How To Upgrade to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) on WordPress
Upgrade and install Google Analytics 4 without losing any data from your website
As you may already know, Google Analytics recently launched their newest version of Google Analytics, called Google Analytics 4. This new version of Google Analytics promises “Smarter insights to improve your marketing decisions and get better ROI”, as they said on their Blog in October. As a Digital Marketing Agency, 12Adaptive Marketing is always looking for new ways to make better data-driven decisions for our clients and improve their PPC and SEO performance.
We gave GA4 a try and ran across some bumps on the way, so here are some useful tips for you to transition to GA4 without losing any data or scratching your head for hours trying to figure out what to do.
Let’s start with the first step:
Upgrading to GA4
In order to upgrade your existing Google Analytics profile to the latest version, you need to go to your Google Analytics Account Settings and under the Property column, click on Upgrade to GA4. This upgrade will require you to create a new property, which will create a new ID right from the property, instead of the view column. After updating your property, consider implementing Google Analytics in AMP to enhance your mobile site’s performance tracking. This integration allows you to capture more nuanced data about your visitors’ interactions with AMP pages. By leveraging this powerful tool, you’ll be better equipped to analyze user behavior and optimize your website accordingly.
Update your Google Analytics code in WordPress
After you create this new GA4 property, you will need to update your tracking code in WordPress. Now here is where things can get a bit complicated, depending on how your current code is installed.
We used Google Site Kit, a WordPress plugin from Google that easily lets you connect most Google products to your website, without having to use different plugins. You can connect Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Ads, and many other tools from Google.
The problem we encountered was that it seems to be that this plugin hasn’t been updated yet to apply the new GA4 code, so it ended up creating a new property but with the old version of Analytics.
After further research, we found that Google Tag Manager had already added a new Tag called: Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration where you will only need to add the Measurement ID, which is the new property ID for your GA4.
How to install Google Tag Manager to WordPress
Installing Google Tag Manager (GTM) is very simple. You can use the same Google Site Kit plugin and connect your GTM account there by going to the plugin’s settings and clicking on “Connect More Services”. Login with your Google Account and select the GTM account you want to link.
After connecting your GTM account to WordPress through Google Site Kit, you need to go back to Google Tag Manager and create the new Tag for GA4.
If you don’t have a Google Tag Manager account for your website, creating it is very simple:
- Go to tagmanager.google.com
- Login with the same Google Account you use for your Google Analytics
- Click on Create Account
- Add Account Name, Country
- Add Container Name
- Select Container Property (Web)
- Finish setup by clicking on Create
After you finish creating the account you will be redirected to the account’s dashboard. This is where you will be able to create your GA4 Tag.
How to create your GA4 Tag in Google Tag Manager
To create your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tag in Google Tag Manager you just need to do the following:
- Click on Add New Tag
- Name your Tag with a clear name like “GA4 Tag”
- Click on Tag Configuration
- From the shown list select Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration
- Go to your Google Analytics Account and copy the Measurement ID from the new GA4 Property you created.
- Add it to the Tag Configuration Field
- Click on the Triggering section
- Select “All Pages”
- Click on Save
After that, you just need to submit the Tag, so it can go live to your website. Click on the Submit button on your upper right corner and that’s it!
Check If GA4 Is Properly Installed
We can check if the Google Analytics 4 code is properly installed by using the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension. We can also verify if traffic is being recorded by using the Real Time report in Google Analytics.
If you feel like upgrading to the new Google Analytics is too difficult or that you just don’t have the time to handle your tracking codes and your Digital Marketing efforts, then 12 Adaptive Marketing Agency (12AM) is the partner you need. We are an innovative company that is ahead of the curve in all things digital, so all of our clients can succeed in their business.
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