Last Updated / Reviewed: June 20th, 2022
Execution Time: ~15-30 minutes

Goal: To add Google Analytics 4 to a site using Google Tag Manager and verify that it is working properly.

Ideal Outcome: Google Analytics 4 is properly added & configured without any technical issues.

Prerequisites or requirements: You need a Google Analytics 4 account created. Also, you should have installed Google Tag Manager on your site.

Why this is important: Google Analytics is the most popular tool to measure website data to gather visitor insights. With it, you will be able to know the amount of traffic you are getting, and how your visitors are behaving inside your website.

Where this is done: In Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics.

When this is done: Only once—the first time you install Google Analytics.

Who does this: The person responsible for website management, or analytics.

1. Login to your Google Analytics account.
2. Click “Admin”.

Get the measurement ID from Google Analytics 4

3. Make sure you’ve selected the correct property (website) and select “Data Streams”.

4. Select your website that you want to implement Google Analytics 4.

5. Click on the measurement ID to copy it on your clipboard.

6. You can paste it in a text editor or notepad. You will need this later on.

1. Go to http://tagmanager.google.com and sign in with your account details.
2. Select the container that is set up on your website.

Set up Google Analytics 4 using Google Tag Manager

4. Click on “New” and rename your tag. It is recommended that it contains a mention to Google Analytics, it makes it easier in the future to locate the tags you are looking for.

a. NOTE: When creating new tags it’s recommended to define a naming convention from the beginning, this keeps your Google Tag Manager set up neatly organized and easy to maintain for many years to come.

[Abbreviated Name Of Tool]_[Use for this tag] is a good start.

i. e.g: “GA_TrackingCode”

5. Click on the “Tag Configuration” section → Select “Google Analytics 4 configuration”:

6. Paste the Measurement ID that you copied from Google Analytics earlier.

7. Next, click on the Trigger icon to set up a trigger for this tag.

8. Select “All Pages”. This is to fire the Google Analytics 4 on all pages on your website (recommended).

9. You are now ready to save your settings by clicking on “Save”:

10. If you now click on “Overview” on the sidebar, this is how your Google Tag Manager overview dashboard should look like:

11. If everything looks ok, you are now ready to hit “Submit”

12. In the Submission Configuration panel, you will be given the chance to add a name and description to this version. After you have done so, hit “Publish”.

a. Note: Adding a name and description is optional but recommended. You should enter the information here that will make it easy to know what changes are being made.

Note: This step requires Google Chrome’s Google Tag Assistant extension to be installed on your browser.

1. Go to your website’s homepage
2. On your browser click on the Tag Assistant Icon

3. You should be able to see a Tag named “Google Analytics” and your Analytics Tracking ID beneath it (G-XXXXXXXXX)
4. Repeat this procedure for a few more pages of your website. You should always be able to see the “Google Analytics” tag inside Google Tag Assistant.

Verify your set up with Google Tag Assistant

1. Open Google Analytics by heading over to https://analytics.google.com
2. You will be taken to your account dashboard.
3. Head to the real-time report under Report ➞ Real-time

Verify your setup inside Google Analytics

4. In another Google Chrome tab or window open up your website URL.
5. Now go back to the Google Analytics’ tab and wait a few seconds.
6. You should see (at least) 1 active user on the website: