How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide

As an ecommerce business owner, understanding your website’s performance and customer behaviour is crucial to making informed decisions and growing your online store. That’s where Google Analytics comes in, providing valuable insights into your website traffic, user behaviour, and ecommerce transactions.

And with the release of Google Analytics 4, there are even more features and benefits available to Shopify store owners.

In this article, we’ll explore how to set up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify and answer some common questions about using GA 4 for ecommerce tracking. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of how to leverage GA 4 to make data-driven decisions for your online store.

TL;DR

• Setting up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify is crucial for ecommerce success
• Follow a step-by-step guide to set up GA 4, including enabling ecommerce tracking and enhanced ecommerce reporting
• GA 4 provides advanced analytics and reporting features, such as improved cross-device tracking and accurate data tracking
• Gain valuable insights into your website’s performance and user behaviour by leveraging GA 4
• Use GA 4 to make data-driven decisions to grow your ecommerce business.

Does Shopify support GA 4?

If you’re a Shopify store owner wondering whether you can use Google Analytics 4 to track your website’s performance, the answer is yes! Shopify does support GA 4, but you may need to take a few extra steps to enable it. By default, Shopify integrates with the previous version of Google Analytics (GA 3), so you’ll need to create a new GA 4 property and connect it to your Shopify store. But don’t worry, it’s a straightforward process, and we’ll walk you through the steps to get started. With GA 4, you’ll have access to more advanced analytics and reporting features, so it’s definitely worth considering for your ecommerce store.

How to set up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up Google Analytics 4 on your Shopify store:

1. Creating a Google Analytics account:

• If you don’t already have a Google Analytics account, go to the Google Analytics website and sign up for free using your Google account.
• Once you’re signed in, click on “Admin” in the bottom left corner.
• Click on “Create Account” and follow the prompts to set up your account.

2. Creating a new GA 4 property:

• Once you’ve created your Google Analytics account, click on “Create Property” under the “Property” column.
• Select “Web” as the platform and choose “GA4” as the version.
• Enter the necessary information, such as your property name and URL, and click on “Create.”

3. Connecting Shopify to GA 4:

• Log in to your Shopify account and click on “Online Store” from the left-hand menu.
• Click on “Preferences” and scroll down to the “Google Analytics” section.
• Enter your GA 4 Measurement ID, which can be found under the “Data Streams” section of your GA 4 property settings.
• Click on “Save.”

4. Installing the GA 4 tracking code on your Shopify store:

• In your GA 4 property settings, click on “Data Streams” and select the data stream you created for your Shopify store.
• Click on “Measurement tag” and copy the global site tag code.
• Go back to your Shopify account and click on “Online Store” from the left-hand menu.
• Click on “Themes” and select “Actions” followed by “Edit Code.”
• Locate the “theme.liquid” file and paste the global site tag code just before the closing </head> tag.
• Save the changes and you’re all set!

Congratulations, you have successfully set up Google Analytics 4 on your Shopify store! Remember, it may take some time for data to start appearing in your GA 4 dashboard, so be patient and keep an eye on your analytics over time. By leveraging the advanced features and benefits of GA 4, you can gain valuable insights into your website’s performance and make data-driven decisions to improve your ecommerce store.

Common questions about setting up GA 4 on Shopify

Setting up events in Google Analytics 4

Setting up events in Google Analytics 4 is an important part of tracking your ecommerce store’s performance and user behaviour. Here’s how to set up events in GA 4:

Create an event tag:

• Go to your GA 4 property and click on “Tagging” in the left-hand menu.
• Click on “Create Tag” and select “Event” as the tag type.
• Give your tag a name and select the trigger you want to use, such as “Click” or “Page View.”
• Set up the event parameters, such as “event_category” and “event_action,” to define the type of event you want to track.
• Save the tag and publish it to your website.

Set up the data stream:

• Go to the “Data Streams” section of your GA 4 property and select the data stream you want to use.
• Click on “Tagging” and select the event tag you just created.
• Save the changes and publish the data stream.

Track the recommended ecommerce events:

• View Item: This event should fire when a user views a product on your website.
• Add to Cart: This event should fire when a user adds a product to their cart.
• Begin Checkout: This event should fire when a user begins the checkout process.
• Purchase: This event should fire when a user completes a purchase on your website.

To track these events, you’ll need to set up the event parameters in your event tags accordingly. For example, for the View Item event, you would set the “event_category” parameter to “Ecommerce” and the “event_action” parameter to “View Item.”

By setting up these events in Google Analytics 4, you can gain valuable insights into your ecommerce store’s performance and user behaviour, such as which products are most popular and where users are dropping off in the checkout process.

Does SEO matter on Shopify?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is important for all websites, including ecommerce stores on Shopify. SEO involves optimizing your website’s content and structure to make it more visible and appealing to search engines like Google, which can lead to increased traffic and sales for your online store.

Provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up ecommerce tracking in GA 4 for your Shopify store

To set up ecommerce tracking in Google Analytics 4 for your Shopify store, follow these steps:

Enable ecommerce tracking in your GA 4 property:

• Go to your GA 4 property and click on “Data Streams” in the left-hand menu.
• Select the data stream you want to use for your Shopify store.
• Click on “Configure Measurement” and toggle on the “Ecommerce” switch.
• Save the changes and publish the data stream.

Enable enhanced ecommerce reporting:

• Click on “Configure Measurement” again and toggle on the “Enhanced Ecommerce” switch.
• Save the changes and publish the data stream.

Set up product and promotion data:

• In your Shopify account, go to “Online Store” and select “Preferences.”
• Scroll down to the “Google Analytics” section and toggle on the “Use Enhanced Ecommerce” switch.
• Save the changes and go to the “Products” or “Marketing” section of your Shopify account.
• Add product and promotion data, including product names, SKUs, prices, and discounts.

Test your ecommerce tracking:

• Go to your Shopify store and make a test purchase.
• Go back to your GA 4 property and click on “Reporting” in the left-hand menu.
• Navigate to the “Conversions” section and check that your ecommerce data is being tracked correctly.

By setting up ecommerce tracking in Google Analytics 4 for your Shopify store, you can gain valuable insights into your website’s ecommerce performance and make data-driven decisions to improve your online store.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using Google Analytics, and particularly GA 4, is crucial for ecommerce store owners on Shopify. It provides valuable insights into your website’s performance and user behavior, which can help you make informed decisions to grow your business. With GA 4, you can take advantage of more advanced analytics and reporting features, such as improved cross-device tracking and more accurate data tracking.

We’ve covered how to set up GA 4 on your Shopify store, including setting up ecommerce tracking, enabling enhanced ecommerce reporting, and testing your tracking. By following these steps and regularly monitoring your ecommerce metrics, you can gain valuable insights into your online store’s performance and make data-driven decisions to improve your business.

So, if you’re a Shopify store owner who hasn’t set up Google Analytics 4 yet, we encourage you to do so today. It’s a straightforward process that can have a significant impact on your ecommerce success. By leveraging the power of GA 4, you can gain a competitive advantage and take your online store to the next level.