What you will learn
- Explain GA4's event-based data model
- Set up a GA4 property, data stream, and key events
- Find traffic sources and key event data in standard reports
Google Analytics 4 is Google's current analytics platform, and it replaced Universal Analytics. GA4 records everything as events: a page view, a scroll, a click on a WhatsApp button, or a form submission. Some events are collected automatically, others through enhanced measurement, and the rest you set up yourself. Events that matter most to the business, such as generate_lead or purchase, are marked as key events.
Setting up starts with a GA4 property and a web data stream, which gives you a measurement ID to install on the site, either directly or through Google Tag Manager. Turn on enhanced measurement to capture scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, and file downloads. Then mark your important events as key events. Key events were previously called conversions in GA4, so older guides may still use that word.
Start with a few reports. Traffic acquisition shows which channels bring sessions, such as organic search, paid search, or organic social. Pages and screens shows which content gets attention. Engagement rate is the share of sessions that lasted longer than ten seconds, included a key event, or viewed two or more pages. Use Explore for custom analysis once the standard reports feel familiar.