Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Written by Himanshu Sharma, Founder of OptimizeSmart.com

© Copyright 2024 Optimize Smart. All rights reserved.

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About the author

● Founder, OptimizeSmart.com
● Over 20 years of experience in digital analytics and marketing
● Author of four best-selling books on digital analytics and conversion optimization
● Nominated for Digital Analytics Association Awards for Excellence
● Runs one of the most popular blogs in the world on digital analytics
● Consultant to countless small and big businesses over the decade

Website: www.optimizesmart.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/analyticsnerd

X: https://twitter.com/analyticsnerd

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<<One program to rule them all >>
Sales & ROI + GA4 + BigQuery + Data, Maths & Stats + Attribution Modelling + Looker
Studio. 4k+ students + Enrollment from US and UK universities.

I designed this all-in-one training program so that:

a) You can understand how they all work together.

For example,

>> How you can implement digital analytics with GA4.

>> How BigQuery works with GA4 and vice versa.

>> How looker studio works with BigQuery and GA4.

>> How to use the knowledge of maths and stats to interpret analytics data.

>> How to set up KPIs and marketing funnels.

>> How to optimize and scale ads by leveraging analytics and attribution data.

b) You don't have to purchase half a dozen different courses from different course creators,
all teaching the same basic stuff. "Click here...and now click there....". You can learn these
‘click here and then click there’ lessons for_free on my blog or YouTube.

c) I teach how to use AI tools like chatgpt to automate mundane and low value tasks like
manually creating Excel/Google sheets functions and formulas, regex, SQL, JavaScript etc. So
that you can spend more time doing data analysis then data extraction.

In this training program my objective is not to teach you digital analytics. That's not my end
goal. My end goal is to increase sales and ROI by leveraging the knowledge of digital
analytics. That's the end goal. So everything you learn is tied to driving sales and ROI.

Learn more about the training.

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Get helpful tips on a daily basis
If you are the type of person who finds it helpful to receive short tips on GA4,
improving conversions, fixing attribution issues and learning about analytics in
general, then follow me on LinkedIn. I post a few short tips each day.

Click here and follow me on LinkedIn

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (also known as Apps + Web) is the latest version of Google
Analytics.

Since it is the 4th version, it is called GA4.

Following are the other three versions of Google Analytics:

1. The first version of Google Analytics (also known as GA1) is Classic

Google Analytics (ga.js JavaScript library).
2. The second version of Google Analytics (also known as GA2) is
Universal Analytics (analytics.js JavaScript library)
3. The third version of Google Analytics (also known as GA3) is also
Universal Analytics, but it uses a different JavaScript library called
gtag.js JavaScript library.

Note: GA4 also uses the gtag.js library but uses a new measurement model
called the ‘Event+Parameter‘ model.

Through GA4 you can combine mobile app and website usage data for
unified reporting and analysis.

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Further reading: What is GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – The Apps + Web
Property?

How old is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 was officially launched on October 14, 2020. So, as of today,
GA4 is over three years old.

Is Google Analytics 4 free or paid?

There are two versions of GA4, free and paid. The free version is called the
‘Standard’ version. The paid version is called ‘GA4 360‘.

How much will Google Analytics 4 cost?

The standard version of GA4 is free to use. The pricing for GA4 360 starts at
$150,000 per year.

Should I move to Google Analytics 4?

Yes. Universal Analytics is no longer available. So you have to use GA4.

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Is Google Analytics 4 any good?
GA4 has been well-received for its advanced features, flexibility, and
future-oriented design, but opinions vary among users depending on specific
use cases and needs.

How do I learn Google Analytics 4 without a

website?
You can learn about Google Analytics 4 without having your own website.

Use the following websites for learning GA4:

1) Google Merchandise Store (shop .googlemerchandisestore .com) – It is an

ecommerce website owned by Google.

This website sells Google-branded merchandise (apparel, bags, drinkware,

stationery etc.).

2) Google’ Flood-it’ mobile app – It is a mobile gaming app from Google.

For more details, check out this article: How to learn Google Analytics without
a website.

Take the guided tour of Google Analytics 4

#1 Whilst logged into your Google account, navigate to this page:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6367342

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#2 Scroll down the page until you see the following section:

#3 Click on the button below to open the GA4 Merchandise Store demo
account:

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You should now be able to see the home page of your GA4 Merchandise Store
demo property:

#4 Click on the? button at the top right-hand side of your screen:

#5 Click on the ‘Start Tour’ button:

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#6 You should now see a screen like the one below. Click on the ‘Next’ button:

#7 Use the side panel to navigate to different reports. Click on the ‘Reports’
icon:

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#8 Reports Snapshot

You will now see the Reports Snapshot, which gives you an overview of
important information about your users and their engagement with your
website/app:

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#9 Click on the ‘NEXT’ button:

#10 Reports

Check the various reports which provide important information about the
users’ behavior on your website/app.

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#11 Click on the ‘NEXT’ button:

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#12 Explorations

Click on the Exploration icon to view the various exploration report templates
provided by GA4:

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You should now see a screen like the one below, which shows the various
exploration report templates provided by GA4.

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#13 Click on the ‘NEXT’ button:

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#14 Advertising

Click on the ‘Advertising’ icon to see the various GA4 attribution reports
through which you can understand your customers’ purchase journey:

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You should now see a screen like the one below, which shows the various
attribution reports provided by GA4.

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#15 Click on the ‘NEXT’ button:

#16 Admin

Click on the ‘Admin‘ button to review and edit your account and property
settings:

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You should now see a screen like the one below:

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#17 Click on the ‘NEXT’ button:

#18 Search for specific GA4 report.

Use the search box at the very top of your GA4 reporting view to search for a
specific GA4 report, ask a question about your data or search for help:

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#19 Click on the ‘GOT IT’ button to end your guided tour of GA4:

Does GA4 use machine learning?

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Yes. The following features (but not limited to) of GA4 use machine learning:

● Predictive metrics.
● Predictive audience.
● Modeled conversions.
● Behavioral modeling in path and funnel reports.
● Custom Insights.
● Automated Insights.
● Anomaly detection.

Does GA4 replace GTM?

No, GA4 does not replace GTM. Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tag
management system that allows you to add and manage tags on your website
or app easily.

Whereas GA4 is an analytics platform that helps you collect and analyze data
about your website or app visitors. GA4 and GTM are often used together.

Further reading: Google Tag Manager vs Google Analytics – Key differences.

Can you use GA4 without Google Tag

Manager?
Yes, you can use GA4 without Google Tag Manager.

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How is GA4 different from Universal
Analytics?
In the past, if you wanted to measure your website usage data, then you would
need to use the Universal Analytics property meant for tracking website data.

If you want to measure your mobile app usage data, you need to use Google
Analytics for Firebase or Google Analytics APP view (created via separate
Universal Analytics property).

There was no easy way to combine mobile app and website usage data for
unified reporting and analysis.

However, this has all changed with the advent of the GA4 property (formerly
known as ‘App+Web’ property).

Google Analytics 4 allows you to integrate mobile app and website usage data
into a single GA Property.

This new property is called ‘Google Analytics 4 (or GA4).

The GA4 property is available in your GA account when you create a new
property.

Even if you don’t have a mobile app, Google still recommends that you
create and use the GA4 property.

If you don’t have a mobile app, your GA4 property can be used to measure
your website performance.

The reporting view you create in the GA4 property is called the GA4 reporting
view.

Note: You can create only one reporting view in a GA4 property.

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The user interface of the GA4 view looks similar to that of Google Analytics for
Firebase (because GA4 is built on Firebase analytics).

But it is quite different from any GA3 reporting view.

What is the main difference between Google

Analytics and GA4?
The following are the main differences:

1. GA4 has a different reporting interface (which looks similar to that of

Google Analytics for Firebase)
2. GA4 use a different measurement model (which is based on events
and parameters instead of sessions and pageviews)
3. GA4 use measurement ID instead of tracking ID
4. Event tracking is set up differently in GA4.
5. GA4 allows automation of certain types of events (via enhanced
measurement feature)

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 6. GA4 uses different ‘User and event data retention periods (2 months,
14 months)
7. The e-commerce tracking in GA4 is set up differently.
8. GA4 provides much more robust cross-device and cross-platform
tracking.
9. GA4 Attribution Modelling capabilities are based on model
comparison.
10.Custom dimensions in GA4 are set up differently.
11.Custom metrics in GA4 are set up differently.
12.GA4 has debugging built-in (via the DebugView report)
13.GA4 provides a new set of engagement metrics (like ‘engagement
rate’, ‘engaged sessions’, etc.).
14.GA4 has IP Anonymization built-in
15.A GA4 property comes with only one reporting view
16.GA4 comes with a free connection to BigQuery.
17.GA4 comes with a new set of advanced analysis reports (like the
exploration report).

