What is Google Analytics 4 and why does it matter?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's current web and app analytics tool. It replaced Universal Analytics, whose standard properties stopped processing data on 1 July 2023. Google describes Google Analytics as free of charge; a paid enterprise version, Analytics 360, exists for large organisations.
The big idea in GA4 is that everything is an event. A page view is an event, a scroll is an event, a form submission is an event and a purchase is an event. Once you understand events, the rest of GA4 makes sense.
For marketers, GA4 answers the questions every manager asks: where visitors came from, what they did, and which channels led to leads or sales. That is why it sits at the centre of performance marketing and SEO reporting.
How do you set up GA4 step by step?
These steps follow Google's help article on setting up Analytics for a website, checked in September 2026. You need a Google account and access to edit your website (or its CMS settings).
- Create a property. In Google Analytics, go to Admin, click Create, then Property. Enter a property name, and choose the reporting time zone (India) and currency (Indian rupee). Getting these right matters, because reports use them.
- Add business details. Pick your industry and business size, then choose your objectives, such as generating leads. Accept the terms of service.
- Create a web data stream. Choose Web, enter your site's URL and a stream name, and keep enhanced measurement switched on.
- Install the Google tag. In Admin, open Data streams, click your stream, then View tag instructions. Either follow the steps for your platform (WordPress, Shopify, Wix and others have built-in options) or choose Install manually and paste the snippet immediately after the opening
<head>tag on every page. - Check it works. Open your site in another tab, then look at the Realtime report. Google says data collection begins within 30 minutes.
The manual snippet looks like this. G-XXXXXXXXXX stands in for your own measurement ID, which you copy from the data stream page.
<!-- 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>Two settings beginners should change on day one
- Data retention: standard properties can keep user- and event-level data for 2 months or 14 months. Set it to 14 months. This only affects explorations and funnel reports, not the standard reports, but you will want a longer history for them.
- Internal traffic: define your office or home IP as internal traffic and filter it out, so your own visits do not inflate reports.
How do events and key events work in GA4?
GA4 collects some events automatically. With enhanced measurement on, it also records these without extra code, according to Google's documentation:
| Event name | When it fires |
|---|---|
page_view | Each page load, or when the browser history state changes |
scroll | The first time a visitor reaches 90% of the page depth |
click | Clicks on links that lead away from your domain (outbound clicks) |
view_search_results | When a site search results page loads, detected from a URL query parameter |
video_start, video_progress, video_complete | Embedded YouTube videos starting, passing 10%, 25%, 50% and 75%, and ending |
file_download | Clicks on links to files such as PDF, XLSX or DOCX |
form_start, form_submit | First interaction with a form in a session, and form submission |
For anything else, you send your own event. For example, a coaching institute could record a lead when its enquiry form succeeds, using Google's recommended generate_lead event with a value in rupees:
gtag('event', 'generate_lead', {
currency: 'INR',
value: 500
});Here, 500 is an estimated value per lead that the business chooses; it is not a GA4 default. Many teams send events through Google Tag Manager instead of code, which is easier to change later.
What are key events?
Key events are the events that matter most to your business. GA4 used to call them conversions; now "key events" is the analytics term, and "conversions" refers to what you import into Google Ads for bidding. To mark one, go to Admin, open Events, and click the star next to the event name, or create a new event and switch on "Mark as key event". Google marks purchase as a key event by default, and a standard property can have up to 30 key events.
A sensible first set for a lead-generation site: generate_lead, a click on a WhatsApp or phone button, and a brochure download. For an online store: purchase, plus add_to_cart as a non-key event you still watch.
Want to use GA4 on real campaign work?
The ISS Marketing & Growth program connects measurement to SEO, social, paid media and email, with live mentor feedback and a portfolio capstone. Compare its curriculum with this tutorial, and download the free Digital Marketing Portfolio Kit offered on this page.
View Marketing & Growth curriculum →Which GA4 reports should beginners use first?
Standard reports sit under Reports in the left menu. Start with these four and learn to explain each in one sentence.
| Report | Question it answers | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| Realtime | Is tracking working right now? | Active users and events in the last 30 minutes |
| Acquisition > Traffic acquisition | Which channels bring sessions? | Sessions, engagement rate and key events by session default channel group |
| Engagement > Pages and screens | Which pages do people use? | Views, average engagement time and key events by page |
| Engagement > Events | Which actions happen, and how often? | Event count and users per event |
Channels are grouped by Google's default channel definitions. For example, Organic Search covers visits from non-ad search results, and Google's definition now explicitly includes AI Overviews and AI Mode. Email and Organic Social depend heavily on how you tag links, which is why UTMs matter.
What are explorations and when should you use them?
Explorations, under Explore, are for questions standard reports cannot answer. Google lists seven techniques: free-form, cohort, funnel, segment overlap, user explorer, path and user lifetime. Beginners get the most from two:
- Funnel exploration: build steps such as
page_viewon a course page, thenform_start, thengenerate_lead, and see where people drop off. Break it down by device to spot mobile problems. - Free-form exploration: a pivot table. Put Session source / medium in rows and Key events in values to compare channels on outcomes, not only visits.
