Get instant answers to the most common Google Analytics 4 questions. Our certified GA4 experts have compiled comprehensive answers to help you master GA4 setup, tracking, reporting, and troubleshooting.
Setting up GA4 involves: 1) Creating a GA4 property in your Google Analytics account, 2) Adding the GA4 measurement ID to your website via Google Tag Manager or directly in code, 3) Configuring data streams for your website, 4) Setting up enhanced measurement events, and 5) Verifying data collection is working properly. Our complete GA4 setup guide walks through each step.
GA4 uses an event-based data model instead of session-based, offers better cross-platform tracking, includes machine learning insights, has different reporting interface, provides enhanced privacy controls, and will be the only Google Analytics option as Universal Analytics was sunset in July 2023.
Yes, you could run both until Universal Analytics was discontinued in July 2023. Now GA4 is the only option. During the transition period, running both was recommended to maintain historical data while building GA4 data history.
GA4 typically starts collecting data within 24 hours of proper installation. Real-time reports show data immediately, but standard reports may take 24-48 hours to populate fully. Complex events or conversions might take up to 72 hours to appear in all reports.
Google Tag Manager is not required but highly recommended for GA4. GTM makes it easier to manage tracking codes, implement custom events, add conversion tracking, and maintain your analytics setup without changing website code constantly.
GA4 events are user interactions with your content. Unlike Universal Analytics' hit types (pageview, event, transaction), everything in GA4 is an event. Events can have parameters that provide additional context, making tracking more flexible and detailed.
GA4 automatically tracks: page_view, scroll (90%), outbound clicks, site search, video engagement, file downloads. Enhanced measurement can be enabled for these events in your GA4 property settings without additional code.
Custom events in GA4 are tracked using gtag('event', 'event_name', parameters) or through Google Tag Manager. Each event can have up to 25 custom parameters. Common custom events include form submissions, button clicks, video plays, and specific user actions relevant to your business.
In GA4, conversions are simply events marked as important to your business. Any event can become a conversion by toggling the 'Mark as conversion' setting in your GA4 property. You can have up to 30 conversion events per property.
GA4 ecommerce tracking requires implementing Enhanced Ecommerce events like purchase, add_to_cart, view_item, begin_checkout. These events include specific parameters (currency, value, items array) to track revenue, products, and shopping behavior comprehensively.
GA4 and Universal Analytics use different data models and measurement approaches. GA4 counts engaged sessions differently, uses probabilistic data modeling, includes privacy-centric measurement, and has different attribution models. Some discrepancy is normal and expected.
GA4 custom reports are created using the 'Explore' section. You can build custom reports using techniques like funnel analysis, cohort analysis, path analysis, and free-form exploration. The interface is drag-and-drop with dimensions and metrics.
GA4 uses statistical sampling when analyzing large datasets to improve performance. Green sampling icon means unsampled data, yellow indicates sampled. Sampling typically occurs with over 10 million events in the selected date range.
GA4 data can be exported through: report sharing (PDF, CSV), Google Sheets add-on, GA4 Intelligence API, BigQuery export (free tier available), or third-party tools. Each method has different data limits and capabilities.
GA4 doesn't have bounce rate by default. Instead, it uses 'Engagement Rate' which measures engaged sessions (lasting 10+ seconds, having conversion event, or 2+ page views). Bounce rate can be calculated as 100% minus engagement rate.
Universal Analytics historical data cannot be migrated to GA4 due to different data models. However, you can still access UA data through the Universal Analytics interface until July 2024. Export important historical reports before the cutoff date.
Common causes: incorrect tracking code installation, tracking code conflicts, ad blockers, privacy settings, sampling issues, or delayed data processing. Use GA4's DebugView to troubleshoot tracking issues in real-time.
Duplicate events usually result from: multiple tracking codes, both gtag and GTM firing, duplicate GTM tags, or Universal Analytics and GA4 tracking the same actions. Audit your tracking implementation and remove redundant code.
Conversion tracking issues often stem from: events not firing correctly, conversion events not marked as conversions, attribution model differences, or data processing delays. Verify events in DebugView and check conversion settings.
UA goals don't directly migrate to GA4. You need to recreate them as conversion events. Destination goals become page_view events with specific parameters, duration goals use engagement metrics, and event goals map to GA4 custom events.
GA4 includes GDPR-friendly features like data retention controls, user deletion capabilities, and consent mode. However, GDPR compliance depends on your implementation, privacy policy, cookie banner setup, and data processing agreements with Google.
GA4 includes enhanced privacy features: automatic IP anonymization, consent mode for cookie-free measurement, data retention settings, user data deletion tools, and advanced data controls to help meet privacy regulations.
Consent Mode allows GA4 to adapt behavior based on user consent choices. It can model conversions without cookies using machine learning, respect user preferences, and maintain measurement capabilities while honoring privacy choices.
GA4 default data retention is 14 months for user and event data. You can adjust this to 2 months in property settings. Aggregated data in reports is retained longer. Conversion data retention follows the same user-level retention setting.
Yes, GA4 provides user deletion tools. You can delete data associated with specific User IDs through the GA4 interface or User Deletion API. This helps comply with GDPR right-to-erasure requests and other privacy regulations.
GA4 audiences are user segments based on events, user properties, or predictive conditions. You can create audiences for remarketing, analysis, or activation in other Google products. Audiences can include complex conditions and time-based criteria.
GA4's machine learning provides predictive metrics (purchase probability, churn probability), automated insights, anomaly detection, and conversion modeling. These features require sufficient data volume and time to generate accurate predictions.
Custom dimensions add business-specific context to events (like customer type, product category). Custom metrics are calculated values (like profit margin). You can have up to 25 custom dimensions and 50 custom metrics per property.
GA4 offers free BigQuery export for all properties. Enable the connection in GA4 Admin > Product Links > BigQuery. This provides raw event data for advanced analysis, custom reporting, and machine learning applications.
GA4 includes multiple attribution models: data-driven (default), last click, first click, linear, time decay, and position-based. Data-driven attribution uses machine learning to assign conversion credit across touchpoints based on actual contribution.
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