To learn more about these differences, check out this article: Google
Analytics 4 (GA4) vs Universal Analytics – What is the difference?

What is the biggest difference between GA4

and universal analytics?
The measurement model (data model) is the biggest difference between GA4
and Universal Analytics. GA4 uses the events+parameters measurement model.
Whereas Universal Analytics uses the sessions+pageviews based measurement
model.

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What is the difference between Google
Analytics 4 and 360?
There are two versions of GA4 available: GA4 Standard and GA4 360:

The GA4 standard refers to the free version of the GA4 property. Whereas GA4
360 refers to the paid version of the GA4 property.

GA4 360 is one of the products of the Google Marketing Platform and is a
subscription service where you pay monthly fees.

Unlike GA4 360, you can not rely on GA4 standard property for a large amount
of data processing and high accuracy.

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 To learn more about the differences between GA4 standard and GA4
360, check out this article: GA4 vs GA4 360 – Pricing, Limits, Billing and
more

Why is GA4 better than universal analytics?

The following are the key advantages of GA4 over Universal Analytics:

1. GA4 property provides more robust cross-device and cross-platform

tracking.
2. GA4 provides much more accurate reporting on unique users across
platforms.
3. GA4 provides advanced analysis reports (available earlier only to GA
360 users).
4. GA4 provides a free connection to BigQuery.
5. There are no limits on the volume of data you can send to a GA4
property.
6. GA4 allows automatic tracking for certain types of events (like scroll
tracking, video tracking, exit tracking, site search tracking, etc.).

To learn more about the GA4 advantages, check out the article: Key
Benefits of Using Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Is GA4 better than Adobe Analytics?

GA4 and Adobe Analytics are powerful analytics platforms that help you
understand your website or app visitors. However, they have different
strengths and weaknesses.

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#1 If you use Google products, it makes sense to use GA4 as GA4 natively
integrates with other Google products like Google Ads and Google BigQuery.

#2 If you use Adobe products, it makes sense to use Adobe Analytics as Adobe
Analytics works well with other Adobe Experience Cloud services like Adobe
Target and Adobe Audience Manager.

#3 GA4 offers a free tier, making it accessible for small to medium-sized

businesses. Adobe Analytics is not free to use.

#4 Adobe Analytics is more user-friendly than GA4.

#5 GA4 is a relatively new analytics platform, so some features are still in the
development stage. Whereas Adobe Analytics is a more mature platform.

#6 Adobe Analytics offers a wider range of features and customization options

than GA4 and is better suited for large enterprises.

#7 Both GA4 and Adobe Analytics come with a steep learning curve.

#8 Adobe Analytics usually takes longer to set up and configure than GA4
properly.

Why should I upgrade to Google Analytics 4?

Google discontinued Universal Analytics (GA3) on July 1st, 2023. So if you want
to keep using Google Analytics then you have to upgrade to Google Analytics 4.

What happens if I don’t migrate to GA4?

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If you don’t migrate to Google Analytics 4, you cannot collect new data about
your website or app visitors after July 1, 2023.

How long does it take to switch to Google Analytics 4?

The time it takes to switch to Google Analytics 4 from Universal Analytics

depends upon the following factors (but not limited to):

#1 The size and complexity of your website and/or app.

#2 The size and complexity of your current tracking setup, including the level of
customization you have made to your Universal Analytics reports.

If you have a small website/app with a simple tracking setup, you can switch to
GA4 in a matter of hours.

However, if you have a large and complex website/app with a complex tracking
setup, switching may take you a few days or weeks.

Is switching to GA4 easy?

It is easy if you understand the Google Analytics development environment.
Otherwise, it is hard.

Does Google Analytics 4 require coding?

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Using GA4 does not require any coding knowledge. But implementing GA4
does.

How long does it take to setup Google

Analytics 4?
The time it takes to set up GA4 depends upon your technical expertise, the size
and complexity of your website/app and the tracking setup.

How long does it take for Google Analytics 4

to work?
It could take up to 48 hours for your GA4 property to start collecting data after
you have set up the tracking code on your website/app.

How do I install Google Analytics 4?

You can either hardcode the Google Analytics 4 tracking code on your website,
or you can use the Google Tag Manager to install GA4.

For step-by-step instructions on installing Google Analytics 4, check out this

article: GA4 Migration Guide – Learn to upgrade to GA4 from GA3 via
checklist.

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What are the best practices for using Google
Analytics 4?
Following are the best practices for using Google Analytics 4:

● Set up GA4 as soon as possible so that you can collect as much data as
possible about your website/app.
● Track only those events you really need. Don’t track unnecessary
events.
● Get professional help. Setting up GA4 correctly is not easy. You would
be better off getting professional help.
● GA4 constantly evolves, so keeping up with the latest changes is very
important.

How do I get the most out of Google

Analytics 4?
To benefit from GA4 the most, learn and master Google Sheets and/or
BigQuery.

Use AI tools with Google Sheets to automate and enhance data analysis
without the need to memorise formulas and functions.

Google Sheets has many formulas and functions, and using the correct formula
and function is a major issue.

It’s hard to memorize and use them all. Correct usage is also a challenge. One
mistake can break a formula or function. AI tools can help solve this problem.

You can use the Google Cloud AI platform (to perform tasks like data
pre-processing, cleaning, and transformation) with Google Sheets.

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Use Google Sheets Add-on (like supermetrics for Google Sheets Add-on,
formulabot) and Google Apps Script (which allows you to automate tasks in
Google Sheets) with Google Sheets.

Use BigQuery BI Engine to perform data analysis using a drag-and-drop

interface.

The BI engine can respond to natural language queries.

It uses Google’s natural language processing (NLP) technology to understand

natural language inputs and then converts them into an SQL query that
BigQuery can execute.

Another way to use natural language with BigQuery is by using an NLP library
like Google Cloud Natural Language API.

This API allows you to extract insights from an unstructured text by applying
powerful machine learning models.

You can use this API to perform sentiment analysis, entity recognition, and
other NLP tasks on text data stored in BigQuery.

Using natural language makes it easier for non-technical users to

perform data analysis in BigQuery, but it is still not the primary way of
interacting with BigQuery.

The primary way is still SQL.

However, this should all change with the advancement of technology within a
year or two.

If you don’t use AI tools, you will be replaced by one that does.

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What are the top GA4 tools and resources?
Check the following article, where I have divulged the top GA4 tools,
extensions, and resources we frequently employ within our organization: Top
GA4 Tools, add-ons and resources.

Google Analytics 4 Account Hierarchy

A Google Analytics Account is made up of one or more GA4 properties.

A GA4 property comprises one or more data streams (aka data sources).

The data stream can be a web data stream or app data stream. The app data
stream can be further classified into IOS and Android app data streams.

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The web data streams represent a website. In contrast, an app data stream
represents a mobile app.

If you want to learn more about how to structure your GA account for GA4,
then check out this article: Google Analytics Account Hierarchy (structure
explained).

Google Analytics 4 property and view

A Google Analytics 4 property is a GA property which allows you to
integrate mobile app and website usage data. A GA4 property can
collect data from both your mobile apps and website.

Even if you don’t have a mobile app, Google still recommends that you create
and use the GA4 property and run it parallel with your GA3 property, as Google
will discontinue GA3 in 2023.

The reporting view that you create in a GA4 property is a GA4 view.

Why you should migrate from GA3 to GA4

right now
Google discontinued Universal Analytics (GA3) on July 1st, 2023

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Contrary to popular belief, Universal Analytics is not discontinued because of
GA4. It’s because of GDPR and other privacy laws and regulations.

It’s not like Google is running out of storage space, so they need to get rid of
GA3 to make room for GA4 data. They own massive data centres.

When you look from the perspective of GDPR, Universal Analytics

provides too much information about website users and many
opportunities to create detailed customer profiles, which makes GDPR
compliance very difficult and risky.

So Google is kinda forced to push GA4 product down our throats. And we are
forced to analyze data which are often subject to data thresholds.

Google is so afraid of being penalized again that it will not only stop collecting
new data in the GA3 properties, but it will also delete all of the historical GA3
data from millions of GA accounts worldwide in July 2024.

That’s a lot of data deletion, even for a company size of Google.

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For the same reason, Google does not want you to download GA3 data. So
there is no option available to take a backup of GA3 data. You have to use
third-party tools.

So if you decide not to switch to GA4, then no more analytics data for you
after July 1, 2023.

And to make matters worse, Google will also delete all of your historical
universal analytics data in July 2024

Check out this article to take a backup of your GA3 data: How to backup
Google Universal Analytics data

How do I transfer my Universal Analytics

(GA3) data into GA4?
Both GA3 and GA4 use different data schemas.

