google analytics 4 | The Blog Pros

February 20, 2023September 14, 2023

How to Enable Customer Tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics

Do you want to enable customer tracking in WooCommerce?

Customer tracking allows you to offer a personalized shopping experience based on customer behavior in your eCommerce store.

In this article, we will show you how to easily enable customer tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics.

How to Enable Customer tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics

Why Enable Customer Tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics?

Google Analytics allows you to see where your visitors are coming from and what they do on your website. In other words, it helps you track your traffic sources as well as user engagement on your website.

For eCommerce platforms, Google Analytics offers an enhanced eCommerce tracking feature. This allows you to better understand users’ shopping and checkout behavior. Plus, you can see which products perform the best and track your WooCommerce store’s sales performance.

By default, a WooCommerce store allows your customers to create an account or checkout as guest users. Creating an account helps the user save their shipping and billing information for faster checkout next time. It also helps you offer customers a personalized shopping experience based on their browsing and shopping history.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could track logged-in users with their user IDs in Google Analytics and also see the path customers took before making a purchase?

This will give you access to a treasure trove of information and insights on customer behavior. You can use it to offer a better on-site experience and boost your sales.

Let’s take a look at how to easily enable customer tracking in WooCommerce. Here are quick links that you can use to jump ahead to any section:

Set up Ecommerce Tracking in WordPress with Google Analytics
Enabling User Journey Addon in MonsterInsights
Enabling User ID Tracking in Google Analytics
Viewing Customer Tracking Reports in Google Analytics
Matching Customer Tracking with Their WordPress Accounts

Set up Ecommerce Tracking in WordPress with Google Analytics

The best way to set up WooCommerce customer tracking in Google Analytics is using MonsterInsights. It is the best analytics solution for WordPress and helps you set up tracking without editing code.

If you use the native method for tracking WooCommerce conversions, then you’ll need to edit the tracking code, use Google Tag Manager, or both. This can be tricky for beginners, and the slightest mistake can mess up your analytics data.

The MonsterInsights plugin offers an eCommerce addon, which automatically detects WooCommerce and starts tracking customer behavior in Google Analytics. It also comes with a Customer Journey addon that allows you to see users’ behavior before they make a purchase.

First, you will need to install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

You will need to be on the ‘Pro’ plan to access the eCommerce and User Journey addons, which we will use for this tutorial. However, there is also a MonsterInsights Lite version you can use for free.

Upon activation, you will see the welcome screen and the setup wizard. Simply click the ‘Launch the Wizard’ button and follow the on-screen instructions.

For detailed instructions, see our article on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

Install the MonsterInsights eCommerce Addon

Once you’ve configured Google Analytics on your website, the next step is to install the eCommerce addon.

The addon automatically sets up eCommerce tracking on your website and detects your WooCommerce store.

First, you need to visit the Insights » Addons page from your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the ‘eCommerce’ addon. Simply click the ‘Install’ button, and the addon will automatically activate.

That’s it! MonsterInsights will take care of the rest once the addon is active.

For more details, please see our guide on how to set up WooCommerce conversion tracking.

Enabling User Journey Addon in MonsterInsights

Now that you’ve set up WooCommerce tracking in Google Analytics, the next step is to enable the MonsterInsights Customer Journey addon.

The addon will allow you to see the steps a customer takes before making a purchase in WooCommerce. Plus, it also shows the time it took at each step, the pages a user visited, and more.

First, you’ll need to go to Insights » Addons from your WordPress admin panel. Next, navigate to the User Journey addon and click the ‘Install’ button.

The addon will automatically activate and start tracking your WooCommerce customer’s journey.

Next, you can go to WooCommerce » Orders from your WordPress dashboard to view the path your customers took when purchasing a product.

After that, click on the order for which you’d like to see the user journey.

On the next screen, you’ll see the path a customer took before buying the product. You get to view the pages they visited, where they clicked, and how much time they spent on a page.

This is really useful information to better understand your customers. You can see which product categories are performing the best and where customers are exiting your store during the purchase process. Using the data, you can then fix these issues and optimize your site for more conversions.

Enabling User ID Tracking in Google Analytics

While MonsterInsights makes it very easy to track customers on your WooCommerce store, it also tracks WordPress ID tracking in Google Analytics.

WordPress ID is a unique ID to identify every user on your website. The user ID is called the ‘Client ID’ in Universal Analytics and the ‘App Instance ID’ in Google Analytics.

Do remember that enhanced eCommerce tracking will enable eCommerce reporting features for your WooCommerce store. However, it does not enable user tracking by default.

Let’s take a look at how you can enable user ID tracking in Google Analytics 4.

Enabling Customer Tracking in Google Analytics 4

To start, you’ll need to go to the Admin settings from your GA4 dashboard and click the ‘Reporting Identity’ option.

On the next screen, you will need to select a way to identify users on your online store.

GA4 uses multiple ways to identify customers. These include user ID, Google signals, device ID, and modeled data. For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll select the ‘Observed’ option and click the ‘Save’ button.

