The Complete Guide to Setting up Google Analytics

In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, data is no longer optional — it’s essential. For any startup business, understanding how users interact with your product, marketing channels, and website is critical to making smart, scalable decisions. But the way we track and measure this behavior has changed significantly.

In July 2023, Google officially retired Universal Analytics and transitioned fully to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This move introduced a fundamental shift: from session-based tracking to an event-driven model. Rather than focusing on page views and sessions, GA4 empowers businesses to measure specific user actions — like button clicks, form submissions, or product views — giving marketers a clearer picture of the customer journey.

For startups, this transition presents an opportunity. GA4 is more flexible, more granular, and more future-proof. It’s designed to help business owners and marketing teams measure what matters most — not just traffic, but the outcomes that drive business growth. Adapting to this new model early gives startups a competitive advantage and allows for more data-driven decision-making from day one.

If you're setting up Google Analytics today, you're using GA4 — and the tracking code is now handled through the gtag.js library. This newer tag framework supports event-based data collection and integrates more easily with other Google products (like Ads and Tag Manager).

To install GA4 manually on your site, you can copy and paste the code snippet provided in your Google Analytics account.

You’ll find it under:
Admin > Data Streams > Web > Tagging Instructions > Install Manually

Here's what the GA4 code looks like:

<!-- 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>

In GA4, accurate attribution is crucial — especially when users move between subdomains, payment providers, or third-party tools. By default, if a user returns to your site from an unrecognized domain, GA4 may treat it as a new session and misclassify the original traffic source as a referral.

This becomes a problem when the user’s conversion is incorrectly attributed to your own subdomain or a payment processor, wiping out the original source (like Paid Ads, Email, or Organic Search).

To fix this, you’ll need to configure unwanted referrals in your GA4 property settings.

🎯 Go to:
Admin > Data Streams > Web > Configure Tag Settings > List Unwanted Referrals

From here, you can add:

• Your own domain (e.g., yoursite.com)
• Subdomains used for checkout or landing pages (e.g., checkout.yoursite.com)
• Third-party processors like paypal.com or stripe.com

This ensures GA4 preserves the original traffic source throughout the customer journey, and your conversion tracking reflects the true campaign or channel performance.

✅ Pro Tip: If you're using Google Tag Manager, you can also handle exclusions programmatically using custom referrer logic and event forwarding rules.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), account setup is simpler and more streamlined compared to Universal Analytics. However, how you organize your account still plays a key role in how clean and actionable your data becomes — especially for startups managing multiple digital properties.

• Account
  This is the highest level in the hierarchy. You’ll typically create one account per business or client. Most companies only need one GA account.

• Property
  A GA4 property is where your data is collected and analyzed. In GA4, each property represents a data stream (your website, app, or both). It replaces the need for separate "views" or "profiles" from the older model.

• Data Streams
  Each GA4 property can include multiple data streams (e.g., Web, iOS App, Android App). These collect data independently, but can be analyzed together inside the same GA4 property.

📌 Important: GA4 does not use "Profiles" or "Views" anymore — all filtering, reporting, and analysis now happen inside the property using comparisons, segments, and explorations.

Here’s a visualization of how this was structured in Universal Analytics — while the new model simplifies setup, organizing your properties and streams clearly still matters:

✅ Pro Tip: If you’re managing multiple products or websites, consider creating one property per core platform for clean data separation — especially if each has different goals, user bases, or tracking requirements.

In Universal Analytics, users relied on Profiles (or Views) to isolate specific traffic segments — such as blog traffic, paid ads, or subdomain traffic. But in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), that structure no longer exists.

Instead, GA4 gives you flexible tools to create custom reports, audiences, and explorations that let you segment your data without needing permanent filtered views.

Here’s how you can replicate the old "Profile" functionality in GA4:

• Create Comparisons in Reports
  Filter by device, source, or channel in the report interface.

• Use Explorations
  Build advanced, flexible reports to analyze specific subdomains, subfolders, campaigns, or behaviors.

• Define Audiences
  Set up custom audiences (e.g., mobile users, paid visitors, blog readers) to analyze retention or trigger remarketing.