Because of that, it is not possible to transfer your GA3 data into your GA4
property. But there is a workaround.

You can transfer both your GA3 and GA4 data into BigQuery and then
manipulate it there.

GA4 provides a free connection to BigQuery, but GA3 does not (unless you use
GA360).

With the help of a third-party solution/connector, it is possible to send data

from GA3 to BigQuery without using GA 360.

Check out this article for more details: Sending data from Google
Analytics to BigQuery without 360

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Google Analytics 4 data streams

The GA4 property contains one or more data streams.

A data stream is a data source.

When the data source is a website, it is called a web data stream.

When the data source is a mobile app, it is called a mobile app data stream.

There are two types of mobile app data streams:

1. IOS app data stream

2. Android app data stream

A web data stream has got: Stream URL, Stream name, Measurement ID, and
Stream ID:

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Measurement ID in Google Analytics 4
A measurement ID is just like a tracking ID. However, unlike a tracking
ID, the measurement ID begins with the characters ‘G-’. For example
G-SV0HS12BXZ

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To set up any type of tracking in GA4, you need to use the measurement ID.

This makes understanding the measurement ID so important.

If you want to learn more about the measurement ID then check out this
article: Understanding Google Analytics Measurement ID (GA4)

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The ‘Event and Parameter’ measurement
model of Google Analytics 4
GA4 uses the ‘Event and Parameter’ measurement model to track all types of
users’ activities (including ‘pageviews’).

The ‘event and parameter’ measurement model is more flexible than the
traditional ‘sessions and pageviews’ model for the following reasons:

#1 It allows you to see integrated data across mobile apps and websites in a
single GA4 reporting view.

#2 It allows you to use a single set of metrics and dimensions across mobile
apps and websites.

#3 It allows you to automatically track certain types of user interactions (like

scrolls, outbound clicks, file downloads, video engagement, site search, etc.).

Google Analytics 4 Sessions

A GA4 session is a group of events recorded for a user in a given time period.

It is different from a GA3 session, which is a group of hits recorded for a user in
a given time period.

The session count of GA4 and GA3 are unlikely to match as they are calculated
and adjusted differently.

To learn more about GA4 sessions, check out this article: Understanding
Google Analytics 4 Sessions

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Google Signals for Google Analytics 4

Google Signals is an advertising reporting feature of GA4 through which you

can perform the following tasks:

● Collect cross-device data from those website users who have signed in
to one of their Google accounts (Gmail, YouTube, etc.) and have
turned on ad personalization.
● Analyze demographic data (age, gender and interest) of your users in
GA4 reports.
● Track and remarket to more users across different devices and
platforms.

Google Signals is not enabled by default; you have to activate it for your GA4
property.

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 Follow the steps mentioned in this article on how to enable and use
Google Signals in GA4: Google Signals GA4 – See demographics (gender,
age) in Google Analytics 4

Integrating Google Analytics 4 with Google

Ads

GA4 allows integration with Google Ads.

Following are the main benefits of integrating your GA4 property with your
Google Ads account:

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#1 In the case of GA3, you could set up a maximum of 20 conversions per
reporting view. However, there is no such limit in the case of GA4. You can set
up as many conversions as you want and later use them in Google Ads.

#2 Because of the event and parameter-based measurement model of GA4,

you can define your remarketing audience in a more detailed manner based on
events like a scroll, file download, video play, and custom events, and then later
use these audiences in Google Ads.

Follow the steps mentioned in this article in order to connect your GA4
property with your Google Ads account: How to link GA4 (Google
Analytics 4) with Google Ads

Cross-domain tracking in Google Analytics 4

In the context of GA4, cross-domain tracking is the tracking of website

users and their activities across two or more domains.

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By default, GA4 cannot track website users and their activities across multiple
domains.

That is because GA4 uses first-party cookies that can be read by only that
domain that issued it.

You would need to set up cross-domain tracking manually.

With cross-domain tracking implemented, when the user navigates to a

different domain, analytics cookies are passed from one domain to another
using the URL parameter identified as key ‘_gl’.

For example, https://www.abc.com/?_gl=1*abhgfrt7*

This way, you can identify the same user across different domains and get a
complete view of the user’s journey.

In order to set up cross-domain tracking in your GA4 property follow the

steps mentioned in this article: Cross Domain Tracking in GA4 (Google
Analytics 4) Setup Guide

Visualizing Google Analytics 4 data in Google

Data Studio
You can visualize the GA4 data in Google Data Studio by using the Google
Analytics connector:

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 For step-by-step instructions on how to visualize the GA4 data in Google
Data Studio, check out this article: How to connect GA4 (Google
Analytics 4) with Google Data Studio

Using BigQuery with Google Analytics 4

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One of the big advantages of using Google Analytics 4 is its free connection to
BigQuery.

Earlier, this feature was available to only the Google Marketing Platform users.

Now you can access the raw GA4 data and run SQL queries on it.

Following are other benefits of using BigQuery for GA4:

● No data sampling issues.

● You can connect GA4 data with third-party APIs.
● You can push data from BigQuery to a wide range of visualization tools
like Google Data Studio, Tableau, Power BI and Qlik.

Follow the steps mentioned in this article in order to connect your GA4
property with BigQuery: GA4 BigQuery – Connect Google Analytics 4
with BigQuery

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Understanding events in Google Analytics 4

In the context of GA4, an event is a tracked user’s interaction with a web

page element embedded on a website and/or mobile app.

In the case of GA4, all user interactions (including pageviews) are tracked as
events.

There are four categories of events in GA4:

1. Automatically collected events

2. Enhanced measurement events
3. Recommended events
4. Custom events

Check out the following articles to learn more about the events in Google
Analytics 4:

1. How to set up event tracking in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

2. How to fix duplicate events in GA4.

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 3. How to set up enhanced measurement tracking in GA4 (Google
Analytics 4)
4. All Events Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. How to rename events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
6. events_ & events_intraday_ tables in BigQuery for GA4 (Google
Analytics 4)
7. pseudonymous_users_ & users_ data tables in BigQuery for GA4
(Google Analytics 4)

What are the event parameters in Google

Analytics 4?

Parameters are the additional information about a GA4 event that is

sent along with the event.

There are three types of event parameters:

1. Automatically collected parameters

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 2. Custom parameters
3. User properties

To learn more about event parameters in GA4, check out this article:
Understanding Event Parameters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Conversion tracking in Google Analytics 4

A conversion is a goal or objective for which website/app has been set

up.

Your website/app can have one or more objectives like:

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 ● Getting newsletter signups
● Generating leads
● Getting video views
● Generating sales, etc.

These objectives can be tracked as conversions in a GA4 reporting view.

In Google Analytics 4, you can mark any tracked event as a conversion.

This is the simplest way to set up conversions for already available tracked
events.

You can also set up conversions in GA4 by creating a new conversion event.

To learn more about conversions in GA4, check out the following articles:

1. How to set up conversion tracking in Google Analytics 4

2. How to import conversions from GA4 property to your Google Ads
account

Ecommerce tracking in Google Analytics 4

The ecommerce tracking setup in GA4 is quite different from the corresponding
tracking setup in GA3 and other Google Analytics versions.

For example, in GA3, if we want to track a product name, we track it by passing

the ‘name’.

But in the case of GA4, we pass ‘item_name’ to track the product name.

Similarly, in GA3, if we want to track a click on a promotion, we track it by

passing the ‘promoClick’.

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But in the case of GA4, we pass ‘select_promotion’ to track clicks on a
promotion.

If you want to set up ecommerce tracking in GA4 via GTM then follow
the steps mentioned in this article: GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Ecommerce
Tracking via GTM – Tutorial

Custom audience in Google Analytics 4

In the context of GA4, an audience is a group of users who all share

some common characteristics.

Following are examples of audiences:

● Group of users whose location is ‘London’ (London audience).

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 ● Group of users who visited the website via Facebook Ads (Facebook
Ads audience).

A user can be a member of multiple audiences depending on the conditions

applied in the audience.

You can use GA4 audiences as remarketing audiences for your Google Ads.

You can create up to 100 audiences per GA4 property.

In order to create and use audiences in GA4, read this article: GA4
Audiences – Creating custom audience in Google Analytics 4

Audience triggers in Google Analytics 4

In GA4, you can create audience trigger events that fire when users match the
definition of an audience and become members.

Audience triggers are used to create complex conversion events in GA4.

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You can create up to 20 audience trigger events per GA4 property.

Follow the steps mentioned in this article in order to create audience

trigger events in GA4: Understanding Audience Triggers in Google
Analytics 4 (GA4)

Predictive metrics in Google Analytics 4

You can identify users and their actions on the website that will likely lead to a
purchase or conversion through predictive metrics.

This can help you discover more users who can purchase a product in the next
seven days.

