👋 Understand all the subtleties of a good GA4 setup.

Presentation

At the end of the article is the checklist, which is dynamically retrieved from the action templates.

💡 If you have a large number of properties to configure,some actions can be automated, such as creating properties/custom dimensions for multisite clients via scripts.

GA4 shares

GA4 Checklist

Actions to set up co

👋 Understand all the subtleties of a good GA4 setup.
GA4 configuration tables
Interface Item Actions Information
Settings Properties ✅ Create 3 properties Account architecture with at least :
  • 1 Production property: client.com - Production
  • 1 Staging property: client.com - Staging
  • 1 property that collects the rest: client.com - Other
If we're working with customers who have sites in different countries, and teams in each country, they may want to use their own currency on their site: this means that each property will have a different currency in GA4 and DataStudio. Only BigQuery can retrieve the currency in USD (with the exchange rate on the day of collection).
Settings Organization ✅ Create an organization Having an organization is a good practice, as it allows us to define profiles (internal, presta, etc.) with access rights to several tools at once (GA / GTM). This allows us to filter on a customer and easily find all his properties.

Companies are created and managed in Google Marketing Platform Home. Platform Home is available for Analytics 360 and standard Analytics accounts at marketingplatform.google.com/home.
Events Events ✅ Activate significant events as objectives Skip events defined by the customer as important objectives, such as conversions. In general, we always have purchase and begin checkout, but the customer can choose to add others. In practical terms, this means that this event can be used as a conversion in GA reports. Acquisition teams can then select the event for which they want to analyze a conversion rate in the channel reports: it's powerful!
Audiences Audiences ✅ S etting up basic audiences Set up basic audiences (30-day traffic, 90-day traffic, Add To Cart, Purchase...) according to customer objectives
Data Settings Data collection ✅ Disable Google Signals and Granular location and device data collection
  • Do not activate google signals
  • Disable Granular location and device data collection
  • Leave Advanced Settings to Allow for Ads Personalization activated
  • Do not click on "acknowledge".
These subjects are very complex to understand (google spec), so we're going to work on documentation to pass on to the customer during our missions to help them understand what we're activating.
Data Settings Data Retention ✅ Check that the data retention period is 14 months
  • Keep for 14 months
  • Keep Reset data on new activity checked
Data Stream Enhanced measurement ✅ Check that only pageview and other events deemed necessary by the customer are activated
  • Keep only pageviews and other events deemed necessary by the customer
  • Be careful, these events can inflate the number of events and block a Bigquery export (limited to 1M hits/day on the free version of GA4).
  • Deactivate "Page changes based on browser history events" in Data Stream
Data Stream Modify events ✅ Check that Modify Events is not in use If renaming is required, ask the developer to do so.
Data Stream Create custom event ✅ Check that Create custom event is not used Do not touch, this type of need must be managed in GTM
Data Stream Measurement Protocol API secrets ✅ Check that Measurement Protocol API secrets is not in use Do not touch: this functionality must be considered for very specific missions and will be identified in advance.
Data Stream / configure tag Manage automatic event detection ✅ Check that Manage automatic event detection is not used Doubling Enhanced measurement, there should be no shares left at this level.
Data Stream / configure tag Configure your domains ✅ Configure Cross-Domain Tracking if required To be used if cross-domain tracking is required (i.e. several sites with different domains); sub-domain sites do not require cross-domain tracking.
Data Stream / configure tag Allow user provided data capabilities ✅ Check that Allow user provided data capabilities is ticked Do not touch for the moment, under study by Starfox
Data Settings Default Channel Grouping ✅ Configure Default Channel Grouping if required Analyze current traffic sources using drill-down reports. Discuss the possibility of creating a customized channel grouping based on the customer's most frequently used channels.
Data Stream / configure tag Override cookie settings ✅ S elect 13 months for expiration date Click on override and choose 13 months
Retain the "set cookie expiration time relative to most recent visit" selection displayed during the override.
Data Stream / configure tag Adjust session timeout ✅ Check that the default time is 30 min Keep the 30 min default and the default timer for committed sessions
Data Stream / configure tag List unwanted referrals ✅ Exclude customer-specified domains Exclude domains listed in customer configuration spreadsheet
Data Stream / configure tag Define internal traffic ✅ Exclude IP addresses representing internal traffic Exclude internal IPs based on customer configuration spreadsheet
Data Stream / configure tag Collect Universal Analytics events ✅ Disable Collect Universal Analytics events Disable, it's not good practice to start harvesting events that have not been migrated to the GA4 tagging plan by the developer.
Variables CMP variables ✅ Configuring CMP variables
Variables Property variable GA4 ✅ Configure a variable to dispatch data to GA4 properties Create a lookup table variable (not a regex) with the prod / preprod domains pointing to the correct GA4 property id.
Tags Tag config ✅ Configure Google Tag
  • Create configuration tag
  • Implement user_id with CRM customer ID if available, also send this information in a user_property
  • Set all page variables in fields to set
Tags Tag ecommerce event ✅ S etting up a Tag for ecommerce events Implement the tag for all ecommerce events and activate the datalayer to retrieve ecommerce variables
Tags Tag generic event ✅ S etting up a Tag for generic events Implement the tag for all non-ecommerce events
Triggers Triggers CMP ✅ Configuring CMP Triggers for Tags Connect all tags created to existing CMP triggers or triggers created by Starfox, depending on the scope of the assignment.