Select observed option in reporting identity

Viewing Customer Tracking Reports in Google Analytics

Now that everything is set up, Google Analytics will now track all your website customers. It will also be able to track logged-in users with their unique WordPress user ID.

View User ID Data in Google Analytics 4

You can view GA4 eCommerce tracking WooCommerce data by going to the ‘Explore’ tab from the menu on your left.

Under Explorations, you’ll see different report templates. Simply click the existing ‘User explorer’ report.

Next, you’ll see the User explorer report in Google Analytics 4.

One thing you can notice is the Client ID will be replaced with the App instance ID.

You can click on any of the app instance IDs to view more details.

For example, the report shows the total events that were triggered, the location of the user, the time stamp for each event, and more.

View User ID Data in Universal Analytics

Note: Universal Analytics has now sunset and is no longer processing data from your website. However, you can still view past data and use it for comparison.

To view all your individual customer activity, you can go to your Universal Analytics account and click on the Audience » User Explorer menu.

You will see individual customer reports with a unique ID assigned to all non-logged-in users.

To view customer tracking reports for logged-in users in WooCommerce, you need to click on the Google Analytics logo on the top left corner of the screen.

This will show all your Google Analytics profiles. You will see your website profile and under ‘All website data’ you will see the UserID reporting view you created earlier.

Go ahead and click on the UserID reporting view to load it.

Once it’s loaded, you need to click on the Audience » User Explorer menu. This way, you will see a logged-in customer tracking report where each user is represented by their WordPress user ID on your website.

You can click on the user ID to view a customer’s individual tracking data.

For instance, the device category they use, acquisition date, the channel they used to arrive on the online store, and more.

Matching Customer Tracking with Their WordPress Accounts

Now that you’ve identified users in Google Analytics, you can match them with WordPress accounts. This will help you know who this customer is, and how you can create personalized offers, emails, or shopping experiences for them.

First, you need to note down the customer ID you see in your Google Analytics User-ID reporting view.

After that, go to your WordPress website’s admin area and click on the ‘Users’ menu. It will show you a list of all users on your WordPress site.

Next, you can click the ‘Edit’ link below any username in the list.

WordPress will now open the user profile for you.

If you look in your browser’s address bar you will ‘user_id’ parameter in the URL.

Next, you need to replace the value next to user_id with the one you copied from your Google Analytics report and press enter key on your keyboard.

WordPress will now load the user profile associated with that particular User ID. You now have the customer’s name, username, email address, and social media information. You can also track their orders, product views, cart activity, and more.

We hope this article helped you learn how to enable customer tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics. You may also want to see our expert pick of the best free WooCommerce plugins for your online store and how to get a free email domain.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Enable Customer Tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics first appeared on WPBeginner.

January 16, 2023

How to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking in WordPress

Do you want to know how much revenue you’re generating from Google Ads on your website?

Setting up Google Ads conversion tracking will help you uncover insights about your ad campaign’s performance. You can find out which campaign is performing the best, how users interact with your ads, and how you can improve conversions.

In this article, we’ll show you how to properly set up eCommerce Google Ads conversion tracking in WordPress. This is the exact same method that we use on our own websites.

How to setup Google Ads conversion tracking

Why Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking in WordPress?

If you’re running Google Ads for your WordPress blog, eCommerce store, or membership site, then it is important to know how they’re performing. You can’t improve, what you can’t measure.

Tracking Google Ads conversions helps you see how much revenue you earned from users who clicked on your ad campaigns. It also helps you see which paid keywords and ad groups drive the most conversions. This way, you can optimize your campaigns and budget for more profitable search terms.

Besides that, Google Ads conversion tracking also uncovers how users behave on your WordPress site after clicking an ad. For instance, you might see a lot of users arrive on a landing page, but abandon it after adding products to the cart.

You can use this information to improve the checkout process, offer discounts and incentives as users are about to leave your site, and provide a better user experience.

That said, let’s see how you can add Google Ads conversion tracking in WordPress.

Adding Google Ads to WordPress Website

The easiest way of connecting Google Ads with WordPress is by using MonsterInsights. It is the best Analytics plugin for WordPress that helps set up Google Analytics without editing.

MonsterInsights offers an Ads addon that lets you setup comprehensive conversion tracking without touching a single line of code or hiring a developer.

We will use the MonsterInsights Pro license for this tutorial because it includes the Ads addon. There is also a MonsterInsights Lite version you can use for free.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will be redirected to the welcome screen in your WordPress dashboard. Go ahead and click the ‘Launch the Wizard’ button.

Next, you can follow the onscreen instructions to connect Google Analytics to your site. For more details, you can see our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

With MonsterInsights, you can also use dual tracking to set up a Google Analytics 4 property. It is the latest analytics version and will soon replace Universal Analytics. You can learn more by following our guide on how to switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress.

Once you’ve connected Google Analytics with WordPress, the next step is to install the Ads addon. Simply go to Insights » Addons from your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the ‘Ads’ addon.

Go ahead and click the ‘Install’ button. The addon will now automatically install and activate on your site.