You can use predictive metrics in ‘Audience builder’ while creating a custom
audience or doing advanced analysis.

There are three types of predictive metrics available in GA4:

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 1. Purchase probability
2. Churn probability
3. Revenue prediction

To learn more about predictive metrics in GA4, read this article: What
are predictive metrics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Predictive audiences in Google Analytics 4

Predictive audiences in Google Analytics 4 help you identify users who

are likely to perform a certain action in the near future.

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A predictive audience is based on a predictive metric’s condition(s) like
purchase probability, churn probability, and revenue predictions.

Following are examples of predictive audiences:

1. Likely 7-day purchasers – Users likely to purchase in the next seven

days.
2. Likely first-time 7-day purchasers – Users likely to make their first
purchase in the next seven days.
3. Likely 7-day churning users – Active users likely to not visit your
website in the next seven days.
4. Likely 7-day churning purchasers – Purchasing users likely to not visit
your website in the next seven days.

To learn more about predictive audiences in GA4, read this article: How
to create and use predictive audiences in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Remarketing audiences in Google Analytics 4

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You can create a custom audience in GA4 and then use it for remarketing
purposes in Google Ads.

When you use a custom audience for remarketing purposes, it is called the
remarketing audience.

However, before you create a remarketing audience in GA4, you need to link
your GA4 property with your Google Ads account.

To learn more about remarketing audience, read this article: How to

create a remarketing audience in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Measurement protocol in Google Analytics 4

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The measurement protocol is a set of rules that your application must follow to
send event data directly to the Google Analytics servers from any
device/system connected to the internet.

A basic understanding of how measurement protocol works can help you

greatly build your foundation in GA4 and debugging GA4 events set up.

To learn more about the measurement protocol, read this article:

Understanding GA4 measurement protocol

Building comparisons (advanced segments)

in Google Analytics 4

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 Comparisons in GA4 are just like advanced segments used in Universal
Analytics. They allow you to to isolate and analyze a subset of data.

You create comparisons by creating conditions based on dimensions and

dimension values.

For example, all users vs users from ‘United States’.

You can apply the comparison to any GA4 report.

To create and apply comparisons to your GA4 report follow the steps
mentioned in this article: How to build comparisons (advanced
segments) in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Automated insights in Google Analytics 4

(GA4)

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The automated insights feature of Google Analytics 4 is just like the analytics
intelligence feature available in Universal Analytics reporting views:

GA4 automatically generate insights for you (based on machine learning)

whenever it detects unusual changes or emerging trends in your data.

To learn more about automated insights, read this article:

Understanding Automated Insights in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Creating custom insights in GA4

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Google Analytics 4 provides two types of insights; automated insights and
custom insights.

While GA4 automatically generates automated insights, custom insights are not
automatically generated.

You can create up to 50 custom insights per GA4 property.

Follow the steps mentioned in this article to create custom insights in

GA4: How to create custom insights in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

The DebugView report in Google Analytics 4

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The DebugView report is a special type of real-time report provided by GA4
through which you can troubleshoot your analytics setup issues within the GA4
user interface.

DebugView allows you to monitor your website/app event data in real-time,

along with all the custom parameters and user properties.

Note: The DebugView report only shows you real-time events data for the last
30 minutes.

If you want to understand the DebugView report in more detail then

read this article: How to use DebugView report in Google Analytics 4
(GA4)

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Data filters in Google Analytics 4

Data filters are one of the features of GA4, through which you can include or
exclude certain event data from your GA4 reporting view.

It is important to remember that data filters do not work retroactively.

And once you apply the data filter, the effect on your event data is permanent
and can not be reversed.

There are two types of data filters available in GA4:

1. Developer traffic – Use this filter to block developer traffic (the traffic
generated from your own device while debugging the analytics
implementation).

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 2. Internal traffic – Use this filter to block internal traffic (the traffic
generated on your website by your own employees, suppliers, and
other service providers).

The data filters in GA4 can be further classified into include and exclude filters
depending upon the filter operation being used:

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Note: You can create up to ten data filters per GA4 property.

To learn more about data filters, check out the following article:

● What are data filters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

● How to block internal traffic in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
● How to create and test a new data filter in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Scroll tracking in Google Analytics 4

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Scroll tracking in GA4 allows you to measure how users engage with your
website content.

Google Analytics 4 automatically track scroll events by default through

its enhanced measurement feature. But it tracks only 90% scroll events.
It does not by default track other scroll depths, like 10%, 25%, 50% and
75%.

These scroll depth events can also play an important role in measuring website
user behavior, especially if you have a content-rich website (like a blog).

If you want to set up scroll events for lesser thresholds (10%, 25%, 50% and
75%), you need to set up custom events using the global site tag (gtag.js) or
Google Tag Manager.

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Follow the steps mentioned in this article to set up scroll tracking in GA4 via
GTM: Scroll Depth Tracking in Google Tag Manager – Tutorial.

Site search tracking in Google Analytics 4

Site search (or internal site search) is a functionality provided by a

website in the form of a search box:

Users can search for specific content on your website through this search box.

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If your website provides site search functionality, you should set up site search
tracking in your GA4 property.

Follow the steps mentioned in this article to set up site search tracking in
GA4: GA4 Site Search – Tracking Site Search in Google Analytics 4

Channel groupings in Google Analytics 4

Channel groupings are a rule-based grouping of marketing channels.

In GA4, channel groupings are used to quickly check the performance of a set
of marketing channels or a set of traffic sources.

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 To learn more about channel groupings in GA4, check out this article:
Understanding Channel Groupings in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Data sampling in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Data sampling is the process of selecting only a subset of traffic data for
analysis and reporting.

It is widely used in statistical analysis to analyse large data sets in a

cost-efficient manner.

When GA4 analyses the complete traffic data set to produce a report, the
produced report is considered unsampled.

The metrics reported by an unsampled report are considered to be highly

accurate as they are based on complete traffic data set.

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When GA4 analyses only a subset of traffic data to produce a report, the
produced report is considered to be sampled.

The metrics reported by a sampled report may not be very accurate as they are
based on incomplete traffic data set.

To learn more about data sampling in GA4, check out this article:
Understanding Data Sampling in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Google Analytics 4 Event Builder

If you want to send offline events data to a GA4 property, you can do that via
the Google Analytics 4 Event Builder.

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You can create and validate measurement protocol events using the
measurement protocol validation server through this tool.

This tool is made up of the following two sections:

1. Hit summary
2. Event details

To learn more about using the GA4 event builder, read the article: How
to use Google Analytics 4 Event Builder

Funnel Exploration report in Google

Analytics 4

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Use the Funnel Analysis report in GA4 to visualize the various steps your users
take to complete a task (usually a conversion) and where they drop off in your
conversion funnel.

You can find the Funnel Exploration report under Explore.

Learn more about this report from this article: How to use the Funnel
Exploration Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Segment Overlap report in Google Analytics

4

Use the Segment Overlap report to visualize the various user segments and
understand how they relate to each other.

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You can find this report under Analysis Hub in your GA4 reporting view.

Learn more about the Segment Overlap report from this article: How to
use Segment Overlap Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Path Analysis report in Google Analytics 4

The Path Analysis report is one of the report templates available in the Explore
tab of GA4.

Through this analysis technique, you can explore your users’ journey (the steps
they took through your website/app) in the form of a tree graph.

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You can discover the previous and next actions your users took. You can
measure the effects of an event on users’ actions.

You can learn more about Path Analysis in GA4 from this article: How to
use path analysis report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

User Lifetime Report in Google Analytics 4

The User Lifetime report is one of the report templates available in the Analysis
Hub of GA4.

Through this analysis technique, you can analyze the entire lifetime of your
users’ behavior as customers, as long as they have been active on your website
or app since or after August 15th 2020.

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Through the User Lifetime report, you can get the following information about
each user:

1. Initial interactions
2. Most recent interactions
3. Lifetime interactions
4. Predictive metrics

You can learn more about user lifetime in GA via the article: How to use
the user lifetime report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Importing data to Google Analytics 4

Through the data import feature, you can upload data from external data
sources (like CRM, CMS, shopping cart, etc.) and then combine it with the
Google Analytics 4 data.

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You can upload the data by uploading one or more CSV files to your GA4
property.

To learn more about the GA4 data import feature, check out the article:
GA4 Data Import Tutorial

Google Analytics 4 test property

The Google Analytics 4 property comes with only one reporting view.

So whenever you change one of the settings of your GA4 property, you
permanently change the way the data is collected, processed and reported in
your GA4 reporting view.

If your changes skew your analytics data, then your data is skewed for good.

That’s why you need to create a separate GA4 property just for testing
purposes. We call this property a GA4 test property.