• Use Events + Parameters
  Apply event-based filters (like page_location contains /blog) to track granular performance across sections.

While you can't create a permanently filtered view, these tools allow even more flexibility — and you’re not locked into hard-coded settings.

Let’s visualize how this looked in the past, using a Universal Analytics example:

And how users used Profiles to isolate performance by product category or section:

✅ Pro Tip: If you need clean data separation (e.g., for client-specific reports), consider using separate GA4 properties or leveraging GA4's powerful Exploration and Audience Builder tools.

Unlike Universal Analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) does not use Views or Profile-level filters. Instead, all data is captured in a single stream, and you use event parameters, segments, and explorations to break down your data as needed.

While this may seem limiting at first, GA4’s model is more flexible — it allows you to build temporary, tailored views of your data without permanently excluding anything.

Use the Explorations tool or create a Segment with a filter like:

• page_location contains /blog/

Or if your blog is on a subdomain:

• host_name contains blog.yoursite.com

To exclude internal or office traffic:

• Go to Admin > Data Streams > More Tagging Settings > Define Internal Traffic
• Set up a rule using your IP address range (e.g. IP equals 192.168.1.1)
• In your tag settings or GTM, mark traffic_type as internal and exclude this in reports using comparisons

This must now be handled through Google Tag Manager or server-side tagging. You can filter by hostname directly within GTM or configure a rule to only trigger tracking when host_name contains yoursite.com.

Use built-in dimensions like session_medium or session_source_medium to isolate CPC campaigns in standard reports or explorations.

GA4 no longer truncates referring URLs like UA did. You can view full referring pages in:

• Traffic acquisition report > Session source / medium
• Or explore using page_referrer as a secondary dimension

✅ Pro Tip: If you still need more granular control, consider applying filters in Looker Studio, BigQuery, or using custom dimensions to segment user behavior based on your own logic.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the old concept of Goals no longer exists. Instead, GA4 uses a more flexible, event-based model where you can track virtually any user interaction — and then choose which events count as conversions.

This shift gives startup businesses and marketers more control and better visibility into the actions that matter most — whether that's signups, purchases, downloads, or video views.

• Events
  These are actions users take on your site or app — such as clicks, scrolls, video plays, or form submissions. GA4 automatically tracks several events, and you can define custom ones too.

• Conversions
  A conversion is simply an event you mark as valuable. For example, you can track when someone completes a purchase or signs up for your newsletter. Unlike Universal Analytics, conversions in GA4 can count every time the event occurs — not just once per session.

✅ Pro Tip: In GA4, every conversion is an event, but not every event is a conversion — you choose what to track based on your business goals.

1. Go to Admin > Events
2. Find the event you want to track (or create a new custom event)
3. Toggle on Mark as Conversion

If you're tracking a thank-you page visit (e.g. after a form submission or checkout), you can create an event for page_view where page_location matches /thank-you, and mark it as a conversion.

🎥 Here's a legacy example of how it looked in Universal Analytics for context:

• Viewing a pricing or product page
• Completing a checkout or registration
• Submitting a contact or quote form
• Watching a video demo
• Reaching a key milestone in your app

Unlike the rigid Goal setup in UA (e.g., URL Destination, Time on Site), GA4 gives you custom control — allowing smarter, data-driven tracking aligned with your actual growth goals.

In some cases, your users interact with content that doesn’t trigger a full page load — like multi-step forms, dynamic product pages, or AJAX modals. In Universal Analytics, you might have used ga('send', 'pageview') to log these interactions as virtual pageviews.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), these actions should be tracked as custom events, which can optionally include a page_location parameter to simulate a virtual pageview.

• Multi-step forms on a single URL
• AJAX-loaded content that doesn’t change the address bar
• Inconsistent or missing URLs you want to standardize for reporting
• Single-page applications (SPA) that rely on JavaScript routing

Using gtag.js:

gtag('event', 'page_view', {
  page_title: 'Step 2 - Contact Info',
  page_location: 'https://example.com/signup/step-2',
  page_path: '/signup/step-2'
});

Funnels are one of the most valuable tools a startup can use to understand where users are dropping off — and more importantly, where opportunities for business growth exist.

