Google Analytics 4 in 5 minutes, a beginner's guide for online stores
GA4 replaced Universal Analytics in 2023 and thinks about data in an entirely new way. Here is the checklist you need to get started, without getting stuck in complexity.
Been told to use Google Analytics in your web shop but not sure where to start? Since July 2023 it is no longer Universal Analytics, it is Google Analytics 4 (GA4). GA4 works fundamentally differently from its predecessor, so even if you used the old tool there is plenty to relearn.
This guide gives you a checklist, in 5 minutes, to get started the right way.
What is Google Analytics 4?
GA4 is a free tool that lets you analyze who visits your web shop, where they come from, and what they do during their visit. You can use the data to improve layout, tailor offers and evaluate marketing.
The big difference from the old Universal Analytics: GA4 is event-based. Everything that happens, page view, click, scroll, purchase, is an "event", instead of data being split into sessions and pageviews. This gives more flexibility, but also requires you to think differently about what you measure.
1. Create an account and install
Before you can start measuring:
- Have a Google account. Do not have one? Create one here.
- Create a GA4 property. Go to analytics.google.com, create a new property for your web shop and a data stream for the website. You get a Measurement ID starting with
G-. - Install the tracking code. Using Quickbutik? Just paste the Measurement ID under Settings → Tracking, we handle the rest, including e-commerce events. On other platforms it is done via Google Tag Manager or directly in the theme's
<head>. - Verify the data is coming in. In GA4, go to the Realtime report and visit your own store. Within a second you should see yourself.
2. Configure key events
GA4 automatically tracks certain base events (page view, first visit, scroll, click on outbound links). But for a web shop you also want to measure the events that actually matter to the business.
Quickbutik automatically sends the e-commerce events view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout and purchase to GA4. On other platforms you may need to set this up via Tag Manager.
In GA4 you mark the events that match business goals as key events (previously called "Conversions"). For a web shop at least purchase is essential; consider also adding begin_checkout and sign_up if you have email signup.
3. Connect GA4 to Google Ads and Search Console
To see how visitors find your store, link GA4 with other tools in Google's ecosystem:
- Link GA4 to Google Ads, to see which ads actually drive purchases.
- Link GA4 to Search Console, to see organic keywords and top pages inside GA4.
4. Understand the reports that matter
The GA4 interface differs from Universal Analytics. Good starting points under Reports in the left menu:
- Realtime, what is happening in the store right now? Useful for watching campaigns live.
- Acquisition → Traffic acquisition, which channels are sending visitors? Search, social, email, direct, etc.
- Engagement → Events and pages, which events fire? Which pages are most popular?
- Monetize → Ecommerce purchases, all purchase and product data. Here you find revenue, order value and top-selling products.
- Explore, custom analyses. When you have outgrown the standard reports, this is where you build deeper insights.
5. Segment new vs returning visitors
For data to become valuable you need to segment it. One of the most basic and useful segmentations is new vs returning visitors, behavior differs sharply and says a lot about how your marketing works at the top of the funnel versus retention.
In GA4 this is easiest in the Explore view, where you can build comparisons and funnel analyses.
Bonus: what you do not need at the start
GA4 is dangerously easy to over-configure. For the first few months it is enough to have:
- Correct installation
- Marked key events
- Google Ads and Search Console linked
- Daily glance at Realtime + weekly check on Acquisition and Ecommerce purchases
Save advanced stuff like custom dimensions, predictive audiences and BigQuery export for when you actually have questions the standard reports cannot answer.
GA4 can feel overwhelming, but the key is not to rush. Get the foundation right first, then dive deeper based on the questions that actually come up in your business. Slow is fast.