To learn more about the GA4 test property, check out this article: Using
the GA4 test property

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Excluding unwanted referrals in Google
Analytics 4

In the Universal Analytics property, we have the referrals exclusion list to

exclude the referral traffic from certain domains. In Google Analytics 4, the
referrals exclusion list has been replaced by the ‘unwanted referrals’ list.

Unlike in Universal Analytics, the GA4 can automatically detect and fix
self-referral issues via the feature called ‘Automatic self-referral detection‘.

To learn more about excluding the unwanted referrals in GA4, check out
this article: Self-referral Google Analytics 4 – Referral exclusion GA4

Causes of Sudden Spike in Direct Traffic in

GA4
Do you sometimes see sudden and massive spikes in direct traffic in your GA4
reports?

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If yes, did it last for a couple of days, or do you see a continued increase in
direct traffic, day after day, week after week?

Remember, people will not automatically find your website and visit it directly.
They find and visit your website in response to some marketing activity.

So you need to be aware of this marketing activity if you want to determine the
cause of the sudden spike in direct traffic.

Check out this article for more details: Causes of Sudden Spike in Direct Traffic
in Google Analytics

Dimensions in Google Analytics 4

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A dimension is one of the attributes of your website/app users.

Each dimension is made up of a name and a value.

For example, ‘Sessions source/medium’ is the dimension name and

‘(direct)/(none) ‘is one of the values of this dimension.

There are two broad categories of dimensions in GA4: Default dimensions and
custom dimensions.

Both default dimensions and custom dimensions can be used as either a

primary dimension or a secondary dimension.

To learn more about GA4 dimensions, check out this article: GA4
Dimensions Tutorial

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Custom dimensions in GA4

Google Analytics 4 allows you to create your own dimensions to measure the
data that cannot be measured by default dimensions.

Such dimension is known as the custom dimension. Technically speaking, a

custom dimension is an event parameter.

To learn more about custom dimensions in GA4, check out this article:
GA4 Custom Dimensions Tutorial

Event-scoped custom dimensions in Google

Analytics 4

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In addition to creating a user scoped custom dimension in GA4, you can also
create an event scoped custom dimension.

The dimension which has an event scope is called the event scope dimension.

This dimension gets its value from the event scoped parameter you send along
with an event.

To learn more about GA4 event scoped custom dimensions, check out
this article: Event Scoped Custom Dimensions in GA4 – Tutorial

User-scoped custom dimensions (user

properties) in Google Analytics 4

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User properties are similar to the user-scoped custom dimensions of Universal
Analytics.

They are used to describe the attributes of your website/app users.

There are two types of user properties:

1. Predefined user properties

2. Custom user properties

You can create up to 25 unique user properties per GA4 property.

To learn more about user properties, check out this article: GA4 User
Properties (User Scoped Custom Dimensions) – Tutorial

Metrics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

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A GA4 metric is (and should be) a number used to measure one of the
characteristics of a GA4 dimension.

A dimension can have one or more characteristics.

For example, the following are the characteristics of the dimension called ‘User
medium’:

● New users
● Engaged sessions
● Engagement rate
● Engaged sessions per user

Without a dimension, a standalone metric is meaningless to analyze and

report.

That is because a dimension provides context to a metric.

To learn more about metrics in GA4 check out this article: GA4 Metrics
Tutorial

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Custom metrics in Google Analytics 4

The custom metrics are user-defined metrics in GA4.

You should create and use custom metrics to measure the characteristics of a
dimension (whether default or custom dimension) that cannot be measured by
any default metric.

To learn more about custom metrics in GA4, check out this article: GA4
Custom Metrics Tutorial

Installing Google Analytics 4 on the Shopify

Store

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You can install Google Analytics 4 on your Shopify store by making code
changes to the ‘theme.liquid’ file.

To learn more, check out this article: How to Install Google Analytics 4 on
Shopify.

Google Analytics 4 Annotations

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Google Analytics annotations are short notes that you can directly add to your
GA reports.

With the help of these notes, you can remember the reason for certain peaks
and valleys in your data trends even months from today.

In the case of Universal Analytics, the annotation features are built-in.

But in the case of GA4, you would need to use a third-party tool.

To learn more about adding annotations to your GA4 report, check out this
article: Google Analytics 4 Annotations Tutorial.

Setting up GA4 via GTM Server Side Tagging

You can deploy Google Analytics 4 via the GTM server-side container.

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To learn more, check out this article: How to set up GA4 via GTM Server Side
Tagging

Tracking single-page apps in Google Analytics

4 (GA4)

Learn to track single-page apps in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) through this

step-by-step guide: How to track single page apps in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Connecting and exporting data from Google

Analytics 4 to BigQuery

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GA4 allows you to link to a BigQuery project where you can run custom queries
on the GA4 data sets.

You can export all events from GA4 to BigQuery and then use SQL-like syntax to
query the data.

Learn to connect and export data from GA4 to BigQuery through this step by
step guide: How to connect and export data from GA4 to BigQuery

Cohort Exploration Report in Google

Analytics 4 (GA4)

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Through the cohort exploration report in GA4, you can do cohort analysis.

The cohort analysis is the analysis of the website users who showed common
characteristics, attributes, or experiences in a particular time frame.

This report is available under the ‘Explore’ menu in a GA4 reporting view.

To learn more about cohort exploration in GA4, check out this article: Cohort
Exploration Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Attribution Models in Google Analytics 4

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A GA4 attribution model is a rule or set of rules or a data-driven algorithm used
to determine how conversion credit should be distributed to various marketing
touchpoints on a conversion path.

The following attribution models are available in Google Analytics 4:

1. Cross-channel last-click attribution model

2. Cross-channel first click attribution model
3. Cross-channel linear attribution model
4. Cross-channel position-based attribution model
5. Time decay attribution model

Note: Currently, the Data-Driven Attribution Model is not available in GA4.

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To learn more about GA4 attribution models, check out the following articles:

● Guide to Attribution Models in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).

● How to Change Attribution Models in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)?

Integrating Google Analytics 4 with Google

Search Console

You can connect your GA4 property with your Google Search Console account
via the ‘search console linking’ feature in your GA4 admin area.

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Such integration allows you to see the search console data in GA4.

To learn more about integrating GA4 with search console, check out this article:
How to link Google Search Console to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Google Analytics 4 Content Grouping

Just like Universal Analytics, GA4 also allows you to create content groups.

The content groups are a set of web pages based on the same topic like
Attribution Modelling.

Through content groups, you can check the performance of a set of web pages
at the group level.

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To learn more about creating content groups in GA4, check out this article:
Google Analytics 4 Content Grouping – Create Content Groups in GA4

GA4 Landing Page report

There are two methods you can use to create a landing pages report in GA4:

1. Use the exploration report template.

2. Customize the Pages and Screens report.

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For step by step instructions on creating a landing pages report in GA4, check
out this article: How to Create Landing Pages Report in GA4 (Google Analytics
4)

Google Analytics 4 Sub Properties

A sub property is a GA4 property which gets its data from another property.
This other property is called the source property.

If you want to create a filtered reporting view in GA4, create and use the GA4
sub property.

For step by step instructions on creating and using the GA4 sub-properties,
check out this article: Google Analytics 4 Sub Properties Tutorial

Google Analytics 4 Roll-up Properties

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A roll-up property is a GA4 360 property that allows roll-up reporting in GA4.

Roll-up reporting is the reporting of data in an aggregated form from multiple

digital properties (websites, mobile apps).

Through roll-up reporting you can aggregate all of your website data into one
reporting view and see aggregated global performance metrics.

To learn more about roll-up reporting and properties in GA4, check out this
article: Roll up Property in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Tutorial

Linking Firebase project to Google Analytics

4 property

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By linking your Firebase project to your GA4 property you can automatically
create mobile app data streams in your GA4 property and you can enable data
flow between Firebase and GA4.

To get step by step instructions on connecting your Firebase project to GA4,

check out this article: GA4 Firebase Integration – Correctly add App data
streams to GA4 property

GA4 Google Ads Report

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A GA4 property does not provide any pre-built report to measure the
performance of Google Ads.

You would need to create this report from scratch by using the exploration
report templates.

For step by step instructions on creating this report from scratch, check out this
article: How to create Google Ads report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

Segmenting GA4 data by data streams

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If you have added more than one data stream to your GA4 property, then you
can segment the GA4 data by data stream.

This would help you in measuring and comparing the performance of different
data streams in one GA4 report.

For step by step instructions on segmenting the GA4 data by data streams,
check out this article: How to segment GA4 data by data stream

GA4 BigQuery Export schema

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GA4 BigQuery Export schema refers to the format and structure of the GA4
data and the Firebase data that is exported to BigQuery from a GA4 property.

When you send data from a GA4 property to BigQuery, you use the default
schema provided by Google.

