SEO6 min read
How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Understand Key Metrics
GA4 replaced Universal Analytics with an event-based model that trips up a lot of business owners used to the old interface. Here's what to set up first, and which metrics actually matter for a small or mid-sized business site.
Setting up your GA4 property
Create a property at analytics.google.com, add a Web data stream for your site, and install the tracking snippet (or use Google Tag Manager, which makes future changes easier without touching code again). Confirm data is flowing in the Realtime report before moving on.
The metrics worth watching
- Engaged sessions — sessions lasting 10+ seconds or with a conversion, a better quality signal than raw pageviews
- Conversions — set these up explicitly (form submits, calls, purchases) or GA4 won't know what matters to your business
- Traffic acquisition — which channels (organic search, paid, social, referral) actually bring people in
- Landing page performance — which pages people arrive on, and whether they convert or bounce
The mistake most businesses make
Watching total users and pageviews as the headline numbers. Neither tells you whether the traffic is doing anything for your business — conversions and engaged sessions do. Set up conversion events in your first week, not your first year.