Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Tutorial for Beginners: The 2025 Ultimate Guide

What is Google Analytics 4? (And why UA is gone)

If you are still looking for “Views” or trying to find your “Bounce Rate,” you might feel like you’ve walked into a completely different building. That’s because Google Analytics 4 (GA4) isn’t just an update to Universal Analytics (UA)—it is a completely new platform built from the ground up.

Google Analytics 4 is an event-based analytics tool designed to track user journeys across both websites and mobile apps. Unlike its predecessor, which relied heavily on cookies and desktop browsing, GA4 uses artificial intelligence to fill in data gaps and prioritizes user privacy.

Why Did Google Kill Universal Analytics?

Google officially sunset Universal Analytics in July 2023. The decision wasn’t arbitrary; UA was built in 2005 for a desktop-first world that no longer exists.

• Privacy & Cookies: UA relied on third-party cookies to track users. With regulations like GDPR and browsers (like Safari and Chrome) blocking cookies, UA began losing massive amounts of data. GA4 is designed to work in a “cookieless” future.
• Cross-Platform Journeys: Users today might discover your brand on a mobile app, research on a laptop, and convert on a tablet. UA struggled to connect these dots. GA4 unifies “App” and “Web” data into a single property to track the complete customer lifecycle.
• Predictive Capabilities: While UA looked backward at what happened, GA4 uses machine learning to predict what will happen (e.g., Churn Probability, Purchase Probability).

The Difference Between UA and GA4 (Events vs. Sessions)

The biggest hurdle for marketers transitioning to GA4 is understanding the Data Model. If you imagine Analytics as a language, UA and GA4 speak entirely different dialects.

1. The Old Way: Session-Based (Universal Analytics)

In Universal Analytics, the “Session” was king. A session was a container that grouped user interactions within a specific time frame.

• Hierarchy: User > Session > Hit
• Hit Types: UA had distinct names for every action: Page View, Social, Transaction, Exception, etc.
• The Flaw: If a user opened your app, that wasn’t technically a “page view,” which broke the model.

2. The New Way: Event-Based (GA4)

In GA4, everything is an event. The “Session” concept still exists, but it is secondary.

• Hierarchy: User > Event
• No More Hit Types: A page view is an event (page_view). A purchase is an event (purchase). A file download is an event (file_download).
• The Benefit: This flattens the structure. It allows you to analyze a “video watch” (engagement) with the same granularity as a “page load.”

Comparison Table: The Metric Shift

Key Takeaway: Stop trying to map UA metrics one-to-one with GA4. Instead of asking, “Where is my Bounce Rate?” start asking, “Are my users actually interacting with the content?” (Engagement Rate).

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4

Setting up GA4 is distinct from the old version. You aren’t just getting a tracking code; you are creating a data ecosystem. Whether you are upgrading from Universal Analytics or starting fresh, the process begins in the Admin panel.

Creating a Property and Data Stream

In the old world, we had Accounts, Properties, and Views. In GA4, “Views” are gone. Instead, we use Data Streams. Think of the Property as the bucket that holds your data, and the Data Stream as the hose that feeds data into that bucket (from your website, iOS app, or Android app).

Step-by-Step Setup:

1. Create the Property:
   • Log in to your Google Analytics account and click the Gear Icon (Admin) in the bottom left.
   • Click + Create and select Property.
   • Name your Property: (e.g., “Digital Vidya Website – GA4”).
   • Set Time Zone & Currency: Crucial: Ensure this matches your business location, as it affects your daily reporting and revenue data.
2. Business Details:
   • Google will ask for your Industry Category and Business Size. Fill these out accurately; Google uses this data for benchmarking features later.
   • Choose Business Objectives: You will be asked what you want to achieve (e.g., Generate Leads, Drive Online Sales). If you want all standard reports, choose “Get baseline reports.”
3. Set Up the Data Stream:
   • Once the property is created, you will be asked to choose a platform. Click on Web.
   • Website URL: Enter your domain (e.g., www.yoursite.com).
   • Stream Name: Enter a recognizable name (e.g., “Main Website”).
   • Enhanced Measurement: Keep this toggle ON. This automatically tracks page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, and file downloads without extra coding.
   • Click Create Stream.

