Google Analytics 4: Setup Guide & Key Metrics to Track

GA4 is now the standard for website analytics. Learn how to set it up, understand key reports, and make data-driven decisions for growth.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) replaced Universal Analytics in July 2023. It uses an event-based data model instead of session-based, giving you much deeper insights into how users interact with your website and apps.

Setting Up GA4

Go to analytics.google.com, create a new GA4 property, and add the tracking code to your website. If you use WordPress, install the Google Site Kit plugin for the easiest setup. Verify your data is flowing in Real-Time reports within 24-48 hours.

Key Metrics to Track

Users & New Users — How many people visited and how many are first-time visitors
Sessions — Total visits to your site including return visits
Engagement Rate — Replaces bounce rate — shows sessions where users actually engaged
Average Engagement Time — How long people actively use your site
Conversions — Goal completions like form submissions, purchases, sign-ups

Most Important GA4 Reports

Acquisition Reports

See exactly where your traffic comes from — organic search, social media, email, direct, or referrals. This tells you which marketing channels are working and where to invest more.

Engagement Reports

See which pages get the most views, which content keeps people reading, and where users drop off. Use this to improve underperforming pages.

Conversions

Set up conversion events for your most important actions. Track purchase completions, lead form submissions, phone click events, and file downloads.

Data without action is just noise. Review your analytics weekly, identify your top opportunities, and make one improvement at a time based on what the data tells you.

GA4 vs Universal Analytics

GA4 is more powerful but has a steeper learning curve. The biggest change is the event-based model — every interaction is an event. This makes it more flexible and cross-platform (web + app) but requires more initial configuration to track the metrics you care about.