4 Basic Tips on How to Set Up GA4, Including Key Events

If you’re like many small- to mid-sized companies, you probably have Google Analytics, or GA4, linked to your website. But are you using it?

“About 95% of our clients have GA4 set up, but just the basics,” says Zoe Marketing & Communications analyst Carlos Figuera. “Usually, their web developer set it up; from there, they may only glance at it.”

That means key settings could be missing.

Luckily, it’s an easy fix. Here, we’ll explain why GA4 matters and cover four must-dos.

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What GA4 does and why it matters

Google Analytics tracks who visits your site, how they found you and what they do.

“Without GA4 set up, you are blind,” Figuera says. “You don’t know what people are doing on your site or what they’re engaging with.”

It also measures how your marketing efforts perform, helping you spend strategically.

4 things to do to optimize your GA4 account

1. Keep your account access clean

Be selective about who has access to GA4. If you’re unsure, check and clean it up.

In GA4, click the “Admin” gear icon (⚙️) → “Account access management.” You’ll see roles like:

• Administrator (full control, including user management)
• Editor (can modify settings but not users)
• Marketer/Analyst/Viewer (various data-related permissions)

“Use Administrator sparingly for trusted team members and your web developer,” Figuera says. “If you’re working with an agency, Analyst or Viewer access is usually enough.”

2. Make sure your data is flowing

Most businesses that contact Zoe have GA4 synced to their site, but it’s worth double-checking.

To confirm:

1. Click the “Admin” gear icon (⚙️) → “Data Streams.”
2. Select your website stream → “Google Tag.”
   
   
3. Follow the setup prompts for your CMS (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, etc.).
   
   

Then, test it:

• In GA4, go to “Reports” → “Realtime.” If data is appearing, you’re good.
• Visit your website, then refresh “Realtime” in GA4. If your visit doesn’t appear within 10 minutes, recheck the connection — or try viewing the page yourself to create activity.
  
  

3. Expand your data retention immediately

By default, GA4 only stores two months of data. “That makes tracking trends over time really difficult,” Figuera says.

To fix this:

1. Click the “Admin” gear icon (⚙️) → “Data retention.”
2. Change both “Event data” and “User data” from 2 months to 14 months.
   
   

“It’s not super obvious, and sometimes businesses miss it,” Figuera says, “but it’s super easy.”

4. Focus on key ‘events’ to track meaningful data

Events track what users do on your site — like clicking a link, watching a video or submitting a form. These insights help you optimize content and conversions.

To see your tracked events:

1. Click “Reports” → “Engagement” → “Events: Event name.”
   
2. Review default events GA4 tracks, like:
   • First visit (new users)
   • Page views (top content)
   • Session start (active sessions)
   • User engagement (time spent on site)

“Often, I find that businesses only have basic events set up,” Figuera says.

To track more actions, enable enhanced events under “Admin” → “Data Streams” → “Enhanced measurement.”

These include:

• Scrolls: Tracks users who scroll 90% of a page (useful for engagement).
• Outbound clicks: Tracks users clicking links to other sites.
• Site search: Logs keywords entered in your site’s search bar.
• Form interactions: Measures when users start and submit forms (a key conversion).
• Video engagement: Tracks plays and pauses of embedded videos.

For deeper tracking, GA4 offers recommended events like “Generate lead,” which tracks form submissions.

Next steps for tracking your website data

GA4 is a powerful tool, but it can feel overwhelming. We’ve covered four key areas to help: managing access, ensuring data flow, extending data retention and tracking events.

Need more help? Talk to us. Zoe Marketing & Communications works with clients to track GA4 results with custom events and detailed reporting.

To dig deeper into GA4, explore these resources:

• Giving read-only GA4 access to agencies: Benefits and how-to
• Why don’t my marketing report clicks match my Google Analytics?