2. Actions to set up GA4 configuration

Selection In the Name Description
GA Create property(ies)
  • The property is opened in the GA interface.
  • If we're working with customers whose sites are broken down by country, with teams in each country, these teams may want to have their local currency on their property: from one property to another, we'll therefore have a different currency in GA4 and Datastudio. Only in BigQuery can you retrieve the currency in USD (with the exchange rate on the day of collection).
GA Create an organization Having an organization is a good practice, as it allows us to define profiles (internal, presta, etc.) with access rights to several tools at once (GA / GTM). This allows us to filter on a customer and easily find all his properties.

Companies are created and managed in Google Marketing Platform Home. Platform Home is available for Analytics 360 and standard Analytics accounts at marketingplatform.google.com/home.

Steps :
  1. Click on the access links to your companies and accounts at the top of your Analytics account
  2. Click on Go to Platform Home
  3. Click on Administration > Companies > Create a company
  4. Enter a name (for example, the name of your company)
  5. Select the product accounts you wish to associate with the company
  6. Click on CREATE
GA Events Events Skip events defined by the customer as important objectives, such as conversions. In general, we always have purchase and begin checkout, but the customer can choose to add others. In practical terms, this means that this event can be used as a conversion in GA reports. Acquisition teams can then select the event for which they want to analyze a conversion rate in the channel reports: it's powerful!
GA Audiences Audiences Set up basic audiences (30-day traffic, 90-day traffic, Add To Cart, Purchase...) according to customer objectives
GA Data Settings Data Collection
  • Do not activate google signals
  • Disable Granular location and device data collection
  • Leave Advanced Settings to Allow for Ads Personalization activated
  • Do not click on "acknowledge".
These subjects are very complex to understand (google spec), so we're going to work on documentation to pass on to the customer during our missions to help them understand what we're activating.
GA Data Settings Data Retention
  • keep for 14 months
  • "keep Reset data on new activity" checked
GTM Variables CMP variables Create a variable to retrieve accepted and rejected vendors
GTM Variables Property variable GA4 Create a lookup table variable (not a regex) with the prod / preprod domains pointing to the correct GA4 property id.
GTM Tags Tag config
  • Create configuration tag
  • Implement user_id with CRM customer ID if available, also send this information in a user_property
  • Set all page variables in fields to set
GTM Tags Tag ecommerce event Implement the tag for all ecommerce events and activate the datalayer to retrieve ecommerce variables
GTM Tags Tag generic event Implement the tag for all non-ecommerce events
GTM Triggers Triggers CMP Connect all tags created to existing CMP triggers or triggers created by Starfox, depending on the scope of the assignment.

A need, a question?
‍
Write to us at hello@starfox-analytics.com.
Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Contents
Post Tab Link
Post Tab Link
Written by:
Daniel Valide

Daniel Valide, R&D Manager, combines 16 years' experience and an initial military career with expertise in tracking and data. With his ability to simplify complex technical subjects, he is able to intervene with precision to set up automated data pipelines.

Find Daniel Valide on LinkedIn

Follow Starfox Analytics on Linkedin so you don't miss a thing.