In setting up and configuring Google Analytics 4 here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up and configure Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with Google Tag Manager (GTM):
1. Create a Google Analytics 4 Property
To get started, you’ll need to create a Google Analytics 4 property. If you haven’t already, create a new Google Analytics account or log in to your existing account.
- Sign in to your Google Analytics account and click on the “Admin” button in the bottom left corner.
- Click on “Create Property” and then select “Google Analytics 4”.
- Enter a name for your property, such as “My Website” or “My App”, and click on the “Create” button.
- You will be taken to the GA4 dashboard, where you can see an overview of your property.
2. Create a Google Tag Manager Container
To set up GA4 with GTM, you’ll need to create a new container in GTM.
- Log in to your Google Tag Manager account and click on the “Create” button.Triggering
- Select “Container” from the dropdown menu.
- Enter a name for your container, such as “My Website” or “My App”, and click on the “Create” button.
- You will be taken to the GTM dashboard, where you can see an overview of your container.
3. Set up the GA4 Tag
To set up the GA4 tag in GTM, you’ll need to create a new tag.
- In the GTM dashboard, click on the “Tags” tab.
- Click on the “New” button and select “Universal Analytics (GA4)” from the tag type dropdown menu.
- Enter a name for your tag, such as “GA4 – Page View”, and click on the “Save” button.
- In the tag configuration settings, enter your GA4 property ID and other desired settings (such as measurement ID).
- Click on the “Save” button to save your tag.
4. Set up Firing Triggers
To track events in GA4, you’ll need to set up firing triggers.
- In the GTM dashboard, click on the “Triggers” tab.
- Click on the “New” button and select “Page View” from the trigger type dropdown menu.
- In the trigger configuration settings, select the GA4 tag you created in Step 3 as the trigger source.
- Configure other desired settings, such as trigger delay or filtering options.
- Click on the “Save” button to save your trigger.
5. Set up Variable Mappings
Variable mappings are used to map variables from your website or app to GA4 dimensions and metrics.
- In the GTM dashboard, click on the “Variables” tab.
- Click on the “New” button and select “Variable” from the variable type dropdown menu.
- Enter a name for your variable, such as “Page URL”, and select a data type (e.g., string)
- Configure other desired settings, such as variable mapping options.
- Click on the “Save” button to save your variable.
6. Set up Custom Events
Custom events are used to track specific events in GA4.
- In the GTM dashboard, click on the “Triggers” tab.
- Click on the “New” button and select “Custom Event” from the trigger type dropdown menu.
- Enter a name for your custom event, such as “Button Click”, and configure other desired settings (e.g., event category, event action).
- Select a variable from your variable mappings (created in Step 5) as a dimension value for your custom event.
- Click on the “Save” button to save your custom event.
7. Publish Your Container
To make changes live in GTM, you’ll need to publish your container.
- In the GTM dashboard, click on the three dots next to your container name and select “Publish”.
- Review any changes before publishing by clicking on the “Preview Changes” button.
- Click on the “Publish Changes” button to make changes live.
8. Verify Your GA4 Property
To verify that your GA4 property is set up correctly, you can check it in GA4 or use Chrome DevTools.
- Log in to your Google Analytics account and navigate to your GA4 property dashboard.
- Check that you can see page views and other metrics tracking correctly.
- Use Chrome DevTools to verify that tags are firing correctly by inspecting network requests.
Best Practices
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when setting up GA4 with GTM:
- Make sure to set up both page view tracking and custom event tracking for maximum data collection.
- Use variable mappings to map variables from your website or app to GA4 dimensions and metrics for more accurate tracking.
- Test your setup thoroughly before publishing changes live.
- Consider using data layer variables instead of hardcoded values for more flexibility.
- Use audience segments in GA4 to target specific users based on their behavior or demographics.
By following these steps and best practices, you should be able to set up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with Google Tag Manager (GTM) effectively and start collecting valuable insights about your website or app users.