The Golden Ticket: Your Measurement ID Once created, you will see a screen with your Measurement ID. It starts with G- (e.g., G-A1B2C3D4). Copy this; you will need it for the next step.

Installing the Tracking Code (GTM vs. Manual)

Now that the property exists, you need to connect it to your website. There are two main ways to do this.

Method 1: Google Tag Manager (Recommended)

At Digital Vidya, we strongly recommend using Google Tag Manager (GTM). It is cleaner, requires no coding knowledge after initial setup, and allows you to manage Facebook Pixels and Google Ads tags in one place.

1. Log in to your Google Tag Manager container.
2. Click Tags > New.
3. Tag Configuration: Click the pencil icon and select Google Tag (Note: Google recently updated this from “GA4 Configuration”).
4. Tag ID: Paste the Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXX) you copied earlier.
5. Triggering: Click the pencil icon and select Initialization – All Pages (This ensures GA4 loads before other scripts).
6. Name your tag (e.g., “GA4 Configuration”) and click Save.
7. Publish: Don’t forget to click “Submit” and “Publish” to make the changes live.

Method 2: Manual Installation (gtag.js)

If you have a simple website and do not use GTM, you can hardcode the script.

1. In your GA4 Data Stream details, scroll down to View Tag Instructions.
2. Click on the Install Manually tab.
3. Copy the block of code provided (the Global Site Tag).
4. Paste this code immediately after the opening <head> tag on every page of your website.
   • CMS Note: If you use WordPress, you can use plugins like “WPCode” or “Insert Headers and Footers” to paste this once for the whole site.

Verification: Once installed, open your website in a new tab. Go back to GA4 and open the Real-Time report. If you see “1 user in the last 30 minutes,” your setup is successful!

Understanding the GA4 Interface

When you first log in to GA4, the interface feels much lighter than Universal Analytics. There are fewer reports in the sidebar, and the dense lists of “Audience” and “Behavior” sub-menus are gone.

Do not let the simplicity fool you. GA4 hides its complexity in specific workspaces. The left-hand navigation bar is divided into four primary sections that serve distinct purposes.

Home, Reports, Explore, and Advertising Workspaces

1. Home (The AI Dashboard)

The Home icon is your starting point. Unlike the static dashboards of the past, the GA4 Home page is personalized using Google’s AI.

• Snapshot: You will see a “Real-Time” card showing users in the last 30 minutes.
• Suggested for You: Google analyzes your usage and highlights trends or anomalies (e.g., “Spike in users from Organic Search”).
• Recently Viewed: A quick-access list of the reports you visit most often.

2. Reports (Your Standard Data)

The Reports icon (chart symbol) is where 80% of marketers spend their time. This section replaces the old “Audience/Acquisition/Behavior” structure with a lifecycle-based approach. Depending on how you set up your property, you will typically see:

• Reports Snapshot: An executive summary of your entire site’s performance.
• Acquisition: Where are users coming from? (User acquisition vs. Traffic acquisition).
• Engagement: What are they doing? (Events, Pages and Screens, Sticky functionality).
• Monetization: Are you making money? (Ecommerce purchases, In-app ads).
• Retention: Are they coming back? (User Lifetime Value, Cohort analysis).

3. Explore (The Custom Analysis Hub)

The Explore icon (compass symbol) is the most powerful addition to GA4. In Universal Analytics, if a standard report didn’t exist, you were stuck. In GA4, standard reports are limited by design, and Explore is where you go to dig deeper.

• Free Form: Create cross-tab tables similar to Excel pivot tables.
• Funnel Exploration: Visualize the steps users take (e.g., Homepage > Product Page > Cart > Checkout) and exactly where they drop off.
• Path Exploration: See the actual “tree graph” of user navigation paths.

Pro Tip: Think of Reports as the “Menu” (pre-cooked meals) and Explore as the “Kitchen” (cook whatever you want from raw ingredients).

4. Advertising (ROI & Attribution)

The Advertising icon is dedicated to understanding the value of your marketing channels. This is separated from standard reports because it focuses on Attribution.

