How to Set Up Google Analytics – GA4 Property for Shopify Stores?

Shopify is a highly popular e-commerce platform that is utilized by a multitude of online stores. To make informed business decisions and monitor the performance of your Shopify store, it is important to set up Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a robust and powerful tool that can aid in comprehending customer behavior, monitoring traffic sources, and keeping track of sales. In this article, we will discuss how to set up Google Analytics – GA4 property for Shopify stores.

What is GA4 Property?

Google Analytics has recently launched a new property type called GA4 (Google Analytics 4). GA4 is the most recent iteration of Google Analytics, which offers advanced tracking capabilities that can prove to be beneficial for online enterprises. It has a more user-friendly interface, and flexible tracking options, and is designed to work with advanced data analysis tools.

The main differences between Universal Analytics and GA4 regarding data collection:

Universal Analytics:

  • Data is collected through a centralized server.
  • Data is sent via tracking codes.
  • Risk of data loss if the server experiences downtime or if the tracking code is not implemented correctly.

GA4:

  • Every tracking code is connected independently to the server.
  • Only data from a specific implementation will be affected if there is downtime or if the code is not implemented correctly.
  • This limits the potential loss of data.

Follows these steps to set up Google Analytics- GA4 Property for Shopify stores:

Step 1: Create a GA4 Property

Begin by setting up a new GA4 property. To do this, you need to log in to your Google Analytics account and click on the “Admin” tab at the bottom left corner of the page. From there, select the accountand property that you want to add GA4 to. Click on “Create Property and then select the “Web option. Fill out the required information such as property name, URL, and time zone, and then click on “Create“.

Step 2: Set Up Data Streams

After creating a GA4 property, the next step is to set up data streams. A data stream is a connection between your website and Google Analytics that allows data to flow from your website to Google Analytics. To set up a data stream, click on the “Data Streams” tab and then click on “Add Stream. Select “Web as the source and fill out the required information such as stream name, website URL, and industry category. Once the required information is entered, click on “Create Stream.

Step 3: Add GA4 Tag to Shopify Store

The next step is to add the GA4 tag to your Shopify store. A tag is a snippet of code that is added to your website to collect data and send it to Google Analytics. To begin, access your Shopify account and proceed to paste the code within the tag. Following this, navigate to the Online Store section, select Themes, and then Edit Code, specifically the theme.liquid file. From here, you can paste the Google tag code within thetag. Once the code has been placed, simply click the Save button to complete the setup process. Finally, it is necessary to validate the data in Google Analytics.

Step 4: Verify Installation

After adding the GA4 tag to your Shopify store, it is important to verify the installation. To do this, go back to your Google Analytics account and navigate to the “Realtime” tab. If the installation was successful, you should see data being collected in real-time.

Step 5: Set Up Conversion Tracking

The final step is to set up conversion tracking. Conversion tracking allows you to track specific user actions on your website such as making a purchase or filling out a form. Navigate to the Admin section on the left sidebar of your GA4 interface. From there, select Conversions. Click on the “New conversion” event button to start creating a new event.

Enter the name of the event that you want to track in the provided field.

You can also create new events and mark them as conversions from the main events menu.

Alternatively, you can go to the “conversions overview” and click on the “New conversion” event button to use prompts to create a new event marked as a conversion. After entering the custom event name, fill out the Matching conditions fields to specify the specific types of events you want to track.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to create new conversion events in your GA4 interface and track the performance of your website or app.

How to utilize the Google Analytics – GA4 property for Shopify stores?

Once you have set up Google Analytics – GA4 property for your Shopify store, you can start using it to gain valuable insights into your business. Here are some tips on how to use Google Analytics – GA4 property for Shopify stores:

  1. Monitor traffic sources:
    Use Google Analytics to monitor the sources of traffic to your Shopify store. This will help you identify which marketing channels are driving the most traffic to your website.
  2. Track sales:
    Use Google Analytics to track sales and revenue. This will help you understand which products are selling well and which ones need improvement.
  3. Analyze customer behavior:
    Use Google Analytics to analyze customer behavior on your Shopify store. This will help you understand how customers are interacting with your website and identify areas for improvement.
  4. Set up custom reports:
    Use custom reports in Google Analytics to create customized reports that are specific to your business needs. This will allow you to focus on the metrics that matter most to your business.
  5. Use data to make informed decisions:
    Use the data collected in Google Analytics to make informed decisions about your business. Use the insights gained from Google Analytics to optimize your website, improve your marketing campaigns, and grow your business.

Additionally, By leveraging Google Analytics data, Shopify SEO service providers can make informed business decisions and optimize their SEO strategies to improve their clients’ online store traffic, visibility, and sales.

Final Word

The robust feature set of Google Analytics 4 presents a roadmap for optimizing ROI and streamlining marketing efforts. To achieve this, businesses need to effectively utilize these new features, which will facilitate the scaling up of their operations. Setting up Google Analytics – GA4 property for your Shopify store is an essential step in monitoring the performance of your online business.

If you’re running an online business, having reliable and insightful data is crucial for making informed decisions. With CGColors, you can rely on us to capture and analyze marketing data with ease. We have an experienced team of Shopify website developers and professional marketers that can assist you if you’re having trouble connecting GA4 to your shopify store. Our expertise ensures that you get accurate data within minutes.

About the author

Saurabh