Creating a Conversion Action in Google Ads

Next, you’ll need to create a conversion action in Google Ads.

First, you can visit the Google Ads website and log in to your account.

After that, go ahead and click the ‘Tools and settings’ option at the top. Under the ‘Measurement’ column, simply select the Conversions option.

On the next screen, you’ll need to create a conversion action.

You can click the ‘New conversion action’ button to get started.

Next, Google Ads will ask you to select the type of conversions you want to track. It will show you 4 options, including a website, app, phone call, or import.

For this tutorial, we’ll choose the ‘Website’ option for tracking ad conversions.

After that, you’ll need to enter the website URL where you’d like to measure conversions.

Once that’s done, simply click the ‘Scan’ button.

Google Ads will now show 2 options to create conversion actions, including an automatic and manual method. In the automatic method, you’ll need to select the conversion goal, choose a match type, and enter the URL. This way is suitable if you know which events to count as conversions.

However, we recommend selecting the manual method. Simply scroll down and click the ‘+ Add a conversion action manually’ option.

Next, you’ll need to enter the Conversion action details.

First, you can select the ‘Goal and action optimization’ for your conversion. This is the action you’d like to track. For example, when a user subscribes to your newsletter, makes a purchase, adds a product to a cart, submits a contact form, and more.

For the sake of this tutorial, we will select ‘Subscribe’ as the goal. After that, you can enter the Conversion name.

You can now scroll down and select a Value for your conversion. Google Ads lets you choose the same value for each conversion, assign different values for conversions, or don’t use a value for conversion action.

We will select the ‘Use the same for each conversion’ option, select the currency, and enter a value for this tutorial.

Besides that, you can also choose how many conversions to count per click.

If you’re tracking email newsletter signups, then we recommend selecting the ‘One’ option. This way, each subscriber is counted once. However, you can use the ‘Every’ option in an eCommerce store and count each purchase as a conversion.

After selecting these options, simply click the ‘Done’ button at the bottom.

You can now see your conversion action under the ‘Create conversion actions manually using code’ section.

Go ahead and click the ‘Save and continue’ button to get instructions for adding the tracking tags for conversion action to your site.

On the next screen, you’ll see 3 options to add the conversion action to your site.

Simply select the ‘Use Google Tag Manager’ option. You should see the Conversion ID and Conversion Label. Copy these to a notepad file or keep the browser window/tab open.

To finish the setup process, you’ll need to head to your WordPress website dashboard and view the MonsterInsights settings.

From here, go to Insights » Settings and click on the ‘Publisher’ tab.

After that, you can scroll down to the ‘Ads Tracking’ section.

Go ahead and enter the Conversion ID. Make sure you follow the format, which will look like this: AW-123456789.

If you are tracking Google Ads on Easy Digital Downloads, WooCommerce, and MemberPress, then enter the Conversion Label in the respective field.

That’s it. You’ve successfully set up Google Ads conversion tracking on your WordPress website.

View Google Ads Conversion Tracking Data in Google Analytics

You can take it a step further and connect Google Ads with Google Analytics to get more insights about how people use your website after clicking on an ad.

For instance, you can see the number of visitors from paid search and find out which pages they view after landing on your site. You can also use different filters and create custom reports in Google Analytics.

Let’s see how you can link your Google Ads account with Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics.

Connect Google Ads with Google Analytics 4

First, you’ll need to log in to your GA4 account and then go to the ‘Admin’ settings.

After that, you can click the ‘Google Ads Links’ option.

It is located under the Property column.

A new window will now slide in from the right.

Go ahead and click the ‘Link’ button in the top right corner.

Next, you will see different options for Link setup.

First, you can click the ‘Choose Google Ads accounts’ option.

On the next screen, you’ll need to select the Google Ads account you wish to connect.

Once that’s done, simply click the ‘Confirm’ button at the top.

You will now see the Google Ads account that you want to link.

Go ahead and click the ‘Next’ button.

In the next step, Google Analytics will give you options to enable personalized advertising and enable auto-tagging.

You can use the default settings and click the ‘Next’ button.

After that, you’ll see a summary of your Link setup settings.

If everything checks out, then go ahead and click the ‘Submit’ button.

You should now see a ‘Link Created’ notification in front of your Google Ads account. This means that you’ve successfully connected Google Ads with Google Analytics.

Do note that it can take up to 24 hours for your Google Ads data to appear in Analytics reports.

Next, you can view the Google Ads conversion tracking report in Google Analytics 4.

First, you can head to Acquisition » Traffic acquisition from the menu on your left and scroll down to see how many visitors came from the Paid Search channel.

After that, you can go to Acquisition » Acquisition overview and view the Session Google Ads campaign report. This will show which campaign got the most traffic.

You can also click the ‘View Google Ads campaigns’ option at the bottom to view more details.

For each campaign, you can see the total number of users, sessions, number of Google Ads clicks, cost per click (CPC), conversions, and more.

Using the information from this report, you can see which campaigns perform the best.