• Attribution Models: Compare how different channels get credit. You can see how “Last Click” compares to Google’s “Data-Driven” model.
• Conversion Paths: This visualizes the customer journey. You might see that users often click a Facebook Ad first, then return via Email later to buy. This report gives credit to that early Facebook interaction.

Here is the drafted content for the “Key Metrics” section. This is one of the most important parts of your tutorial because these metrics are where most users get confused when switching from Universal Analytics.

Key Metrics You Need to Know

In GA4, the vocabulary has changed. If you try to read these reports like the old Analytics, you will misinterpret the data. Here are the two biggest shifts you need to master.

Engagement Rate vs. Bounce Rate

For over a decade, digital marketers obsessed over Bounce Rate. In Universal Analytics, a “Bounce” was a single-page session. If a user landed on your blog, read it for 10 minutes, and then left, UA called that a “Bounce” (a failure).

GA4 fixes this with Engagement Rate.

What is an “Engaged Session”?

Google now counts a session as “Engaged” if it meets ANY of these three criteria:

1. The session lasts 10 seconds or longer.
2. The user views 2 or more pages.
3. The user triggers a Key Event (Conversion).

The New Formula

• Engagement Rate: The percentage of sessions that were “Engaged.” (e.g., 65% Engagement Rate means 65% of visits were meaningful).
• Bounce Rate (GA4): The inverse of Engagement Rate. It is simply the percentage of sessions that were not engaged.

Pro Tip: A high Bounce Rate isn’t always bad anymore. But a low Engagement Rate (< 30%) is a definite red flag. It means users are leaving immediately without reading or clicking.

Users vs. Traffic Acquisition

In GA4, you will see two very similar reports under the Acquisition tab. They look identical but tell completely different stories.

Example Scenario:

1. Day 1: Sarah clicks a Facebook Ad and visits your site. (New User).
2. Day 2: Sarah types your URL directly and returns to buy. (Returning Session).

• User Acquisition Report gives 100% credit to Facebook.
• Traffic Acquisition Report gives Day 1 credit to Facebook and Day 2 credit to Direct.

Which one should you report to your boss?

• If the goal is Growth (New Customers), use User Acquisition.
• If the goal is Retargeting/Sales (Return on Ad Spend), use Traffic Acquisition.

Here is the content for the Tracking & Conversions section. This is critical because it highlights the most significant terminology update Google made recently: changing “Conversions” to “Key Events.”

How to Track Events and Key Events (Conversions)

In Universal Analytics, tracking button clicks or video views often required a developer or complex Google Tag Manager triggers. In GA4, many of these are tracked automatically right out of the box.

Furthermore, Google has updated its terminology. What we used to call “Goals” in UA and “Conversions” in early GA4 are now officially called Key Events.

Using Enhanced Measurement

Enhanced Measurement is GA4’s “Easy Button.” It allows you to track interactions without writing a single line of code. When you set up your Data Stream, this is usually enabled by default, but it is vital to verify exactly what is being tracked.

How to Configure Enhanced Measurement:

1. Go to Admin > Data Collection and Modification > Data Streams.
2. Click on your Web Stream.
3. Under “Enhanced measurement,” click the Gear Icon (Settings).

What it Tracks Automatically:

• Page views: (Standard tracking).
• Scrolls: Triggers when a user reaches the bottom (90%) of a page.
• Outbound clicks: Clicks that lead users away from your domain.
• Site search: Tracks what users type into your site’s search bar (looks for query parameters like ?s= or ?q=).
• Video engagement: Tracks plays, progress, and completions for embedded YouTube videos.
• File downloads: Tracks when a user clicks a link with a file extension (e.g., .pdf, .docx).
• Form interactions: Tracks when a user starts filling out a form or submits it.

Pro Tip: If you have a “One Page Website” where scrolling 90% is common but not meaningful, you might want to turn OFF the Scroll measurement to save your event quota.

Marking Events as Key Events

In the past, you had to “Create a Goal.” Now, since everything is an event, you simply tell GA4 which events are important enough to be considered a “Success.” These are Key Events.