Remember that explorations use the retention period you set (2 or 14 months), so a long look-back needs the 14-month setting.
How do you tag links with UTM parameters?
UTM parameters tell GA4 where a visit came from when it cannot tell by itself, such as clicks from emails, WhatsApp messages, Instagram bio links or offline QR codes. Google says you should always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, and recommends utm_id and utm_source_platform too. Optional ones include utm_term and utm_content.
https://www.example.in/diwali-sale?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=diwali_2026&utm_content=hero_buttonA visit from that link appears in GA4 with source newsletter, medium email and campaign diwali_2026, and utm_content lets you compare the hero button against, say, a footer link.
- Use lowercase always. Values are case-sensitive, so
Emailandemailbecome separate rows. - Keep a shared sheet of approved sources, mediums and campaign names so your team tags the same way.
- Never tag internal links on your own site; it overwrites the original source of the session.
- Google Ads does not need manual UTMs when auto-tagging is on and the accounts are linked.
How can you practise GA4 free with the demo account?
Google offers a GA4 demo account with two properties: the Google Merchandise Store, an e-commerce site selling Google-branded products, and Flood-It!, a mobile puzzle game. Anyone with a Google account gets Viewer access. The data is obfuscated but representative, and you cannot export reports or use the Data API with it.
Try these five exercises in the Google Merchandise Store property. Together they make a good portfolio piece.
- In Traffic acquisition, find the channel with the most sessions and the channel with the highest engagement rate. Are they the same?
- In Pages and screens, list the five most-viewed pages and their average engagement time.
- Open the ecommerce purchases report under Monetization and note the three products with the highest revenue in the last 28 days.
- Build a funnel exploration from
view_itemtoadd_to_carttobegin_checkouttopurchase, broken down by device category. - Write a half-page summary: three findings, one recommendation each, and how you would measure whether it worked.
Put the summary and two screenshots in your portfolio. Our portfolio guide for freshers shows how to present analysis work, and digital marketing interview questions covers how analytics comes up in interviews.
What common GA4 mistakes should beginners avoid?
- Installing the tag twice (for example, in a plugin and manually), which double-counts page views.
- Leaving data retention at a short setting and losing history in explorations.
- Marking too many events as key events. If everything is a key event, nothing is.
- Mixing case and spelling in UTMs, which splits one campaign into several rows.
- Reporting sessions without key events. Traffic alone does not show business impact.
Is there a Google Analytics certification?
Yes. Google's Analytics Academy on Skillshop offers free courses and a Google Analytics Certification. As with Google Ads, the certificate shows you know the tool; a demo-account analysis shows you can use it. See our Google Ads certification guide for how Skillshop exams work.
If you want analytics taught alongside SEO, content, social, paid media and email in one structured course, the ISS Marketing & Growth program is a 16-week live online cohort at about 12–14 hours a week, ending in a portfolio capstone. The fee is ₹69,999 (₹66,499 if paid upfront). ISS does not guarantee jobs or placement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Analytics 4 free?
Yes. Google describes Google Analytics as free of charge. Analytics 360 is a separate paid version for large organisations.
What is the difference between key events and conversions in GA4?
Key events are the important actions you mark in Google Analytics, such as a lead form or purchase. Conversions are what you create in Google Ads from those key events so that Ads can use them for bidding.
How many key events can I set up in GA4?
Google allows up to 30 key events on a standard property and up to 50 on an Analytics 360 property.
How long does GA4 take to show data after setup?
Google says data collection begins within 30 minutes of installing the tag. Check the Realtime report to confirm, and expect standard reports to take longer to fill in.
Which UTM parameters are required in GA4?
Google says you should always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. It also recommends utm_id and utm_source_platform, while utm_term and utm_content are optional.
How can I practise GA4 without a website?
Use the free Google Analytics demo account. Anyone with a Google account gets viewer access to GA4 properties for the Google Merchandise Store and the Flood-It! game, with obfuscated but representative data.
Sources and methodology
All facts about GA4 come from Google's official help pages, checked in September 2026. Menu names in GA4 change from time to time; if a label differs, search the help centre for the report name.
- Google Analytics Help, Set up Analytics for a website and/or app (checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Introducing Google Analytics 4 (Universal Analytics end date; checked September 2026).
- Google Marketing Platform, Google Analytics (free of charge; Analytics 360; checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Enhanced event measurement (checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Key events (limits and defaults; checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Data retention (checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Explorations (checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, URL builders: collect campaign data with custom URLs (UTM parameters; checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Default channel group (checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Demo account (checked September 2026).
- Google Analytics Help, Analytics Academy (checked September 2026).
- ISS curriculum: Marketing & Growth program page.
The practice exercises, suggested key events, the example lead value and the mistakes list are the ISS Editorial Team's recommendations, not Google guidance.
Next steps
Open the GA4 demo account today and complete the five exercises; that half-page summary is a ready portfolio piece. If you have a site, set up your own property and one key event this week.
To see how measurement fits into a full marketing curriculum, review the Marketing & Growth program or download the free Digital Marketing Portfolio Kit on this page. Applying is free and you pay only after accepting an offer: apply here.