You do not get the option of creating the data tables you want or setting the
fields you want to see in the data table(s).

If you want to see your data tables with only the fields you want then you need
to create your own schema (also called Custom Schema).

For step by step instructions on creating your GA4 custom schema, check out
this article: BigQuery GA4 schema – Send Custom GA4 data to BigQuery

Backfilling GA4 data in BigQuery

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 Backfilling GA4 data means importing historical GA4 data into BigQuery.

By default, the GA4 data is imported to BigQuery only from the date you first
connected your GA4 property to your BigQuery project.

If you want historical GA4 data in your BigQuery project, then you would need
to backfill GA4 data in BigQuery. You can do that by using a third-party solution.

To learn more about backfilling GA4 data in BigQuery, check out this article:
How to backfill GA4 data in BigQuery

Conversion Rate in Google Analytics 4

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Just like GA3, GA4 also provides conversion rate metrics. However, unlike GA3,
GA4 provides a conversion rate based on users (user conversion rate) and
sessions (session conversion rate).

To learn more about the conversion rate metrics in Google Analytics 4, check
out this article: GA4 Conversion Rate – How to find it and use it

Understanding the average metrics in Google

Analytics 4

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GA4 reports are full of average metrics like ‘average engagement time’,
‘average engagement time per sessions’, ‘engaged sessions per user’ etc.

But average metrics can provide muddy analytics insight if they are not
calculated and interpreted correctly.

If you want to learn and calculate the average metrics correctly in your GA4
reports and get above average insight, then read this article: Google Analytics
4 Averages – Learn to Analyze & Report Above Average

Analyzing the organic search traffic in Google

Analytics 4

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Analysing the organic search traffic in GA4 is not straightforward. You would
need to create custom reports.

I have come up with the following nine exploration reports that could help
you with analyzing the organic search traffic in GA4:

1. Overview report
2. Landing pages report
3. Devices report
4. Browsers report
5. Countries report
6. Conversions report
7. E-commerce report
8. User flow report
9. Funnel report

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For step by step instructions on creating and using these reports, check out this
article: Organic Search Traffic Analysis in GA4 – Complete Guide

UTM Tracking in Google Analytics 4

Just like Universal Analytics, GA4 also provides custom campaign tracking via
UTM parameters.

Through UTM parameters, you can send detailed information about a

marketing campaign to GA4.

For example, through UTM parameters, you can send the following information
about an email newsletter campaign to GA4:

#1 The name of the particular newsletter campaign which generated traffic

and/or sales on your website.

#2 The name of the particular link within the newsletter campaign that
generated traffic and/or sales on your website.

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Without UTM parameters, GA4 will only tell you that you generated traffic
and/or sales from email.

For step by step guide on learning and using the UTM parameters tracking in
GA4, check out this article: Track and see UTM parameters in GA4 (Google
Analytics 4) – Campaign Tracking

GA4 GAIQ Exam Preparation

Just like GA3, Google also provides the GAIQ exam for GA4. However, unlike
GA3, passing the GA4 GAIQ exam is relatively easy.

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As long as you are familiar with the GA4 user interface, you should not have
much problem passing this exam.

If you want to pass the GA4 GAIQ exam, then check out this article: GAIQ
(Google Analytics Individual Qualification) Exam Preparation 2022 (includes
GA4)

Form Tracking in Google Analytics 4

If you have enabled enhanced measurement tracking in your GA4 property, you
should see a new setting for form tracking.

This feature allows you to track form submissions in your GA4 property without
any additional code or tagging.

For step by step instructions on enabling form tracking in GA4, check out this
article: GA4 Form Interactions Tracking – Enhanced measurement

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Google Analytics 4 Email Tracking

GA4 does not provide any report to track the performance of your email
marketing campaigns.

You would need to create this report from scratch using the exploration report
templates.

For step by step instructions, check out this article: How to track email
campaigns and traffic in GA4

Tracking web pages with zero traffic in

Google Analytics 4

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Web pages with zero traffic are those pages which did not get any pageviews in
a particular time period.

GA4 does not report on web pages with zero views. However, it reports on
pages with zero views on certain days and one or more views on other days.

The web pages which are not viewed by your website visitors do not add any
value to your business, traffic or conversions.

By identifying such web pages, you can either update them to increase their
search engine ranking position or repurpose their content.

For step-by-step instructions on finding pages with zero traffic in GA4, check
out this article: How to track web pages with zero traffic in Google Analytics

Google Analytics 4 Form Tracking with

Google Tag Manager

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You can track the forms embedded on your website in your GA4 property via
GTM.

When a user successfully submits a form, you can fire the ‘generate_lead’
event on the ‘thank you’ page via GTM.

For step-by-step instructions, check out this article: GA4 Form Tracking via
Google Tag Manager.

Google Analytics 4 Regex (Regular

Expressions)
Regular expressions (aka regex) are used to check for a pattern in a string.

By default, the GA4 property uses fully matches regex.

Fully matches regex means the regex fully matches a pattern in a string.

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If you want to use partially matches regex in GA4, you would need to use
metacharacters or use the ‘partially matches regex’ option (if available).

You will find regular expressions very useful in GA4 while setting up:

● Subproperties.
● Site search tracking without query parameters.
● Referral Exclusion.
● Data filters in the exploration report.
● Custom Events via GTM.
● Content groups.
● Audiences.

To learn more about the use of regex in GA4, check out this article: Google
Analytics 4 Regex (Regular Expressions) Tutorial

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GA4 GDPR Compliance Checklist

Is your website really GDPR Compliant?

I asked this question because many businesses believe their website is GDPR
compliant just because they display a cookie consent pop-up.

But GDPR compliance goes way beyond pop-ups.

Recently a business contacted us. They were fined ($25k) for violating the
GDPR guidelines.

All this time, they thought they were compliant. Guess what. Their cookie
consent pop-up didn’t help much.

If you are processing the personal data of EU Citizens (and you may not even
know about it), then you must comply with GDPR regardless of where you live
on this planet.

GDPR Compliance is not easy as displaying a pop-up on the website.

Many companies hire full-time employees (Data Protection Officers) just to

maintain GDPR compliance.

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That’s why I developed this checklist to become GDPR compliant, esp. with
Google Analytics 4.

Learn more – Google Analytics 4 GDPR compliance checklist

Excluding URL Query Parameters in GA4

You can reduce the impact of ‘(Other)’ in GA4 Reporting by removing all the
unwanted query parameters from your page path before you send the page
tracking data to GA4.

Check out this article for more details >> How to Exclude URL Query
Parameters in Google Analytics 4

Removing the (other) row in GA4

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If you want to remove the (other) row from appearing in your GA4 reports,
then should work on avoiding cardinality wherever possible.

Use the following methods to remove the (other) row in your GA4 reports:

1) Exclude all unwanted URL query parameters in GA4

2) Avoid high cardinality dimensions.

3) Use pre-defined dimensions wherever possible.

4) Avoid creating complex reports.

5) Use GA4 360.

6) Export GA4 data to BigQuery.

7) Create an exploration report.

8) Use expanded data sets.

9) Avoid data sampling.

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To learn more, check out this article: How to remove (other) in GA4 reports
and avoid Cardinality.

Fixing unassigned traffic in GA4

Unassigned traffic in GA4 refers to the website traffic that is not attributed to
any specific channel group.

Technically speaking, ‘Unassigned’ is a default channel group dimension in GA4

which can have event scope, user scope or session scope.

Use the following methods to fix the unassigned traffic in GA4

1. Use UTM parameters to tag URLs

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 2. Use auto-tagging to tag URLs
3. Always supply source, medium and campaign information when
tagging URLs with UTM parameters.
4. Create UTM parameters that follow GA4 default channel rules
wherever possible.
5. Memorize channel rules and definitions for accurate tagging.
6. Make sure that the source and medium information is not dropped
because of technical issues.
7. Missing or unrecorded “session_start” event could cause unassigned
traffic.
8. In GA4, if you send data through the Measurement Protocol without
the ga_session_id parameter, all such traffic would be labelled as
unassigned website traffic.

For more details, check out this article: What is unassigned traffic in GA4 and
how to fix it.

How to query GA4 data in BigQuery without

understanding SQL

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SQL has a complex syntax and structure. You will need to learn and memorize
many keywords, operators, and functions.

SQL queries can become progressively harder to understand and debug as they
become more complex.

Even small syntax errors or logical mistakes can result in incorrect results.

Complex queries often involve nested subqueries, multiple joins, and complex
logic, which can be difficult to follow.

All of this can make SQL hard to learn and use, especially for absolute
beginners.

With the advent of AI tools like ChatGPT, it is now possible to convert natural
language into SQL queries.

