GA4 setup guide

Google Analytics 4 helps you understand what people do after they land on your website. Search Console tells you how people found you in Google. GA4 tells you what happened next.

Before you start

Use the same Google account as Search Console if possible.
Make sure you can edit website settings, plugins or custom code.
Decide what actions matter: bookings, enquiries, donations, newsletter signups, downloads, outbound clicks or contact form submissions.
Check whether GA4 is already installed. Do not add a second copy if one is already working.

Plain-English setup

Go to analytics.google.com.
Create an Analytics account if you do not already have one.
Create a GA4 property for the organisation or project.
Create a web data stream and enter the website URL.
Copy the measurement ID. It usually starts with G-.
Add the measurement ID or Google tag to your website platform.
Open your site in another tab.
Open Realtime in GA4. If you see yourself, the tag is working.

What to track first

Do not start by obsessing over total visitors. Start with outcomes.

Booking button clicks
Contact form submissions
Email link clicks
Donation clicks
Newsletter signups
Resource downloads
Event page views

If you cannot track everything yet, track one important action. One useful event is better than ten confusing reports.

Platform notes

Squarespace

Find the Google Analytics or external services setting, paste the measurement ID, save, then check Realtime. If your template uses code injection instead, add the full Google tag in the head area.

WordPress

Use Site Kit by Google or a trusted analytics plugin if you do not edit code. Avoid adding GA4 in both a plugin and the theme. If using caching, clear cache after changes.

Wix

Use Marketing Integrations and connect Google Analytics. Publish the site after saving. Check Realtime to confirm it works.

Webflow

Add the measurement ID through the integration settings if available, or paste the Google tag into Site settings, Custom code, Head code. Publish afterwards.

Cargo

Add the full Google tag to the custom head area if available. If you cannot access that area, ask the site manager to add it once and confirm Realtime.

What to ask a helper

"Please set up GA4 for our website, add the Google tag once, confirm Realtime is working, and help us track these actions: [bookings/enquiries/downloads/donations]. Please also check that we are not double-counting because of duplicate tags."

How to know it works

You visit the site and appear in Realtime.
Traffic begins appearing in Reports after data has had time to process.
Your website platform or tag checker shows only one GA4 tag.
You know which report you will check monthly and what action it should inform.

Common problems

No Realtime visitor: the tag is not installed, the wrong ID was used, the site was not published, or a cookie/privacy setting is blocking it.
Too many visitors: the tag may be installed twice.
You cannot find the ID: open Admin, Data streams, choose the web stream, then look for the measurement ID.
Reports feel overwhelming: ignore most of them at first. Check where visitors came from and whether they completed the action you wanted.