Connect Google Ads with Universal Analytics

If you’re using Universal Analytics, then you can first log in to your account.

After that, head to the ‘Admin’ settings.

Next, you’ll need to go to the Google Ads Links option.

You can find the option under the Property column.

On the next screen, you’ll need to select the Google Ads account you want to connect.

After selecting your account, simply click the ‘Continue’ button.

Next, you will need to enter a Link group title.

You can then select the Views to link with your Google Ads account. Simply click the toggle to ON for the correct Views.

Once that’s done, simply click the ‘Link accounts’ button.

Google Analytics will now show a summary of your settings. Simply scroll down and click the ‘Done’ button.

That’s it. Your Google Ads account will now be linked to the Universal Analytics property.

To view data from your ad campaigns, head to Acquisition » Google Ads » Campaigns from the menu on your left. You can see the number of clicks, cost, CPC, and more for each campaign.

Final Thoughts on Google Ads Conversion Tracking in WordPress

When it comes to setting up any conversion tracking, the most important thing you want to make sure is that the setup is done properly. This is why we use and recommend MonsterInsights because it just does everything for you behind the scenes without touching any code.

However if you prefer to add code directly on your WordPress site, then you can do that as well by using a plugin like WPCode. This will help future-proof your customizations. There’s a free version of WPCode that you can use by following our tutorial on adding custom code in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to set up Google Ads conversion tracking in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide and the best WooCommerce plugins to grow your store.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

November 3, 2022

GA4 vs Universal Analytics: What’s the Difference

Are you wondering what’s the difference between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics?

GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics and will soon replace Universal Analytics. In the new version, you get new reports, metrics, tracking systems, and more.

In this article, we’ll compare GA4 vs Universal Analytics and show you what the real difference is between the two platforms.

Difference between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics

GA4 vs Universal Analytics: A Brief Overview

Google Analytics 4 is the new generation of Google’s famous analytics platform. It is designed to track your WordPress website and apps in the same property. Previously you’d have to track your apps and websites separately in Universal Analytics.

With Google Analytics 4, you get a better picture of your customer’s journey across multiple channels and devices. GA4 also offers better data privacy for users.

On the other hand, Universal Analytics (UA) is the previous version of Google Analytics. It was introduced in 2012 and is probably the version many websites use today for tracking their website traffic.

However, Universal Analytics will sunset on July 1, 2023. This means that it will no longer track your visitors after the sunset date, and Google will not support or introduce new features for it.

That’s why it is important that you switch to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible. This way, you’ll protect your data and have historical records to compare to when UA shuts down.

Let’s look at some significant differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics. You can click any of the links below to be taken to the section for that specific feature.

A Changed Reporting Interface
New Data Measurement Model in GA4
No Bounce Rate and New Reporting Metrics
Google Analytics 4 Doesn’t Track Form Conversions
Universal Analytics Goals Are Replaced with Events
Perform Advanced Analysis in Google Analytics 4

A Changed Reporting Interface

The first difference you’ll notice between Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics is the new reporting interface.

In GA4, most of the reports have been replaced or renamed. One of the reasons for this is that the latest analytics version uses a different measurement model compared to Universal Analytics.

For example, you’ll see new reports such as Engagement, Monetization, and Retention in GA4.

On the other hand, Universal Analytics has a completely different reporting interface.

For example, all the reports are grouped together under 5 main categories.

Realtime
Audience
Acquisition
Behavior
Conversions.

You can find each of these in the left-hand menu on your main GA4 dashboard.

That said, it can be overwhelming for beginners to understand these reports and uncover insights about their website traffic.

An easier way to get the information you need for decision-making is by using MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress and offers a beginner-friendly reporting interface.

You get to see important data inside your WordPress dashboard without worrying about navigating the complex Google Analytics reports.

If you haven’t set up analytics on your website, then please see our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

New Data Measurement Model in GA4

Another major difference between GA4 vs Universal Analytics is how they work when collecting and processing your website data. Universal Analytics uses a measurement model based on sessions and pageviews. Whereas, GA4 uses an event-based model to track your data.

Sessions can link data to a single individual and track them specifically as they interact with your site. Event data is anonymous, and the importance is placed on specific actions taken instead of specific users taking those actions.

This allows you to track complex buyer journeys across multiple devices accurately.

It also makes it easier to enable enhanced measurement features in Google Analytics 4. For example, you can set up outbound link click and scroll depth tracking with a click of a switch in GA4.

With Universal Analytics, on the other hand, you’d have to perform a complex setup or tweak the tracking code to configure that kind of link click-tracking or scroll-tracking.

No Bounce Rate and New Reporting Metrics

With Google Analytics 4, you get new metrics along with new reports. Right off the bat, you’ll notice that there is no bounce rate metric in Google Analytics 4.

Bounce rate tells you the number of users that left your website without interacting, like clicking a link, signing up for a newsletter, or purchasing a product.

Instead, GA4 shows a new metric called ‘Engaged sessions per user.’ It shows how many people interacted with your content. This includes a session where a user stays on a page for 10 seconds or more, triggers 1 or more events, or a user views 2 or more pages.