The Workflow:

• Step 1: The event must exist in GA4 (either from Enhanced Measurement or a custom tag you made).
• Step 2: You flip a switch.

How to Mark an Event as a Key Event:

1. Navigate to Admin > Data Display > Events.
2. You will see a list of all events your site has triggered recently (e.g., page_view, scroll, form_submit).
3. On the right side of the table, you will see a toggle column labeled “Mark as key event”.
4. Simply switch the toggle to ON (Blue) for the events that matter to your business (e.g., generate_lead, purchase, file_download).

What if the Event doesn’t exist yet? (Creating a Custom Event) Sometimes you want to track a specific “Thank You” page as a Key Event. Since GA4 doesn’t have a “Destination Goal” type like UA, you must create a new event based on the URL.

1. Go to Admin > Events > Create Event.
2. Custom Event Name: generate_lead (Use standard Google names where possible).
3. Matching Conditions:
   • event_name equals page_view
   • page_location contains /thank-you
4. Click Create.
5. Once this new generate_lead event starts firing, go back to the list and mark it as a Key Event.

Here is the content for the “Explorations” section. This is the most “advanced” part of the tutorial, so I have focused on simplifying the complex interface (Variables vs. Settings) to make it less intimidating.

Creating Custom Reports with ‘Explorations’

If you ever felt limited by the standard reports in Universal Analytics, you will love Explorations.

The “Reports” tab in GA4 provides a quick overview, but it doesn’t tell you why things are happening. The Explore tab is your analysis sandbox. It allows you to drag and drop metrics, segments, and dimensions to build custom visualizations—similar to how you might work in Data Studio or Tableau, but natively within Analytics.

How to Build a Funnel Exploration

The most popular report in digital marketing is the Funnel. It answers the question: “Where are my users dropping off before they buy?”

In UA, funnels were rigid. In GA4, you can build them on the fly, segment them, and even see how they change over time.

Step-by-Step: Building Your First Checkout Funnel

1. Start a New Exploration:
   • Click Explore in the left sidebar.
   • Select the “Funnel exploration” template. (This will open a sample report; it’s often easier to start here than from “Blank”).
2. Understand the Canvas: The interface is split into three columns:
   • Variables (Left): Your ingredients (Segments, Dimensions, Metrics).
   • Tab Settings (Middle): Your recipe (How you configure the visualization).
   • The Canvas (Right): The final dish (The visual chart).
3. Configure the Steps (The Most Important Part):
   • In the Tab Settings column, find the Steps section and click the Pencil Icon.
   • Here, you define the logic of your funnel. For a standard E-commerce site, you might build:
     • Step 1 (View Item): Event name = view_item.
     • Step 2 (Add to Cart): Event name = add_to_cart.
     • Step 3 (Checkout): Event name = begin_checkout.
     • Step 4 (Purchase): Event name = purchase.
   • Click Apply.
4. Analyze the Drop-off: The chart will update instantly. You will see blue bars (users who continued) and red areas (users who dropped off).
   • Abandonment Rate: Look at the percentage between steps. If 90% of users drop off between “Add to Cart” and “Checkout,” you likely have a pricing or technical issue on the cart page.

Pro Tip: The “Breakdown” Power Move Want to know if Mobile users drop off more than Desktop users? Drag the Device Category dimension from the “Variables” column and drop it into the Breakdown field in the “Tab Settings” column. Your funnel will split into rows, letting you compare conversion rates by device instantly.

The GA4 Interview Prep Checklist

Since Google Analytics 4 is still relatively new to many businesses, demonstrating expertise in it is a massive career advantage. If you are applying for a Data Analytics role in 2025, expect these questions and Check out our guide on Google Analytics Jobs to see who is hiring, and expect these questions in your interview:”

1. “What is the fundamental difference between UA and GA4?”

• The Trap: Don’t just say “GA4 is newer.”
• The Winning Answer: “The fundamental difference is the Data Model. Universal Analytics was Session-based (grouped by time), whereas GA4 is Event-based (every interaction is a standalone data point). This allows GA4 to be platform-agnostic, tracking users seamlessly across Websites and Mobile Apps.”

2. “How does GA4 handle Bounce Rate differently?”