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You can learn more about it here: Query GA4 data in BigQuery without
understanding SQL

Removing (not set) in Google Analytics 4

Whenever GA4 does not receive any information for a particular dimension, it
uses a placeholder called (not set).

There are many reasons why (not set) may appear in your GA4 reports. But the
following are the top reasons:

#1 The number 1 reason for (not set) appearing in your GA4 reports is because
you are either not tagging ad URLs or your tagging is incorrect or incomplete.

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#2 The second most common reason for (not set) appearing in your GA4
reports is using measurement protocol to send data.

#3 The Server side tracking can also result in (not set) data in GA4 reports if not
implemented correctly.

#4 If the session_start event is not correctly tracked or is missing, GA4 might

not be able to determine the source or medium for a session. Whenever GA4 is
unable to determine the source or medium for a session, it reports (not set) as
the value of the source or medium dimension.

#5 Some Adblockers and privacy extensions can cause missing values for a GA4
dimension (like source or medium), thus resulting in (not set) as the value of a
dimension.

#6 Traffic from unliked Google Ads account(s) often appears as (not set) in GA4.

To learn more, check out this article: How to remove not set in GA4 (Google
Analytics 4)

How to find keywords data in GA4?

GA4 is NOT the tool meant for keywords analysis. It provides even fewer
keywords data than Universal Analytics because of GDPR and other privacy
regulations.

And if you are into organic and/or paid search marketing, you need access to
tons of keyword data.

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You want to know:

● Which keywords send you the most traffic?

● Which keywords are worth targeting and bidding on?
● Which keywords are your competitors targeting?
● Which keywords send the most traffic to a particular landing page?

You want to:

● Track the ranking of your keywords.

● Check the backlinks, referring domains and overall website health.
● Do keyword research.
● Do website audits to find and fix SEO issues.

GA4 and its alternatives can not provide you with such insight.

GDPR, ever-increasing privacy regulations, and browser restrictions have

crippled web analytics tools like GA4 in terms of providing keywords data.

So you can no longer rely just on traditional web analytics tools to optimise
your search marketing campaigns.

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Tools for Keyword Analysis

I use the following tools for keyword analysis:

1. Google Search Console.

2. SEMRush
3. Ahrefs
4. seotesting.com

Microsoft Clarity and GA4 Integration

One thing that bugs me greatly is that GA4 does not provide session
recordings and heatmaps.

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Other tools charge dearly for these features. I am on a mission to reduce my
reliance on paid tools. I use too many paid tools. So I found a good alternative.

I now use ‘Microsoft Clarity‘ just for the purpose of getting session recordings
and heatmaps.

‘Microsoft Clarity’ is a free behavioural analysis tool from Microsoft. It can

provide unlimited session recordings and heatmaps.

Many people don’t know, but you can also integrate Microsoft Clarity with GA4.
When you integrate Microsoft Clarity with GA4, you can see the GA4 data in
clarity.

You can view heatmaps and recordings for popular pages on your website.

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For step-by-step instructions on integration clarity with GA4, check out this
article: How to use Microsoft Clarity with GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

Are you looking for GA4 alternative?

Client: We have abandoned GA4 for this ____ tool.

Me: Great.

(A few months later)

Client: We are missing a lot of data that was available in GA4, and that too for
free. We want to switch back.

This scenario is more common than you think.

The client gets on a product demo call (aka sales call), and an analytics tool
vendor highlights all the current shortcomings of GA4 and then sells their tool
as a better replacement.

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In the meantime, GA4 continues to improve, and it remains free. The
shortcomings that it once had are now gone.

The client sees that GA4 is improving over time and giving more opportunities
to collect different types of data, while their ‘paid’ tool continues to report the
same set of dimensions and metrics and provide the same set of reports month
after month.

Most analytics tool vendors can not compete with Google on innovation.

And people who complain that Google is not innovating GA4 fast enough go
check out other companies and their rate of innovation.

Google release more product updates in a month than many companies

release in a year.

Just the sheer volume of dimensions and metrics available in GA4 should
give you an idea that using any other web analytics tool is likely
downgrading, and that too for a fee.

I have used many web analytics tools over the years.

Most of these tools don’t hold a candle to GA in terms of features and usability,
and the ones that do, are just too difficult/expensive to use.

All web analytics tools face the same browser and privacy restrictions as the
free tools.

People who criticize GA4 do not really understand it. It’s the fear of the
unknown, and the vendors are exploiting this fear to sell their own tools.

I used to recommend tools like ‘Matomo‘ or ‘Oribi‘ as GA4 alternatives.

Over time I concluded that you don’t need these tools. In fact, you don’t need
any GA4 alternative.

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 Don’t let the user interface fool you into thinking that GA4 is worse than
Universal Analytics or that other analytics tools are now superior.

This is what the vendors of paid web analytics tool wants you to believe so that
you ditch GA4 and pay for their tool indefinitely.

Unless GA is banned in your country or is prohibited by your company,

there is no point in paying for a web analytics tool.

All web analytics tools face the same browser and privacy restrictions as the
free tools and do not provide keyword data.

Companies buy paid web analytics tools hoping to get some magical and
hidden insight.

But they forget that it is not the tool but the person using that tool that brings
the real difference.

For 99% of businesses, the free version of GA is all you need.

Full page URLs in Google Analytics 4

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To track subdomain traffic in GA4, you need to view full-page URLs in reports.
But by default, only the request URI shows in GA4 reports.

To view the full page URLs follow the steps mentioned in this article >> How to
view full page URLs in GA4?

Is your GA4 not working correctly?

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 1. Delete and disable the cache.
2. Use Google Tag Assistant and check ‘where to optimize.’
3. Use the developer console and look for the ‘abort’ and ‘command
ignored’ error messages.
4. Read the GIF Request (Tracking Beacon).
5. Check the collect call in the network tab.
6. Avoid non-standard implementation of Google.
7. Avoid customizing the standard Google Analytics tracking code.
8. Look for a broken GTM container tag.
9. Avoid non-standard implementation of Google Tag Manager.
10.Avoid customizing the GTM container tag.
11.Dealing with 307 redirects on Google Analytics Calls.
12.Filters Set Up.
13.Blocking extensions: Ad blockers and script blockers.
14.Iframe tracking.
15.Dealing with website environments and publishing.
16.Locally hosted gtag.js.
17.Google Tag Manager errors.
18.No data in the newly created GA4 property.
19.Other scripts on the page conflict with the GA script.
20.Incorrect placements of code.
21.Avoid using plug-ins for Google Analytics implementation.

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For step by step instructions check out this article: Google Analytics 4 not
working? Here is how to fix it.

Viewing Organic Search Keywords in GA4

There are two methods to see Organic Search Keywords in GA4:

Method-1: Link your Google Search Console account to your GA4 property and
then publish the search console reports.

Method-2: Use a tool like ‘Keyword Hero’ to collect more keyword data in your
GA4 property.

For more details, check out this article: How to see Organic Search Keywords
in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

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Google Analytics 4 Adsense Integration

Following are the benefits you can enjoy by connecting your Google Adsense
account with your GA4 property:

#1 By establishing this link, you gain the ability to view your AdSense data
directly in GA4 by:

● Leveraging Publisher dimensions and metrics.

● Examining the ‘Publisher Ads’ report.
● Using the Exploration reports.

#2 Additionally, you can align your AdSense data with website usage metrics,
such as ‘First User Source Medium.’ This connection allows for more profound
insights and the ability to identify trends, ultimately assisting you in optimizing
your advertising revenue.

For more details on GA4 and Adsense integration, check out this article: How
to link Google Analytics 4 with Adsense.

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Google Analytics 4 Monetization Reports
Once you have set up ecommerce tracking in GA4, you can access the various
ecommerce reports in your GA4 property under ‘Monetization’. These reports
are called the ‘Monetization’ reports:

Following are the various Monetization Reports:

1. Monetization Overview Report.

2. Ecommerce Purchases Report.
3. In-app purchases Report.
4. Publisher ads Report.
5. Promotions Report.

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 6. User Purchase Journey Report.
7. Order Coupon Report.
8. Item list Report.

To learn more about the GA4 Monetization reports, check out this article:
Understanding Google Analytics 4 Monetization Reports

Display full referral URL in Google Analytics 4

Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 does not have the ‘Full referrer’ dimension.

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So there is no straightforward way to see full referrer URLs in GA4 reports. You
would need to create an exploration report.

For step by step instructions, check out this article: How to view full referral
URL in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).

Accessing GA4 Sample Data in BigQuery.

If you lack your own GA4 data in BigQuery, you can access and query the GA4
sample data provided in BigQuery Public datasets.

This sample data originates from the Google Merchandise Store, a

Google-owned ecommerce site, and Google’s ‘Flood-it’ mobile game app.

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Follow the steps mentioned in this article to access GA4 sample data in
BigQuery: How to access GA4 Sample Data in BigQuery.

