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The GA4 setup checklist I wish I had when I started

A step-by-step checklist to configure Google Analytics 4 correctly from day one. Avoid the common pitfalls and set yourself up for clean, reliable data.

A
Antoine
January 14, 20267 min read

Setting up GA4 correctly the first time saves you months of headaches down the road. Trust me on this. I've had to clean up enough broken implementations to know that skipping steps early leads to painful data issues later.

This checklist is what I use when setting up GA4 for new projects. It covers everything from the basics to the stuff most tutorials forget to mention.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

  • A Google account with admin access
  • Access to your website's code or Google Tag Manager
  • A list of what you want to track (conversions, events, etc.)

Got all that? Let's go.

Phase 1: Account and property setup

Create your GA4 property

  1. Go to analytics.google.com
  2. Click Admin (gear icon)
  3. Click Create Property
  4. Enter your property name (usually your website or brand name)
  5. Select your reporting time zone and currency

Important: Choose your timezone carefully. It affects how daily data is aggregated, and changing it later creates weird gaps in your reports.

Configure property settings

Navigate to Admin → Property Settings and verify:

SettingRecommendation
Property nameClear, identifiable name
Industry categoryMatch your business type
Time zoneYour primary business timezone
CurrencyYour primary reporting currency

Set up your data stream

  1. Go to Admin → Data Streams
  2. Click Add Stream → Web
  3. Enter your website URL (include https://)
  4. Name your stream (e.g., "Main Website")

You'll get a Measurement ID that starts with G-. Keep this handy because you'll need it for installation.

Pro tip: Only create ONE web data stream per website. Multiple streams for the same site = duplicate data = confusion.

Phase 2: Critical settings (don't skip these)

Fix data retention immediately

This is the most commonly missed setting:

  1. Go to Admin → Data Settings → Data Retention
  2. Change from 2 months to 14 months
  3. Toggle "Reset user data on new activity" to ON

Default 2-month retention means your Exploration reports lose detailed data after 2 months. That's not enough for any serious analysis.

Enable Google Signals

  1. Go to Admin → Data Settings → Data Collection
  2. Toggle Google signals data collection ON

This enables cross-device tracking for signed-in Google users and unlocks demographic data in your reports.

Configure Enhanced Measurement

Enhanced Measurement automatically tracks common interactions. Check these are enabled in your data stream settings:

EventWhat it tracksEnable?
Page viewsAll page loads✅ Always
Scrolls90% scroll depth✅ Usually
Outbound clicksClicks to other domains✅ Usually
Site searchSearch queries✅ If you have search
Video engagementYouTube embeds✅ If applicable
File downloadsPDF, doc, etc.✅ Usually
Form interactionsForm starts and submits⚠️ Can be noisy

Set up internal traffic filters

Don't pollute your data with your own team's visits:

  1. Go to Admin → Data Streams → [Your Stream] → Configure tag settings
  2. Click Define internal traffic
  3. Add your office IP addresses
  4. Go to Admin → Data Settings → Data Filters
  5. Enable the Internal Traffic filter in Active mode

Warning: Start with "Testing" mode first to make sure you're not accidentally filtering real users. Switch to "Active" once verified.

Phase 3: Installation

Option A: Google Tag Manager (recommended)

If you're using GTM:

  1. Create a new tag: GA4 Configuration
  2. Enter your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXX)
  3. Trigger: All Pages
  4. Publish your container

GTM gives you more flexibility for event tracking later, so I recommend this approach for any serious implementation.

Option B: Direct code installation

Add this to your website's <head> section:

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXX');
</script>

Replace G-XXXXXXX with your actual Measurement ID.

Verify installation

After installing:

  1. Open your website in a new browser tab
  2. In GA4, go to Reports → Realtime
  3. You should see yourself as an active user

No data showing? Check our troubleshooting guide for common issues.

Phase 4: Link your accounts

Google Search Console

  1. Go to Admin → Product Links → Search Console Links
  2. Click Link
  3. Select your verified Search Console property
  4. Complete the linking

This gives you organic search data directly in GA4.

Google Ads (if applicable)

  1. Go to Admin → Product Links → Google Ads Links
  2. Click Link
  3. Select your Ads account
  4. Enable auto-tagging if not already on

BigQuery (highly recommended)

Even if you don't use BigQuery now, set this up early:

  1. Go to Admin → Product Links → BigQuery Links
  2. Click Link
  3. Create or select a BigQuery project
  4. Choose Daily export (free tier) or Streaming (paid)

BigQuery export starts from the day you connect, so connect now to maximize historical data.

Phase 5: Configure your key events

Key events (formerly called "Conversions") track important actions:

  1. Go to Admin → Events
  2. Find the events you want to mark as key events
  3. Toggle Mark as key event

Common key events to set up:

Key EventHow to create
Form submissionCustom event via GTM or Enhanced Measurement
PurchaseE-commerce tracking (separate setup)
Sign upCustom event triggered on success page
ContactCustom event on contact form submission

For detailed key event setup, see our conversion tracking guide.

Phase 6: Reporting setup

Customize your Reports Snapshot

  1. Go to Reports → Reports Snapshot
  2. Click the pencil icon (top right)
  3. Add or remove cards to show what matters to you

Create a custom landing page report

The default reports might not show exactly what you need. For a guide on building your first dashboard, check out creating your first GA4 dashboard.

The complete checklist

Here's everything in one place:

Account & Property

  • Property created with correct name
  • Correct timezone and currency set
  • Single web data stream created

Critical Settings

  • Data retention set to 14 months
  • Google Signals enabled
  • Enhanced Measurement configured
  • Internal traffic filter created and activated

Installation

  • Tracking code installed (GTM or direct)
  • Realtime report shows activity
  • DebugView shows events correctly

Integrations

  • Search Console linked
  • Google Ads linked (if applicable)
  • BigQuery export enabled

Key Events

  • Primary conversions marked as key events
  • Key events firing correctly

What's next?

Once your basic setup is complete, you'll want to:

  1. Set up custom events for your specific needs
  2. Configure cross-domain tracking if you have multiple domains
  3. Review common setup mistakes to make sure you haven't missed anything

If all this feels overwhelming and you just want clean, simple analytics dashboards, try Analayer. We connect to your GA4 data and give you the insights you need without the configuration headaches.

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