Whether you're tracking a sign-up flow, onboarding sequence, or multi-step checkout, funnels help you measure how effectively your product or marketing strategy moves users toward conversion. They allow you to pinpoint bottlenecks, test new hypotheses, and improve your overall user experience.

In Universal Analytics, you created Goal Funnels based on fixed page paths. In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), funnels are created dynamically inside the Explorations tool, giving you more flexibility and control.

• Understand where users are dropping off in a flow
• Measure how efficiently you're moving people toward your conversion events
• Identify and fix barriers that prevent users from completing desired actions
• Compare funnel performance by device, traffic source, or user segment
• Improve your conversion rate over time through data-backed decisions

These insights aren’t just academic — they directly inform how your business grows, how you allocate marketing spend, and how you prioritize product development.

1. Go to Explore > Funnel Exploration
2. Add steps based on events or pageviews (e.g., view_signup, begin_checkout, purchase)
3. Configure each step using event conditions (like page_path, event_name, or form_submit)
4. Segment by device, channel, or audience to compare drop-off patterns

🎯 Example use cases:

• Signup completion funnel for SaaS
• Checkout funnel for eCommerce
• Email campaign → pricing page → signup journey

Here's a visual example of how a funnel was structured in Universal Analytics:

And what it looked like in the Goal Funnel Visualization report:

✅ In GA4, these visuals are even more customizable through Funnel Exploration, which supports both open and closed funnels, time between steps, and segment overlays.

Setting up funnels in GA4 isn’t just a tracking exercise — it’s a core growth function.
The more clearly you can see where people drop off, the faster you can act, iterate, and grow.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), events are the core of all user behavior tracking. Unlike Universal Analytics, where events were a separate feature, GA4 treats everything as an event — from pageviews to clicks to form submissions.

This gives businesses more flexibility and detail in how they collect, report, and analyze user actions.

Each event can contain:

• An event name (e.g., form_submit, video_play)
• Optional parameters that provide additional context (e.g., page URL, CTA label, entry type)

GA4 automatically tracks several common events out of the box, like page_view, scroll, and click. But to truly understand performance and optimize business growth, you should create custom events that reflect meaningful actions specific to your business model.

Depending on your product or platform, you might want to track:

SaaS Startup: trial_signup, demo_request, plan_upgrade
eCommerce: add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase
Content Platform: newsletter_signup, ebook_download, video_watch
Gaming / App: level_complete, in_app_purchase, `achievement_unlock'

Once created, you can mark any event as a conversion inside GA4:

Go to Admin > Events > Mark as conversion

gtag('event', 'newsletter_signup', {
  method: 'popup',
  page_location: 'https://yourdomain.com/pricing'
});

Or for a competition entry interaction, you might use:

gtag('event', 'competition_entry', {
  platform: 'facebook',
  entry_method: 'like'
});

If you’re running any sort of marketing campaign — email, paid ads, influencer promotions — tracking the source of your traffic is critical for understanding what’s actually driving conversions and business growth.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), campaign tracking relies on UTM parameters just like in Universal Analytics, but the reports have changed. You'll now find attribution data under:

Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition
and
Explore > User / Session Source and Medium

If you don’t consistently tag your URLs with UTM parameters, GA4 may classify your traffic as Direct or group it incorrectly — making it impossible to attribute your conversions, revenue, or user engagement to the right campaign.

Here’s how to properly structure your URL tags:

• utm_source – Where the traffic comes from (e.g. newsletter, facebook, linkedin)
• utm_medium – The type of channel used (e.g. email, cpc, social, banner)
• utm_campaign – The campaign name (e.g. spring_sale, product_launch)
• utm_term – Keyword (optional, mostly for paid search)
• utm_content – Used for A/B testing or variations in creatives

Example URL: https://yoursite.com/pricing?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_offer

Email remains one of the highest-converting channels for many startup businesses — but if you don’t tag your links properly, all that performance might be misclassified or lost.

To track newsletter clicks and performance, add UTM parameters to every email CTA using Google’s Campaign URL Builder:

Use:

• utm_source=newsletter
• utm_medium=email
• utm_campaign=july_launch

This will ensure GA4 attributes the traffic and conversions back to your email marketing channel correctly, so you can analyze open-to-click-to-conversion behavior.

