' and open your website in another window. You should see 1 active user. Alternatively use Google Tag Assistant (a Chrome extension) to check that the tag works correctly.

GA4 core concepts and terminology

Events

In GA4 everything is an event. A page load is an event (page_view), scrolling is an event (scroll), watching a video is an event (video_start). GA4 automatically tracks certain events (automatically collected events) and enhanced measurement events. On top of that you can set up your own custom events.

Conversions

A conversion is an event you define as an important business action: a purchase, an inquiry, a sign-up, a download. In GA4 you mark an event as a conversion under Admin > Events > 'Mark as conversion'. Unlike UA, GA4 allows more than 20 conversions.

Users vs sessions

A user is a unique visitor. A session is one visit. One user can have several sessions. GA4 focuses more on users than on sessions, which gives a better picture of the real audience.

Engagement rate

GA4 introduced a new metric, 'engagement rate', the inverse of bounce rate. An engaged session is one that lasted at least 10 seconds, or included a conversion event, or included at least 2 page views.

Dimensions and metrics

A dimension is an attribute (for example city, device, source). A metric is a quantitative measure (for example number of users, sessions, conversions). You build reports by combining dimensions and metrics.

GA4 reports and dashboards

Reports snapshot

A quick overview of the main numbers: users, new users, engagement time, revenue. A good place for a daily glance, but for deeper analysis go into the specific reports.

Realtime

Shows what is happening on your site right now. Useful for checking (is tracking working?) and for watching campaigns right after launch.

Acquisition

Where do your users come from? Main reports: traffic acquisition (traffic sources), user acquisition (sources of new users), Google Ads (if linked). Here you see which channels bring traffic and conversions: organic search, paid search, direct, referral, social, email.

Engagement

What do users do on your site? Main reports: pages and screens (most popular pages), events (event overview), landing page (the first page reached). Here you find answers to questions like 'what is my most popular content?' and 'where do users leave?'.

Monetization

For e-commerce: revenue, transactions, average order value. Requires e-commerce tracking. You can see which products sell, what the average purchase is, and much more.

Retention

Do users come back? Retention rate shows what share of users returns after the first visit. An important metric for judging long-term success.

Demographics

Who are your users? Age, gender, location, language, interests. It helps you understand whether you reach the right audience. Note: demographic data is estimated and requires Google Signals to be activated.

Tech

Which devices and browsers are used? Desktop vs mobile vs tablet, browser split, screen resolutions. Important for website optimization: if 70% of traffic comes from mobile, the mobile experience has to be the priority.

Setting up conversions in GA4

Conversion tracking is the most important part of analytics. Without it you do not know whether your marketing works.

Automatic conversions

GA4 automatically tracks the 'purchase' event for e-commerce (when enhanced e-commerce is set up), and first_visit for new users.

Custom conversions

Most businesses need their own custom conversions. Here are the steps:

1. Define what your conversion is: a contact form submission, a phone call, a download, a sign-up, a purchase.

2. Create the event: in GA4 under Admin > Events > 'Create event', or use Google Tag Manager.

3. Mark it as a conversion: Admin > Events > find your event > switch on 'Mark as conversion'.

Typical conversions

  • Form submissions: track visits to the 'thank you' page or the form submit event.

  • Phone calls: track clicks on tel: links or use a call tracking service.

  • Email clicks: track clicks on mailto: links.

  • File downloads: GA4 enhanced measurement tracks them automatically.

  • Video views: automatic for YouTube videos, other platforms need setup.

Google Tag Manager and GA4

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool that lets you manage all your tracking codes in one place. We strongly recommend using GTM to manage GA4, because: you do not have to change code for every change, you can track more complex events (button clicks, scrolls and so on), it is easy to test and debug, and it has versioning and rollback.

Setting up GTM + GA4

1. Create a GTM account at tagmanager.google.com.

2. Install the GTM code on your website (two snippets: in <head> and at the start of <body>). 3. Create a new tag: choose 'Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration'.

4. Enter your Measurement ID.

5. Choose the trigger: 'All Pages'.

6. Save and publish.

Event tracking with GTM

GTM lets you track almost anything without code: button clicks (by ID, class or text), link clicks (outbound links, files, email, phone), form submissions, scroll depth, element visibility (did the user scroll to a certain element), custom JavaScript events.

UTM parameters and campaign tracking

UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL that tell GA4 where the traffic came from. They are essential for tracking campaigns.

The structure of UTM parameters

  • utm_source: where the traffic comes from (google, facebook, newsletter)

  • utm_medium: the channel type (cpc, email, social, referral)

  • utm_campaign: the campaign name (summer_sale, black_friday_2026)

  • utm_term: the keyword (optional, useful for PPC)

  • utm_content: the ad variant (A/B test, banner_blue)

An example UTM URL

https://www.mintagency.eu/seo?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=january_promo&utm_content=video_ad

Use Google's Campaign URL Builder to create UTM links: https://ga-dev-tools.google/campaign-url-builder/

GA4 Explorations (custom reports)

The standard reports give a quick overview, but Explorations let you build custom analyses. Go to 'Explore' and choose one of the templates or start from scratch.

Exploration types

  • Free-form: the most flexible. Build your own tables, charts, maps.

  • Funnel exploration: follow the user journey through several steps. Ideal for analyzing the purchase path.

  • Path exploration: shows how users move around your site. Where do they come from and where do they go?

  • Segment overlap: compare different user groups, for example mobile vs desktop users.

  • Cohort exploration: follow user groups over time. Ideal for retention analysis.

  • User lifetime: analysis of the user's whole lifecycle, from first visit to last action.

Linking GA4 and Google Ads

If you use Google Ads, linking GA4 is mandatory. The link lets you: see Google Ads campaign results in GA4, import GA4 conversions into Google Ads, build audiences for remarketing, and use Smart Bidding based on GA4 conversions.

How to link

1. In GA4 go to Admin > Product links > Google Ads links. 2. Click 'Link'. 3. Choose your Google Ads account. 4. Configure the settings (we recommend switching on personalized advertising). 5. Confirm the link.

E-commerce tracking in GA4

For online stores e-commerce tracking is essential. It lets you track: product views, add to carts, the checkout process, purchases and revenue, refunds.

E-commerce events in GA4

  • view_item: a product view

  • add_to_cart: added to cart

  • begin_checkout: checkout started

  • add_payment_info: payment info added

  • purchase: purchase completed
    Shopify, WooCommerce and the other major platforms offer GA4 e-commerce tracking through plugins or built in.

GA4 and privacy

GDPR and ePrivacy require the user's consent before cookies are set. That means GA4 may only fire after the user has consented.

Google's Consent Mode lets GA4 work even without cookie consent, using modelled data. It helps preserve part of the analytics even when users decline cookies.

Use a CMP (consent management platform) such as Cookiebot, OneTrust or Complianz. Set up triggers in GTM that fire GA4 only after consent.