Besides that, GA4 also offers more new metrics in the Engagement report. For instance, there is an average engagement time metric, which used to be the average session duration in Universal Analytics.

Another new metric you’ll find in Google Analytics 4 is the Pages and screens. It shows the pages and app screens that get the most traffic on your website.

You can find this data in UA under the top landing pages report. If you’re using MonsterInsights, then the plugin will show your most important pages inside the WordPress dashboard.

Google Analytics 4 Doesn’t Track Form Conversions

The next difference you’ll notice when comparing GA4 vs Universal Analytics is that of form conversions.

Forms are really useful for any business. They allow users to get in touch with you, provide feedback, and resolve their queries. Tracking your WordPress form in Google Analytics helps you see which form performs better.

However, setting up form conversion tracking in Google Analytics 4 requires adding custom code. This can be very tricky if you’re not a developer. The slightest mistake can mess up your tracking and break your website.

That said, MonsterInsights helps you track forms out of the box. You don’t have to edit code or hire a developer. Plus, it shows a report inside your WordPress admin area with impressions, conversions, and conversion rates for each form.

Universal Analytics Goals Are Replaced with Events

In Universal Analytics, you can record different user interactions using goals. You get 4 types of goals in UA, which include:

Destination – You can set a destination goal to track when a user arrives on a specific page, like a thank you page or a product landing page.
Duration – This goal helps you see how long people stay on your website before exiting.
Pages per Visit – Using the pages per visit goals allows you to uncover the number of pages a visitor views before leaving your site.
Event – With the help of events, you can track user interactions on your site that Universal Analytics doesn’t track by default.

However, Google Analytics 4 replaces these goals with events. For example, if you have an online store, then you can enable events to track interactions and how many people enter payment details and shipment information.

Perform Advanced Analysis in Google Analytics 4

Another difference between both analytics platforms is the level of advanced analysis you can perform in Google Analytics 4.

In Universal Analytics, you can create custom reports and use secondary dimensions to uncover insights. However, GA4 takes it a step further with its Exploration reports.

You get prebuilt templates for different analyses you’d like to perform or if you’d like to set up a custom report.

For example, you can use the ‘Funnel’ exploration template to see your customers’ journey before purchasing.

Besides that, GA4 exploration reports also offer multiple options to add different segments, dimensions, and metrics to your custom reports.

On a side note, using Exploration reports can be tricky for beginners. These reports are mainly for power users or people with advanced Google Analytics knowledge.

An easier way of uncovering insights is by using MonsterInsights. It shows a stats dashboard inside your WordPress dashboard. You can quickly see how your site performs, which pages people view the most, and much more without creating a complex custom report in Google Analytics.

We hope that this article helped you learn about the difference between GA4 vs Universal Analytics. You can also see our guide on the best WordPress plugins and the ultimate guide to WordPress SEO.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post GA4 vs Universal Analytics: What’s the Difference first appeared on WPBeginner.

September 21, 2022

The Ultimate Guide to GA4 in WordPress for Beginners

Do you want to use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) but are unsure how to start?

Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google’s analytics platform. It has many changes, like a new reporting system and metrics. The way GA4 collects and processes data is also different from the previous version known as Universal Analytics (UA).

In this article, we’ll cover everything about GA4 in WordPress and help you get started.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4, also called GA4, is the new version of Google’s stats dashboard, and it lets you track your website and apps in the same account. It is designed to protect users’ privacy and provide more accurate reports than previous versions.

With Google Analytics 4, you’ll first notice that it has a new interface. It also categorizes some of the old reports differently, as well as adds all-new reports and metrics.

Behind the scenes, GA4 works in a new way for collecting and processing your website data. It records data as event-based instead of using page hits.

For example, when your visitors click a link, view a page, play a video, or download a file, all these website interactions will count as events.

This way, your website performance is measured more accurately, as the event-based model can better track user behavior.

It also makes it easier to enable enhanced measurement features like tracking outbound clicks and scroll depth. You can enable these options with a click of a button instead of performing a complicated setup process.

That said, let’s see why you should use Google Analytics 4 instead of the previous Universal Analytics.

Why Switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4?

If you haven’t created a GA4 property yet, then you should know that Google will sunset the old Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023.

This means that Universal Analytics will no longer record data from your WordPress site after the sunset date. You’ll still be able to view your old data for at least 6 months after the sunset date, but Universal Analytics won’t track your site’s traffic.

That’s why it is important to switch to a Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible. You won’t have to start from scratch when Universal Analytics stops working and have historical data in GA4 for comparison. Plus, you’ll get all the new features and improvements with Google Analytics 4.

The best way of setting up GA4 is using MonsterInsights and its dual tracking feature. Dual tracking allows you to use Universal Analytics while simultaneously sending data to the GA4 property.

There’s also a free version of MonsterInsights that you can use if you’re just getting started.

For more details, please see our guide on how to switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress.

On the other hand, if you’ve just started a new website and want to set up analytics tracking code, then follow our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

Now, let’s look at some of the changes you’ll notice in GA4.