✅ Pro Tip: Always use lowercase, underscores, and consistent naming. For example, don’t mix newsletter, Newsletter, and email-newsletter. This creates duplicate sources in your reports.

GA4 honors browser consent rules and may not track all UTM-tagged data without proper cookie consent. If you’re in a region affected by GDPR or CCPA, ensure your consent solution is configured to fire GA4 only after consent.

Accurate UTM tracking enables better conversion attribution, smarter budget allocation, and more data-driven growth marketing decisions — especially when running multi-channel campaigns.

As a startup, tracking where your growth is coming from is critical. Without it, you can't scale campaigns, measure ROI, or justify budget allocation. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) gives you a wide range of tools to track campaign performance, customer behavior, and revenue impact — but you must configure it properly.

If you're sending newsletters or welcome flows, adding UTM parameters ensures you can measure how email contributes to sessions, conversions, and revenue. Without tags, clicks from desktop apps may appear as direct traffic.

Example URL: https://yoursite.com/pricing?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_offer

✅ Pro Tip: Use consistent naming to avoid data fragmentation in GA4 reports.

In GA4, your Google Ads data is pulled automatically once you link your account:

• Go to Admin > Product Links > Google Ads > Link Account

Once linked, GA4 will attribute clicks, costs, and conversions across your ad campaigns — helping you refine your marketing strategy.

If you're using sites like Google Shopping, Pricegrabber, or The Find, UTM tagging is essential to attribute clicks correctly.

Example: https://yoursite.com/product?id=123&utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cpc

This allows you to evaluate which feeds drive the highest order value.

Don’t forget to tag traffic from Twitter ads, LinkedIn, or display campaigns: https://yoursite.com/landing?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=promoted_trial

GA4 will classify these sources under Traffic Acquisition and allow you to evaluate their contribution to conversions and sales.

Running TV, radio, or billboard campaigns? Set up a vanity URL and redirect it using UTM parameters: https://yoursite.com/tv → 301 redirect → https://yoursite.com/sale?utm_source=offline&utm_medium=tv&utm_campaign=latenight GA4 will classify these sources under Traffic Acquisition and allow you to evaluate their contribution to conversions and sales. You’ll then be able to attribute traffic and conversions from offline sources.

In GA4, eCommerce tracking is done via:

• Google Tag Manager
• gtag.js implementation
• Server-side tagging

Key ecommerce events to track:

• view_item
• add_to_cart
• begin_checkout
• purchase

GA4 uses an event schema for each — sent with associated product parameters (e.g., price, name, category).

📝 The old ga('ecommerce:addTransaction') is deprecated. Full GA4 event schema docs here:
https://developers.google.com/gtagjs/reference/ga4-events

Here's what a typical GA4 ecommerce flow looks like in reports:

Custom dimensions allow you to send additional metadata to Google Analytics — such as user type, subscription tier, or customer persona. These are incredibly valuable for segmentation, LTV modeling, and personalization.

Common startup use cases:

• user_type: customer vs lead
• plan_level: free, starter, pro
• campaign_segment: high-intent, remarketing

GA4 lets you register these under:

Admin > Custom Definitions > Custom Dimensions

Use them in Explorations or alongside event data to slice performance by meaningful business logic.

For early-stage businesses, segmentation is your growth compass. Not all users behave the same — and your reports shouldn’t treat them equally.

In GA4, you can build advanced segments in:

Explore > Segments

Example startup-focused segments:

• Traffic from trial users vs free signups
• Users who engaged with onboarding content
• Customers who viewed pricing but didn’t convert
• First-time vs repeat buyers
• Mobile-only visitors

Segmentation helps you:

• Optimize conversion funnels
• Improve onboarding flow
• Allocate ad spend more effectively
• Personalize the experience for different personas

✅ Pro Tip: Segment by behavior, not just traffic source. Combine dimensions like event_name, page_path, and device_category to discover patterns you’d otherwise miss.

By using these tracking methods in GA4, you're not just collecting data — you're building a system for growth.
Every source, segment, and metric contributes to a clearer picture of how to serve, convert, and retain your most valuable users.