How to Upgrade to Google Analytics 4

The time to move from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 has passed, but many businesses are still navigating the transition. If you haven't fully set up your GA4 property or aren't sure if it's configured correctly, don't worry. This article provides a clear, step-by-step guide to get your new analytics property properly installed and configured to collect the data you need.

Why the Move to GA4 is a Big Deal

Universal Analytics (UA) officially stopped processing new data for standard properties on July 1, 2023. This change wasn't just an update, it was a fundamental shift in how user activity is measured. Understanding these differences explains why simply installing a new tag isn't enough.

Event-Based vs. Session-Based Measurement

The biggest change is the data model. Universal Analytics was session-based, organizing everything a user did within a single visit (a "session"). It tracked things like pageviews, bounce rate, and time on page.

GA4 is event-based. Every interaction - a page view, a scroll, a button click, a form submission, a purchase - is captured as a distinct event. This model provides a much more granular and flexible view of the user journey, especially as users interact with your business across different devices. A "session" is still present in GA4, but it's now just another event (session_start) among many, a detail rather than the core organizational unit.

Built for Today's and Tomorrow's Web

GA4 was created in response to modern user behavior and growing privacy concerns. Key advantages include:

• Cross-Platform Tracking: GA4 combines app and website data into a single property for a unified view of user behavior, something UA struggled with.
• Privacy-Centric Design: It's designed to work with or without cookies and has features like Consent Mode that adjust data collection based on user consent.
• Smarter Analytics with AI: GA4 integrates machine learning to offer predictive metrics, like purchase probability and churn probability, giving you proactive insights.
• Enhanced Reporting: You can create highly custom reports in the "Explore" section that were previously only available in the paid version of UA (Analytics 360).

Getting Started: Using the GA4 Setup Assistant

The good news is that Google has made the initial creation of a GA4 property straightforward. If you didn't manually create a GA4 property, chances are Google already created a basic one for you. In either case, your first step is inside your old Universal Analytics account.

Step 1: Open the Setup Assistant in Universal Analytics

Log in to your Google Analytics account and navigate to your Universal Analytics property (the one with the "UA-" tracking ID).

1. Click on Admin in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
2. In the "Property" column, the very first option is GA4 Setup Assistant. Click on it.

You'll see a section that says, "I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property." Click the blue Get started button.

Step 2: Create and Connect Your New GA4 Property

A popup will appear explaining what the wizard will do. It's important to understand this step:

• It creates a brand new GA4 property. It does not change or delete your existing UA property.
• It copies basic information like your property name, website URL, currency, and time zone.
• It enables "Enhanced measurement," a feature that automatically tracks events like scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, and video engagement.

Click Create and continue. The assistant will work its magic and then declare, "You have successfully connected your properties." Your new GA4 property is now created, but it is not collecting data yet. That's the most critical part you have to do manually.

Installing the GA4 Tracking Tag

Your new GA4 property has its own unique tracking ID, called a "Measurement ID." It looks like a "G-" followed by a string of numbers and letters (e.g., G-XYZ123ABC). You need to add this to your website to start collecting data. You can find this ID by going to your new GA4 property > Admin > Data Streams > Click on your stream.

There are three main ways to install the tag.

Option 1: The Best Way (Using Google Tag Manager)

If you already use Google Tag Manager (GTM), this is the cleanest and most manageable way to add GA4. It lets you manage all your tracking tags in one place without touching your website code.

1. In your GTM container, go to Tags > New.
2. Give your tag a clear name, like "GA4 Configuration – YourWebsite.com".
3. Click Tag Configuration and choose Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration from the list.
4. In the "Measurement ID" field, paste your G- ID.
5. Under "Triggering," select the All Pages trigger.
6. Save the tag, use the Preview mode to test that it fires correctly on your site, and then click Submit to publish your changes.

Option 2: The Easy Way (Using a Website Platform or Plugin)

Many popular website platforms have native integrations for GA4. This often means you just need to copy and paste your Measurement ID into a specific field in your website's admin settings.