• The Winning Answer: “GA4 replaces the negative concept of ‘Bounce Rate’ with the positive concept of ‘Engagement Rate.’ Instead of punishing a single-page visit, GA4 measures if the user spent 10+ seconds, viewed 2+ pages, or converted. It’s a more accurate measure of user intent.”

3. “Why is the ‘BigQuery Linking’ feature in GA4 such a big deal?”

• The Winning Answer: “In the old Universal Analytics, accessing raw data was expensive (Analytics 360 only). GA4 offers free integration with BigQuery. This allows us to export raw, unsampled data to a data warehouse for advanced analysis, machine learning, or joining with CRM data.”

4. “How would you track a ‘Form Submit’ if it doesn’t have a ‘Thank You’ page?”

• The Winning Answer: “I would use Enhanced Measurement first to see if GA4 tracks the form automatically. If not, I would use Google Tag Manager to listen for the specific ‘Form Submit’ trigger and send a custom event to GA4.”

5. “What is ‘Thresholding’ and why is my data missing?”

• The Winning Answer: “Thresholding happens when Google Signals is enabled. To protect user privacy, if a report contains a very small number of users (usually <50), GA4 hides that row to prevent identifying individuals. To see the data, I would temporarily switch the Reporting Identity to ‘Device-based’.”

Transitioning Your Mindset: Old vs. New

Moving to GA4 requires unlearning old habits. Use this cheat sheet to translate your requests from “UA Language” to “GA4 Language.”

Here is the content for the Strategy & Career sections. This content is designed to be high-value and distinct from generic “how-to” guides, positioning your page as a career resource.

The GA4 Interview Prep Checklist

Since Google Analytics 4 is still relatively new to many businesses, demonstrating expertise in it is a massive career advantage. If you are applying for a Digital Marketing role in 2025, expect these questions.

1. “What is the fundamental difference between UA and GA4?”

• The Trap: Don’t just say “GA4 is newer.”
• The Winning Answer: “The fundamental difference is the Data Model. Universal Analytics was Session-based (grouped by time), whereas GA4 is Event-based (every interaction is a standalone data point). This allows GA4 to be platform-agnostic, tracking users seamlessly across Websites and Mobile Apps.”

2. “How does GA4 handle Bounce Rate differently?”

• The Winning Answer: “GA4 replaces the negative concept of ‘Bounce Rate’ with the positive concept of ‘Engagement Rate.’ Instead of punishing a single-page visit, GA4 measures if the user spent 10+ seconds, viewed 2+ pages, or converted. It’s a more accurate measure of user intent.”

3. “Why is the ‘BigQuery Linking’ feature in GA4 such a big deal?”

• The Winning Answer: “In the old Universal Analytics, accessing raw data was expensive (Analytics 360 only). GA4 offers free integration with BigQuery. This allows us to export raw, unsampled data to a data warehouse for advanced analysis, machine learning, or joining with CRM data.”

4. “How would you track a ‘Form Submit’ if it doesn’t have a ‘Thank You’ page?”

• The Winning Answer: “I would use Enhanced Measurement first to see if GA4 tracks the form automatically. If not, I would use Google Tag Manager to listen for the specific ‘Form Submit’ trigger and send a custom event to GA4.”

5. “What is ‘Thresholding’ and why is my data missing?”

• The Winning Answer: “Thresholding happens when Google Signals is enabled. To protect user privacy, if a report contains a very small number of users (usually <50), GA4 hides that row to prevent identifying individuals. To see the data, I would temporarily switch the Reporting Identity to ‘Device-based’.”

Transitioning Your Mindset: Old vs. New

Moving to GA4 requires unlearning old habits. Use this cheat sheet to translate your requests from “UA Language” to “GA4 Language.”

Common GA4 Setup Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Even experienced marketers make these configuration errors. Fixing these two settings can save your data from being lost or corrupted.

1. The “2-Month” Data Retention Trap

By default, GA4 deletes user-level data (like the data used in “Exploration” reports) after just 2 months. If you try to run a Year-over-Year report next year, the data won’t be there.

