How to Create a Web Property in Google Analytics

Before you can start analyzing your website traffic, you need to tell Google where to send the data. This is done by setting up a "property" in Google Analytics for your site. This simple, one-time setup is the foundational first step to understanding who your visitors are, where they come from, and what they do after they arrive. This article will walk you through every step of creating a modern Google Analytics 4 property and getting the tracking tag installed on your website.

What is a Google Analytics Property?

Think of your Google Analytics setup like a nested filing system. One account can hold multiple properties, making it great for agencies or businesses with several websites. Here’s the simple breakdown:

• Account: This is the highest level, the container for everything. You might have one account for your entire business.
• Property: This is the level where your data is collected and processed. You’ll create one property for each website or app you want to track. If you have a main website and a separate blog on a different domain, you would typically create a separate property for each. All new properties are created as "Google Analytics 4" or "GA4" properties, the latest and most powerful version.
• Data Stream: This is the specific source of data that feeds into your property. For a website, you will create a "Web" data stream. Your property can also have data streams for iOS and Android apps.

Creating a property gives you a unique Measurement ID and a tracking code (the gtag.js snippet). You’ll place this code on your website, which allows Google to start collecting anonymous data about your visitors into the correct property.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a GA4 Property

Getting your first property set up only takes a few minutes. Follow these steps, and you'll be on your way to collecting data.

Step 1: Sign in to Google Analytics

First, go to the Google Analytics website and sign in with your Google account. If you've never used Google Analytics before, you'll be prompted to create your first Account. Give it your business name. If you already have an account, you'll be taken to your dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to the Admin Panel

In the bottom-left corner of the screen, you’ll see a gear icon labeled “Admin.” Click on it to go to the administrative settings for your account.

Step 3: Create a New Property

The Admin screen has two main columns: "Account" and "Property." In the "Property" column, you’ll see a blue button that says "+ Create Property." Click this to start the setup wizard.

Step 4: Enter Your Property Details

Now, you’ll fill out some basic information about your new property.

• Property name: This is for your reference only, so name it something clear, like your website’s name or brand. For example, "MyAwesomeWebsite.com".
• Reporting time zone: Select the primary time zone for your business. This is important for ensuring your daily reports accurately reflect when days begin and end according to your operations.
• Currency: Choose the currency your business operates in. This is used for tracking revenue in e-commerce and advertising reports.

After filling these out, click “Next”.

Step 5: Provide Your Business Information

On the next screen, Google asks for some optional details about your business. You can select your industry category and business size. Providing this information helps Google better tailor your experience and can unlock access to benchmarking reports, which show how your site performs compared to anonymized data from other businesses in your industry.

Step 6: Choose Your Business Objectives

This is a newer feature in GA4 that helps customize your default set of reports to focus on the metrics that matter most to you. For example, if you choose "Generate leads," your reports will be tailored to your objectives. Select the objectives that best match your goals, then click "Create." You’ll then be prompted to set up your first data stream.

Step 7: Set Up Your Web Data Stream

After clicking "Create," you will be prompted to choose a platform to start collecting data. Since we are setting this up for a website, choose "Web."

Now, enter your website’s details:

• Website URL: Enter the full primary URL of your site (e.g., www.myawesomewebsite.com). Don’t worry about including http: or https:, Google will handle that.
• Stream name: Again, this is for your own reference. Something like “[Your Website Name] Web Stream” is fine.

You’ll also see a section for "Enhanced measurement." This should be enabled by default, and you should leave it on. It’s one of the best features of GA4, as it automatically tracks key user interactions without any extra setup, including page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, and video engagement. Click "Create stream" when you're done.

How to Install the Google Analytics Tag on Your Website

Once you create your stream, a screen will pop up showing your "Measurement ID" (which looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX) and instructions for installation. This tag is the piece of code that connects your website to your new GA property. You have a few options for getting it installed.

Method 1: Using a Plugin or CMS Integration (The Easiest Way)

If your website is built on a platform like WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, or Wix, this is by far the simplest method. Most of these platforms have built-in integrations or easy-to-use plugins for Google Analytics.

For WordPress, popular choices include Google’s own Site Kit or other third-party plugins. Typically, the process involves:

1. Installing the plugin from your WordPress dashboard.
2. Following the prompts to authorize the plugin with your Google account.
3. Pasting your "Measurement ID" (G-XXXXXXXXXX) into the plugin’s settings field.

The plugin handles the rest, adding the tracking code to every page of your site automatically.

Method 2: Using Google Tag Manager (The Most Flexible Way)

If you're already using Google Tag Manager (GTM) or plan to, this is the recommended approach. GTM acts as a container for all your marketing and analytics tags, making your site faster and easier to manage. To do this, create a new tag in GTM:

1. Choose the "Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration" tag type.
2. Paste your GA4 Measurement ID into the designated field.
3. Set the tag to fire on "All Pages".
4. Save, preview, and publish your GTM container.

Method 3: Adding the gtag.js Code Manually (For Advanced Users)

If you're comfortable editing your website's code, you can install the tag directly. In your GA4 data stream details, under "Install manually," you'll find a JavaScript snippet. It starts with <!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --> and looks something like this:

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [],
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments),}
  gtag('js', new Date()),

  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX'),
</script>

Copy this entire snippet and paste it into the HTML file of your website's pages, immediately after the opening <head> tag. If your site uses a theme or template, you can usually place this in a master header file so it applies to every page.

Verifying Your GA4 Tag is Working

Once you’ve installed the tag, you want to make sure it’s actually collecting data. The easiest way is to use the "Realtime" report in Google Analytics.

1. Navigate to Reports > Realtime in your GA4 property.
2. Open your website in a new browser tab or on your phone.
3. You should see yourself appear as a visitor in the Realtime report within a minute or two.

If you see activity, congratulations! Your web property is correctly set up and collecting data moving forward.

Final Thoughts

You’ve now successfully created a Google Analytics 4 property and connected it to your website. This gives you a powerful foundation for understanding user behavior, tracking marketing campaigns, and making data-informed decisions to grow your business. Now the real journey of analysis begins.

After your data starts flowing in, the next challenge is making sense of it. Instead of spending hours digging through GA's default reports to stitch together a clear picture of performance, we created a faster way. At Graphed, we let you connect directly to your Google Analytics account so you can describe the exact dashboard you want using plain English. Just ask questions like, "Show me my top 5 landing pages from organic search this month," and an interactive, real-time report is built for you in seconds.