Google Analytics 4 Setup Guide: What to Track and How to Configure It

Google Analytics 4 is fundamentally different from Universal Analytics. The event-based model replaces the session-based model, which changes how you configure tracking and interpret data.

Install GA4 through Google Tag Manager, not direct code injection. GTM provides flexibility to add, modify, and debug tags without touching your website code. Create a GA4 Configuration tag in GTM with your Measurement ID.

Configure enhanced measurement events in GA4 settings. These automatically track page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement, and file downloads. Review which events are relevant and disable any that create noise.

Set up custom events for business-critical actions. Form submissions, phone number clicks, add-to-cart actions, and sign-up completions need custom event tracking. Configure these through GTM triggers matched to the specific user interactions.

Mark conversion events in GA4 admin. Any event can be flagged as a conversion. Mark the events that represent business value — typically form submissions, purchases, phone calls, and demo bookings.

Create audiences based on user behavior for remarketing. Users who visited your pricing page but did not convert, users who added to cart but did not purchase, and users who viewed specific service pages are all valuable retargeting audiences.