• Shopify: Go to Online Store > Preferences > Google Analytics. There's a field specifically for your "G-" Measurement ID.
• WordPress with a Plugin: If you use a plugin like Site Kit by Google or MonsterInsights, there will be an easy-to-find spot in the plugin’s settings to add your GA4 Measurement ID.
• Squarespace/Wix/others: Look for their documentation on "external integrations" or "marketing analytics." They typically have a simple field for pasting your new tag ID.

Option 3: The Old-School Way (Adding Code Manually)

If you're not using GTM or a platform with an integration, you'll need to add the code snippet directly to your website's HTML.

1. In your GA4 property, go to Admin > Data Streams > View tag instructions.
2. Under the "Install Manually" tab, you'll see a JavaScript snippet (gtag.js).
3. Copy this entire snippet.
4. Paste it immediately after the <head> tag on every page of your website. If you're using a theme or templates, you only need to add it to your global header file.

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-123EXAMPLE45"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [],
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments),}
  gtag('js', new Date()),

  gtag('config', 'G-123EXAMPLE45'),
</script>

Once you've installed the tag, head to the Realtime report in GA4. If you see data appearing as you click around your own website, you've successfully installed it.

Your Post-Migration Checklist: Critical Configurations

Installing the tag is just the beginning. To get valuable data, a few key settings need your attention right away.

1. Extend Your Data Retention Period

By default, GA4 only stores user-specific data for 2 months. This is far too short for any meaningful year-over-year analysis. You need to change this immediately.

• Go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Retention.
• Change the "Event data retention" dropdown from 2 months to 14 months. Hit save.

2. Activate Google Signals

Google Signals collects data from users who have signed into their Google accounts and turned on Ads Personalization. Activating it gives you more advanced features, including:

• Cross-device tracking to see the full user journey.
• Improved remarketing lists for Google Ads.
• Demographic and interest data to better understand your audience.

Go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Collection and toggle on the option to enable Google Signals data collection. You'll need to acknowledge the policy requirements.

3. Link Your Other Google Products

Connecting GA4 to other services injects valuable context into your reports.

• Google Ads: Essential for tracking ad campaign performance, importing GA4 conversions into Google Ads, and building remarketing audiences.
• Google Search Console: This allows you to see organic search performance directly within GA4, connecting search queries to on-site user behavior.

Find these integrations in Admin > Product Links.

4. Recreate Your Conversions (UA Goals)

This is arguably the most important post-setup task. Your Goals from Universal Analytics do not migrate automatically. In GA4, any event can be marked as a conversion.

Let's say a key conversion is someone viewing your "thank-you.html" page after filling out a form.

1. First, confirm the event is being tracked. You can go to Reports > Engagement > Events to find the page_view event.
2. Go to Admin > Events. Click Create event.
3. Name your new custom event something clear, like form_submission_thankyou.
4. Set the matching conditions to be: event_name equals page_view AND page_location contains thank-you.html.
5. Save the new event. After 24 hours, this new custom event will appear in your events list back at Admin > Conversions. Find it and simply toggle the switch to mark it as a conversion.

This process is the new way of setting up destination-based goals.

Don't Forget Your Historical UA Data

GA4 starts from scratch. None of your historical data from Universal Analytics is moved over. While you can no longer add new data to UA, Google will maintain your access to the old reports for a limited time. You should export your most important historical reports before access is cut off.

• Manual Exports: For your highest-priority reports (e.g., year-over-year acquisition reports), use the "Export" button in UA to save them as a CSV or Google Sheet.
• Third-Party Connectors: Search the Google Sheets add-on marketplace for tools that can pull your UA data programmatically into a spreadsheet for more comprehensive backups.

Prioritize exporting long-term data like year-over-year channel performance, top landing pages, and monthly goal completions. Having this benchmark data in a spreadsheet will be valuable for future comparisons.

Final Thoughts

Upgrading to GA4 can feel daunting, but breaking it down into these distinct stages makes it manageable. From running the Setup Assistant and installing the new tag to re-creating conversions and adjusting data retention, these are the essential actions that set your business up for reliable, valuable data collection for years to come.

Once you have all that new GA4 data flowing, the next step is making it easy to understand. While we love the power of GA4's reporting tools, the interface can be a lot to learn. We designed Graphed to connect directly to your account and completely simplify your analysis. Instead of building complex reports, you can build dashboards and get insights just by asking questions in plain English - letting you find out what moves the needle for your business.