Stage 2: Creating a GA4 Account and Configuring Basic Settings
Step 1: Start Account Setup
- Action: From the GA4 home page, click on “Start measuring”.
- Purpose: To begin the process of setting up a new GA4 account.
Step 2: Enter Account Details
- Action: Fill out the account details form.
- Tip: Use the domain name as the account name for easy identification.
- Outcome: Provides a clear identifier for your GA4 account related to your domain.
Step 3: Account Data Sharing Settings
- Action: Proceed to account data sharing options and make your selections.
- Note: The choices you select will determine the type of data Google can collect and share from your account.
- Example Selections: Screen resolution, outbound clicks, site search.
Step 4: Create Property
- Action: Click “Next” at the bottom of the page to proceed to property creation.
- Details: Typically, the property will represent the same website as your account. Set the reporting time zone, region (if applicable), and currency.
Step 5: Business Description
- Action: Choose a business category and business size.
- Purpose: Helps Google in profiling and understanding the kind of business for better service delivery, although it mainly serves analytical categorization.
Step 6: Set Business Objectives
- Action: Select business objectives that match your needs.
- Recommendation: Opt for “Get baseline reports” for a straightforward initial view of data.
Step 7: Accept Terms and Create Account
- Action: Click on “Create” and accept the Google Analytics Terms of Service to finalize the account setup.
Step 8: Configure Data Streams
- Action: Select the ‘Web’ option to start collecting data from a website.
- Details: Enter your website URL and name your data stream (using the domain name is recommended, e.g., imexpert.au).
- Note on Enhanced Measurement: Leave the enhanced measurement settings unchanged for now; these can be adjusted later as needed.
Introduction to Tags and GA4 Web Stream
- Explanation: A GA4 ‘Tag’ is a snippet of JavaScript that collects and sends data to your GA4 property. A ‘Web Stream’ in GA4 refers to the source of data from your website. Creating a stream effectively starts the data flow from your site to your Analytics account.
Checklist for Stage 2 Completion
Ensure the following tasks are completed:
- ✅ Initiated the setup of a new GA4 account.
- ✅ Entered and confirmed account details.
- ✅ Selected and set account data sharing preferences.
- ✅ Created a property with the correct settings for time zone, region, and currency.
- ✅ Described the business by selecting an appropriate category and size.
- ✅ Chosen and set business objectives.
- ✅ Accepted the Google Analytics Terms of Service.
- ✅ Configured and created a web data stream, with enhanced measurement settings reviewed.
Once all tasks in the checklist are marked complete, you are ready to proceed to Stage 3 of the setup process, which involves the installation of the GA4 tag.