• The Fix:
  1. Go to Admin.
  2. Under Data Collection and Modification, click Data Retention.
  3. Change “Event data retention” from 2 months to 14 months.
  4. Click Save.
  • Note: This is not retroactive. Do it today.

2. Double Tagging (The “Inflation” Error)

This happens when you migrate from UA to GA4. You might inadvertently install the GA4 code twice:

1. Once via Google Tag Manager.
2. And again by hardcoding the script into your website header (or using a CMS plugin).

• The Symptom: Your Bounce Rate is near 0% (impossible) or your pageviews are exactly double what they should be.
• The Fix: Use the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension. Record a session on your site. If you see the same GA4 Tag ID (G-XXXXXX) firing twice for every page load, remove the hardcoded version and stick to GTM.

3. Forgetting to Filter “Internal Traffic”

In GA4, filters are not “set and forget.” After defining your internal IP address (your office or home wifi), the filter is created in “Testing” mode by default. It does not block traffic until you activate it.

• The Fix: Go to Admin > Data Filters. Find your “Internal Traffic” filter and change the status from Testing to Active.

Conclusion: Embrace the Future of Analytics

Switching to Google Analytics 4 is not just a software update; it is a mindset shift. We have moved from a world of simple “page hits” to a sophisticated ecosystem of user behaviors and predictive insights.

While the new interface might feel intimidating at first, remember that GA4 is built to help you survive in a privacy-first, cross-device world. By mastering the difference between Events and Sessions, understanding Engagement Rate, and utilizing Explorations, you aren’t just collecting data—you are uncovering the why behind your users’ actions.

The “Universal Analytics” era is officially over. The marketers who cling to the past will be left guessing, while those who embrace GA4 will have the data to prove their ROI.

The Best Time to Start is Now

Don’t let your data sit idle.

1. Audit your current setup: Is your Data Retention set to 14 months?
2. Build one custom funnel: See where your users are dropping off.
3. Update your resume: Add “Google Analytics 4” to your skills—it is in high demand.

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FAQ on Google Analytics

As you transition to GA4, you will likely have specific questions about what is missing or how the new system works. Here are the most common questions we receive from Digital Vidya students and clients.

1. Is Universal Analytics (UA) completely gone?

Yes. As of July 1, 2024, Google has not only stopped processing new hits for Universal Analytics but has also begun deleting historical UA data. You can no longer access your old reports in the interface. If you did not export your historical data before this deadline, it is permanently lost. GA4 is now the only standard operating version.

2. What is the difference between Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager?

Think of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as the destination and Google Tag Manager (GTM) as the delivery truck.

• GA4 stores and analyzes data (reports, graphs, user counts).
• GTM sends data to GA4. It manages your tracking codes (tags) so you don’t have to edit your website code every time you want to track a new button click.
• Verdict: You should use both together.

3. Why doesn’t my GA4 data match my old Universal Analytics data?

It is normal for the numbers to be different (often by 10-20%) because they use different measurement models.

• UA counted “Sessions” based on time.
• GA4 counts “Unique Users” more accurately across devices.
• Bot Filtering: GA4 has much stricter, always-on bot filtering, so your total traffic numbers might actually look lower than UA, but they are more accurate.

4. How do I exclude my own visits (Internal Traffic) in GA4?

In UA, this was a simple filter. In GA4, it is a two-step process:

1. Go to Admin > Data Streams > Configure Tag Settings > Define Internal Traffic. Here, you enter your IP address and give it a rule name (e.g., “Office IP”).
2. Go to Admin > Data Filters. You will see a filter created automatically. You must change its status from “Testing” to “Active” for it to actually block the data.

5. Why is my data disappearing after 2 months?

By default, GA4 is set to retain user-specific data (like Exploration reports) for only 2 months. This is a privacy default.

• The Fix: Go to Admin > Data Collection > Data Retention and change the setting to 14 months. Do this immediately, or you will lose the ability to do year-over-year comparisons in custom reports.

6. Is Google Analytics 4 free?

Yes. The standard version of GA4 is free and sufficient for 99% of businesses. There is a paid enterprise version called Google Analytics 360, which offers higher data limits (sampling limits) and SLAs, but it is designed for massive corporations with millions of hits per day.