What Has Changed in Google Analytics 4?

The new Google Analytics 4 brings a lot of changes to the analytics platform. While the most noticeable difference is how it works using events, here are a few more changes you’ll see in GA4:

1. A Completely New Reporting Interface

As we mentioned earlier, the first difference you’ll see is the new Google Analytics 4 interface. Many reports from Universal Analytics have been removed or renamed in GA4.

For example, you will see reports like Engagement, Monetization, and Retention in Google Analytics 4.

2. New Metrics in Google Analytics 4

In Google Analytics 4, you’ll find new metrics. Some metrics names in Universal Analytics have also changed in GA4.

For instance, the new engagement report helps measure your visitors’ interaction with your site, and it offers metrics for average engagement time. In Universal Analytics, this was called average session duration.

Another noticeable change is that there is no bounce rate metric in GA4.

Instead of seeing a percentage of how many people left your site without interacting, you’ll see metrics like Engaged sessions per user to see how people used your site and interacted with your content.

3. There are No Goals in GA4

If you had set up different goals in Universal Analytics, then you won’t find them in GA4. However, you get various GA4 events to help you track user interactions on your website.

For example the number of users who began the checkout process in your online store is an interaction event. You can also see events for anyone who reached different points in the checkout process.

That way, you can see which specific steps in the process people give up at.

4. Absence of Form Conversion Tracking

Tracking your WordPress forms is important in understanding how people use your website. Forms help gather leads, get user feedback, resolve queries, and more.

However, you won’t know which form performs best without tracking them in Google Analytics. With MonsterInsights, you can easily track forms out of the box and see a report inside your WordPress dashboard.

For even more control over the forms on your site, we recommend installing WPForms, the best form builder plugin for WordPress. It integrates with MonsterInsights, too, so you can get even more useful information out of Google Analytics.

5. Perform Advanced Analysis to Uncover Insights

One of the most powerful changes GA4 brings is the ability to perform advanced analysis and create multiple data visualizations.

You can head to the Explore tab and create custom reports. There are prebuilt templates you can use or use a blank template.

For example, you can perform a funnel analysis and see the steps customers take before purchasing. Similarly, the path exploration template helps you see which events users trigger as they visit your website.

However, this feature is for advanced or power users who are experienced with Google Analytics 4 and know their way around. It can be tricky for beginners since there is a steep learning curve.

As an alternate, you can use MonsterInsights to add a stats dashboard inside your WordPress site and see data that matters for your business.

How to Use Google Analytics 4 Reports

Now that you know what Google Analytics 4 is, how it works, and what’s the difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics, let’s see how to use different reports.

Realtime Report

The first report you can view is the real-time report in Google Analytics 4. It helps you monitor your website activity as it happens.

You can use the report to see if your analytics tracking code is working, track the performance of a campaign like a flash sale in real-time, see traffic from social media campaigns as it happens, and more.

If you’re using MonsterInsights, then you can quickly see the real-time reports inside your WordPress dashboard. You just need to go to Insights » Reports in your admin panel, and then just click on the ‘Realtime’ tab.

The plugin brings important data from Google Analytics and displays them in easy-to-understand reports. This way, you can quickly see data that matters for your business and check how your site performs.

For more details, please see our guide on how to show real-time online users in WordPress.

Acquisition Report

The acquisition report is part of GA4’s ‘Life cycle’ reports, and you’ll see where your visitors are coming from. It shows the channels that are driving traffic to your website.

For example, you can see whether people use search engines like Google and Bing, directly typing in your website URL in the browser, clicking on paid search ads, and more.

Using this report, you can figure out which channels to invest your resources in and get the maximum result. It also helps optimize your WordPress SEO and increase organic traffic to your website.

Engagement Report

The engagement report is a new report you’ll see in Google Analytics 4. It helps you track how many people are engaged with your website.

Under this report, you’ll find more sub-reports to track different events and conversions, as well as see your most important pages and app screens.

These reports are important in understanding how people use your website. For example, you can see which page is getting the most views. Using the data, you can create similar content to get more website traffic.

Monetization Report

If you run an eCommerce store, then you can view its performance in the Monetization report.

For instance, this report shows the total revenue, purchases, average purchase revenue per user, and other metrics.

You can also see the eCommerce purchases report to find out which products get the most sales in your store.

With MonsterInsights, you can easily see your top products inside your WordPress admin panel. Its eCommerce report shows an overview of your store’s performance along with the best-selling products.

MonsterInsights ecommerce report example

Using this information, you can display your popular products throughout the website, upsell other products, and offer bundles and discounts to boost sales.

For more details, please see our guide on how to set up eCommerce tracking in WordPress.

Retention Report

A retention report helps track how many new users visit your site compared to returning users.

You can use this data to bring back users to your site by getting them to sign up for your newsletter or follow you on social media. On the other hand, you can offer exclusive discounts or free resources like ebooks for returning visitors to get more conversions.

In the retention report, you can also see graphs for user engagement and user retention over time, lifetime value, and more.

