How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 for Your Website

In today’s digital landscape, data is the compass that guides your business growth. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest standard for tracking how visitors interact with your website, allowing you to see what is working, what isn't, and where your marketing budget is best spent.

Setting up GA4 correctly from the start ensures you aren't making blind decisions. For Australian small businesses, this data is the difference between guessing your ROI and knowing exactly which local suburbs or search terms are driving your sales.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need Before Starting

Before we dive in, ensure you have the following ready:

• A Google Account: Preferably a business-specific Gmail or Google Workspace account (e.g., info@yourbusiness.com.au).
• Website Access: You will need administrative access to your website’s backend (WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, etc.) or access to your Google Tag Manager container.
• Your ABN/Business Details: Useful for setting up your account profile correctly.

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Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account

First, head to analytics.google.com. If you already have an older Universal Analytics account, sign in. If you are new, click "Start measuring."

Step 2: Set Up Your GA4 Property

After naming your account, you need to create a "Property." This represents your website or app.

• Property Name: Enter your website name (e.g., "LMG Main Website").
• Reporting Time Zone: This is crucial. Select Australia and your specific state (e.g., (GMT+10:00) Brisbane Time). If you leave this as US time, your data will be 10-14 hours out of sync, making it impossible to track daily peak traffic accurately.
• Currency: Select Australian Dollar (AUD). This ensures your e-commerce data or lead values match your local bookkeeping.

Step 3: Provide Business Details

Google will ask for your industry category and business size. This helps Google provide benchmark data. For example, if you are a local cafe in Fortitude Valley, select "Food & Drink." Click "Next" and select your business objectives (usually "Generate leads" or "Examine user behaviour").

Step 4: Create a Data Stream

Now you need to tell Google where the data is coming from.

• Choose the Web platform.
• Website URL: Enter your domain (e.g., www.yourbusiness.com.au). Ensure you select https:// if your site is secure (which it should be!).
• Stream Name: You can simply call this "Web Stream."
• Enhanced Measurement: Ensure this is toggled ON. This automatically tracks scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, and video engagement without you needing to write extra code.

Click Create stream.

Step 5: Locate Your Measurement ID

Once the stream is created, a "Web stream details" window will pop up. Look for the Measurement ID in the top right corner. It starts with G- followed by a string of letters and numbers (e.g., G-X123456789). Copy this ID; you will need it for the installation.

Step 6: Install the Tracking Code on Your Website

There are three main ways to do this, depending on your website platform:

Option A: Using a Plugin (Recommended for WordPress)

Option B: Google Tag Manager (Best for Scalability)

• Create a new Tag.
• Select Google Tag as the tag type.
• Paste your Measurement ID into the field.
• Set the Trigger to All Pages.
• Save and Publish.

Option C: Manual Installation

Step 7: Configure Data Retention Settings

By default, GA4 only keeps user-level data for 2 months. For most Australian businesses, you’ll want to see year-on-year trends.

• Go to Admin (the gear icon at the bottom left).
• Under Data collection and modification, click Data retention.
• Change "Event data retention" from 2 months to 14 months.
• Click Save.

Step 8: Set Up Internal Traffic Filters

You don’t want your own visits (or your staff's visits) to skew your data.

• In your Data Stream details, click Configure tag settings.
• Click Show all and select Define internal traffic.
• Click Create.
• Name it "Office IP," and enter your public IP address (you can find this by Googling "What is my IP").

Step 9: Verify the Installation

Open your website in a new incognito browser tab. Wait about 30 seconds. Go back to Google Analytics and click the Reports icon, then Real-time.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Double Tagging: Don't install the GA4 code via a plugin AND via Tag Manager. This will double-count your visitors and ruin your bounce rate data.
• Ignoring the Time Zone: Setting the time zone to US Pacific Time is the #1 mistake we see. It makes it impossible to know if your "Monday Morning Email" actually drove traffic on Monday morning in Brisbane.
• Not Setting Up Conversions: Simply tracking visitors isn't enough. You need to tell GA4 which events (like a form submission or a phone number click) are "Conversions."

Troubleshooting

• "No data received in past 48 hours": This usually means the code is in the wrong place. Check that the script is in the section, not the
• Missing Data in Real-time: Check if you have an AdBlocker enabled in your browser. These often block Google Analytics tracking scripts.
• Data looks too low: Ensure you have accepted the "Data Processing Terms" in the Admin section to comply with global privacy standards.

Next Steps

Now that your GA4 is live, your next steps are:

• Link Google Ads: If you are running local search ads, link your GA4 property to your Ads account to see which keywords result in actual leads.
• Set up Key Events: Define your "Thank You" page visits as conversions.
• Create a Custom Dashboard: Use Looker Studio to create a simple one-page report of your monthly stats.

If you find the technical setup a bit overwhelming, or you want to ensure your tracking is 100% accurate for your Brisbane business, the team at Local Marketing Group is here to help. Contact us today to get your analytics professionally audited.