Creating SQL queries for GA4 data in

BigQuery via GA4 SQL
GA4 SQL is a free tool through which you can quickly create SQL queries for
your GA4 data.

To learn more about how to use this tool, check out this article: Using GA4
BigQuery SQL generator to create SQL queries.

Exporting GA4 data to Google Sheets for free

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Two free approaches exist for transferring GA4 data to Google Sheets:

Method 1: Directly download the data to Google Sheets via the GA4 reporting
interface.

Method 2: Utilize a free Google Sheets add-on to move GA4 data into Google
Sheets.

To learn more about these methods, check out this article: How to export GA4
data to Google Sheets for free.

Other articles related to GA4 (Google

Analytics 4)

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#1 GA4 Introduction

1. What is GA4 – An In-Depth Guide to Google Analytics 4

2. Key Benefits of Using Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
3. GA4 Migration Checklist – Upgrade to Google Analytics 4.
4. Google Analytics Implementation Guide.
5. GA4 vs Universal Analytics: The Key Differences
6. GA4 vs GA4 360 – Pricing, Limits, Billing and More
7. Free GA4 training and tutorial with PDF ebook on Google Analytics 4
8. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Channels, Source and Medium explained.
9. Understanding Google Analytics 4 cookies – _ga cookie.
10.How to learn Google Analytics without a website.
11.GA4 Admin Settings Tutorial.

#2 GA4 Property

1. Google Analytics Account Hierarchy (Structure Explained)

2. Understanding Google Analytics Measurement ID (GA4)
3. Google Signals GA4 – See demographics (gender, age) in Google
Analytics 4.
4. Using the GA4 Test Property – Testing Google Analytics 4
5. Google Analytics 4 Sub Properties Tutorial
6. Roll up Property in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Tutorial

#3 GA4 Integrations

1. How to connect GA4 with Google Data Studio (Looker Studio).

2. How to link GA4 to Google Ads.
3. GA4 Search Console Integration Guide.
4. How to Install Google Analytics 4 on Shopify
5. GA4 Firebase Integration – Mobile App Tracking.
6. How to link Google Analytics 4 with Adsense.
7. How to export GA4 data to Google Sheets for free.

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#4 GA4 Events

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Event Tracking Setup Tutorial

2. Understanding Event Parameters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. Recommended Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. Enhanced Measurement Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. Automatically Collected Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
6. How to Set Up GA4 Custom Events via Google Tag Manager
7. Events Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
8. How to Rename Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
9. How to Use Google Analytics 4 Event Builder
10.GA4 Form Interactions Tracking – Enhanced Measurement
11.How to fix duplicate events in GA4.

#5 GA4 Conversions

1. Google Analytics 4 Conversion Tracking Guide – GA4 Goals

2. How to import GA4 Conversions into Google Ads.
3. GA4 Conversion Rate – How to find it and use it
4. Difference between Google Ads and Google Analytics Conversion
Tracking.

#6 GA4 Dimensions

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Dimensions Tutorial

2. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Custom Dimensions Tutorial
3. GA4 User Properties (User Scoped Custom Dimensions) – Tutorial
4. Event Scoped Custom Dimensions in GA4 – Tutorial

#7 GA4 Metrics

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Metrics Tutorial with Free Google Analytics 4

Ebook

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 2. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Custom Metrics Tutorial
3. What are Predictive Metrics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. GA4 Ecommerce Conversion Rate – How to find and use it.
5. Google Analytics 4 Calculated Metrics with Examples.

#8 GA4 Ecommerce

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Ecommerce Tracking via GTM – Tutorial

2. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Monetization Reports
3. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Ecommerce Purchases Report
4. Understanding Google Analytics 4 In-app purchases Report
5. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Publisher Ads Report
6. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Promotions Report
7. Understanding Google Analytics 4 User Purchase Journey Report
8. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Order Coupon Report
9. Checkout Behavior Analysis in Google Analytics 4 (GA4 Checkout
Journey).

#9 GA4 Specialized Tracking

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Enhanced Measurement Tracking Tutorial

2. Cross Domain Tracking in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Setup Guide
3. GA4 Site Search – Tracking Site Search in Google Analytics 4
4. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Scroll Tracking Tutorial
5. Self-referral Google Analytics 4 – Referral exclusion GA4
6. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Data Import Tutorial
7. Google Analytics 4 Content Grouping – Create Content Groups in GA4
8. How to Track Single Page Apps in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
9. Track UTM parameters in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – Campaign
Tracking.
10.How to see UTM parameters in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
11.GA4 UTM parameters not working? Here is how to fix it.
12.GA4 Form Tracking via Google Tag Manager

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 13.How to Track Phone Calls in Google Analytics 4 – Call Tracking Tutorial.
14.How to use Microsoft Clarity with GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
15.Tracking ad impressions and ad clicks in GA4 for the ads served within
your website.
16.Tracking People Also Ask in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
17.How to setup User ID in Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics.
18.How to track AI traffic in GA4.

#10 GA4 filters

1. GA4 filters – Understanding Data Filters in Google Analytics 4

2. How to Create and Test Filters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
3. Exclude Internal Traffic in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) via IP Filter

#11 GA4 Explorations

1. Free Form Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – Exploration Report

2. How to Use the User Lifetime Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. How to Use Path Exploration Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – Path
Analysis
4. How to Use Segment Overlap Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. How to Use the Funnel Exploration Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
– Funnel Analysis
6. Cohort Exploration Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
7. How to Segment GA4 Data by Data Stream
8. User Explorer Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Tutorial

#12 GA4 Advanced

1. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Sessions

2. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Measurement Protocol Tutorial
3. How to Build Comparisons (Advanced Segments) in Google Analytics 4
(GA4)

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 4. Understanding Automated Insights in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. Understanding Channel Groupings in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
6. Understanding Data Sampling in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
7. Google Analytics 4 Regex (Regular Expressions) Tutorial
8. Google Analytics 4 GDPR compliance checklist.
9. GA4 Data Redaction – Remove PII from Google Analytics 4.
10.GA4 Behavioral, Conversion Modeling and Consent Mode Guide.

#13 GA4 Troubleshooting

1. Google Analytics 4 not working? Here is how to fix it.

2. How to fix the data threshold issue in GA4.
3. What is unassigned traffic in GA4 and how to fix it.
4. How to Exclude URL Query Parameters in Google Analytics 4.
5. Top GA4 Tools, add-ons and resources.
6. How to remove not set in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
7. How to remove (other) in GA4 reports and avoid Cardinality.
8. GA4 Real-time report not working? Here is how to fix it.
9. GA4 Debug View not working? Here is how to fix it.

#14 GA4 Reports

1. How to Create Custom Insights in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

2. How to Use Debug View Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. How to see Organic Search Keywords in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
4. How to view full referral URL in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
5. How to view full page URLs in GA4?
6. How to Track Email Campaigns and Traffic in GA4.
7. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Outbound Links Tracking.
8. Organic Search Traffic Analysis in GA4 – Complete Guide.
9. How to Create Google Ads report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
10.How to Create Landing Pages Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
11.How to see Search Console data in GA4.

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 12.GA4 Search Console Reports.

#15 GA4 Attribution

1. Guide to Attribution Models in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

2. How to Change Attribution Models in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)?
3. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Conversion Paths Report in Attribution
4. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Model Comparison Report in Attribution
5. Advertising Snapshot in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Attribution
6. GA4 Attribution Modelling Tutorial
7. Which Conversion Window to use in GA4 (Google Analytics 4).

#16 GA4 Audiences

1. GA4 Audiences – Creating Custom Audience in Google Analytics 4

2. How to Create a Remarketing Audience in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. Understanding Audience Triggers in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Predictive Audiences – Tutorial

#17 GA4 BigQuery

1. Google Analytics 4 BigQuery Tutorial

2. GA4 BigQuery – Connect Google Analytics 4 with BigQuery
3. BigQuery GA4 Schema – Send Custom GA4 Data to BigQuery
4. How to Backfill GA4 Data in BigQuery
5. How to Connect and Export Data from GA4 to BigQuery
6. Query GA4 data in BigQuery without understanding SQL.
7. Cost of using BigQuery for Google Analytics 4
8. Advantages of using Google BigQuery for Google Analytics 4
9. Using GA4 BigQuery SQL generator to create SQL queries
10.How to access GA4 Sample Data in BigQuery
11.events_ & events_intraday_ tables in BigQuery for GA4 (Google
Analytics 4).

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 12.pseudonymous_users_ & users_ data tables in BigQuery for GA4
(Google Analytics 4).
13.How to overcome GA4 BigQuery Export limit.
14.GA4 to BigQuery Dimension/Metric Mapping.
15.New vs Returning users in GA4 BigQuery data table.

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