Demographics Report

Under the User section of GA4, you will find your demographics data, where you can see which country your visitors are coming from.

This helps create geolocation marketing campaigns and personalized messages for users from different locations. For example, you can offer exclusive discounts for people coming from Singapore or come up with blog topics for users from India.

It even breaks down the language your users speak, so you can translate your website into the most popular languages.

With MonsterInsights, you can also view this data inside your WordPress dashboard. Plus, it also shows a device breakdown, top referrals, top countries, and new vs. returning visitors reports.

Device breakdown and top countries report

Tech Report

The last report you’ll see in Google Analytics 4 is the Tech report. It shows the device your visitors use to view your website, such as whether they are on desktop, mobile, or tablet.

Besides that, you can also see the operating system, browser, screen resolution, and app version people are using when visiting your site.

This report is especially useful when optimizing your site for multiple devices. You can provide a better user experience and ensure that people can easily read your content on any device.

We hope this article helped you learn about Google Analytics 4 in WordPress. You can also see our guide on how to increase your website traffic, and the must have WordPress plugins to grow your website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post The Ultimate Guide to GA4 in WordPress for Beginners first appeared on WPBeginner.

May 25, 2022

How to Switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress (The RIGHT Way)

Are you looking to switch to the latest Google Analytics version?

Google is now recommending website owners to move to the new Google Analytics 4 because they will be sunsetting the previous Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. After the sunset day, you won’t be able to track data in the older version.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress.

Why Switch to Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics. It lets you track your mobile apps and websites in the same account, and offers new metrics, reports, and tracking features.

If you haven’t created a GA4 property yet, then now is the best time to switch to the latest version. That’s because Google announced that it will be closing down the old Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023.

What this means is that Universal Analytics will no longer receive data from your WordPress website, and it will eventually stop working after the sunset date. That means that all your old analytics data will be lost.

Switching to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible will protect you from starting from scratch with no historical data.

To do this right, a lot of smart website owners are using the dual tracking method which allows you to continue using the current Universal Analytics while start sending data to GA4.

This way, you can future-proof your data while giving yourself plenty of time to learn the new Google Analytics dashboard and features.

That being said, let’s see how you can switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress with dual tracking.

Creating a Google Analytics 4 Property

If you already have an existing Google Analytics account using the old version, then you can eaily create a new GA4 property and start sending stats to GA4.

First, you’ll need to visit the Google Analytics website and login to your account.

After that, head over to the ‘Admin’ settings page in the bottom left corner.

If you’re on classic Google analytics, then you’ll see the option to setup GA4.

Go ahead and click on ‘GA4 Setup Assistant’ under the Property column.

In the next step, the setup assistant will give you 2 options. You can create a new Google Analytics 4 property or connect an existing one.

Since we’re setting up a new property, simply click the Get Started button under the ‘I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property’ option.

A popup will now appear with the details about the setup wizard.

If you’ve implemented your Universal Analytics using the Global Site Tag (gtag.js) code, then you’ll see an option to Enable data collection using existing tags.

This uses the existing tracking code on your site to collect information. That said, if you don’t already have the right tracking code on your website, we’ll show you how to add it to your WordPress blog below.

For now, you can go ahead and click the ‘Create property’ button.

The setup wizard will add a new GA4 property and copy the Universal Analytics property name, website URL, timezone, and currency settings.

You can now view your new Google Analytics 4 property in the GA4 Setup Assistant.

Next, you’ll need to click on the ‘See your GA4 property’ button to see your Google Analytics tracking code.

After clicking on the button, simply click on the ‘Tag installation’ option to retrieve your tracking code.

You should now see your new GA4 property under Data Streams.

Go ahead and click on your new property.

A new window will slide in from the right, and you’ll be able to see your web stream details.

Note: Google Analytics 4 uses both ‘data stream’ and ‘web stream’. These both simply mean the flow of analytics data that Google Analytics receives from your website.

Simply scroll down to Tagging Instructions section and click the Global site tag (gtag.js) option to expand the settings. You’ll now see your Google Analytics tracking code that needs to be added to your WordPress site.

One thing you need to know is that Google Analytics 4 reports are quite different than what you’re used to in Universal Analytics.

They have introduced new terminology, and many familiar metrics and reports are missing completely. Basically if you were using common reports like the Top Landing Pages report or others, then you’d have to recreate those from scratch in Google Analytics 4.

That’s why we recommend using MonsterInsights Pro or even the free version of MonsterInsights.

It will help you see all the familiar analytics reports right in your WordPress dashboard, and it also lets you use both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 at the same time.

Not to mention, with MonsterInsights you get all the powerful tracking features such as outbound link tracking, author tracking, and more which can be enabled without writing any code.

Let’s take a look at how to easily set up Google Analytics 4 on your WordPress site with MonsterInsights.

Adding Google Analytics Tracking Code to WordPress Site

The best way to add Google Analytics tracking code to your WordPress website is by using MonsterInsights. This is the plugin that we use on WPBeginner.

MonsterInsights is the best Analytics solution for WordPress, and it’s trusted by over 3 million websites because it lets you easily setup advanced tracking without any coding skills.

You can use the MonsterInsights Lite version to set up Google Analytics in no time. There are also premium MonsterInsights plans that offer more features like custom dashboard reports, email summaries, scroll tracking, eCommerce tracking, premium integrations, and more.

MonsterInsights also offers dual tracking, meaning you can use both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 at the same time. This is available in both the free version as well paid, and we highly recommend using this to ensure that your transition to GA4 goes smoothly.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you’ll be taken to the MonsterInsights welcome screen in your WordPress dashboard. Simply click the ‘Launch the Wizard’ button to add Google Analytics to your site.

After clicking the button, the setup wizard will ask you to choose a category that best describes your website.

You can choose from a business website, publisher (blog), or online store. Once you’ve selected a category, click the ‘Save and Continue’ button.

In the next step, you’ll need to connect MonsterInsights with your WordPress site.

Go ahead and click the ‘Connect MonsterInsights’ button.

Once you click the button, you’ll need to sign in to your Google Account.

Simply select your account and click the ‘Next’ button.

Next, MonsterInsights will require access to your Google Analytics Account.

MonsterInsights App needs these permissions, so it can help you setup analytics properly and show you all the relevant stats right inside your WordPress dashboard.

You can click the ‘Allow’ button to continue.

After that, you’ll be redirected back to the MonsterInsights setup wizard.

To complete the connection, select your Google Analytics 4 property from the dropdown menu and click the ‘Complete Connection’ button.

Next, MonsterInsights will connect Google Analytics with your WordPress website.

On the next screen, you’ll see some recommended settings like file download tracking and affiliate link tracking.

You can use the default settings in the setup wizard. However, if you’re using an affiliate link plugin, then you’ll need to enter the path you use to cloak the affiliate links.

Next, you can scroll down and select who can see reports and add different WordPress user roles.

Once you’re done, click the ‘Save and continue’ button.

After that, MonsterInsights will show different tracking features that you can enable for your website.

You can scroll down and click the ‘Skip for Now’ button.

Choose which tracking features to enable

Next, you’ll see a checklist showing that you’ve successfully connected Google Analytics to your website.

For example, it will show that you’re successfully connected to Google Analytics, the tracking code is properly installed, and the data is being collected.

That’s it, you’ve added Google Analytics 4 property to your WordPress site.

Creating a Measurement Protocol API Secret

If you want to MonsterInsights to track eCommerce purchases, form conversions, and more advanced tracking in Google Analytics, then you’ll need to create a Measurement Protocol API Secret.

First, you’ll need to go back to your Google Analytics account and then go to Admin settings. Next, click on the ‘Data Streams’ option under Property column.

Then you’ll need to select the Google Analytics 4 property that we created earlier.

Go ahead and select your property under Data Streams.

After that, you can scroll down to the ‘Advanced Settings’ section.

Simply click the ‘Measurement Protocol API secrets’ option.

Select measurement protocol API secrets option

A new window will now slide in with your Measurement Protocol API secrets.

You will have to click the ‘Create’ button.

After that, enter a nickname for your API secret so it’s easily identifiable.

When you’re done, click the ‘Create’ button.

You should now see your Measurement Protocol API secret.

Simply copy the API secret under the ‘Secret value’ field.

After that, you can head back to your WordPress website and navigate to Insights » Settings from your dashboard.

Now click on the ‘General’ tab at the top.

Next, you will have to scroll down to the ‘Google Authentication’ section.

Go ahead and enter the Secret value you just copied in the Measurement Protocol API Secret field.

Enter measurement protocol API secret in MonsterInsights

You’ve successfully added Measurement Protocol API Secret in MonsterInsights.

Setting Up Universal Analytics Dual Tracking

Now that you have setup GA4, the next step is to enable dual tracking for Universal Analytics, so it can run alongside your Google Analytics 4 property in WordPress.

With MonsterInsights, you can easily set up dual tracking and simultaneously track both properties without writing code.

Note: If you already have Universal Analytics tracking code added to your WordPress website, then we recommend disabling it first. Otherwise, it could lead to double-tracking and can skew your data.

To start setting up dual tracking properly, you can head to Insights » Settings from your WordPress admin panel and then click on the ‘General’ tab.

Next, you’ll need to scroll down to the ‘Google Authentication’ section.

Now under the Dual Tracking Profile, enter your Universal Analytics (UA) code.

You can easily find your UA code in Google Analytics Admin settings.

Simply go to the Admin settings page in Google Analytics of your Universal Analytics property.

Then click on ‘Property Settings’ under the Property column.

You should see the Tracking Id, and it will look like this: UA-123856789-5

You’ve now successfully set up dual tracking on your WordPress website.

To see how your website is performing, simply go to Insights » Reports. Here you’ll find all the data you need to make the right decisions to grow your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide to improve your rankings, or see our comparison of the best email marketing services for small business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress (The RIGHT Way) first appeared on WPBeginner.