Turn data into decisions — events, conversions, attribution models, and reporting that executives actually care about.
Web analytics is the process of tracking, measuring, and analyzing user behavior on websites — so you can make better decisions about content, UX, and marketing. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is Google's current platform, having replaced Universal Analytics in 2023. It represents a fundamental shift in how data is collected and reported.
GA4 is built on three core principles: event-based (every user interaction is an event, not a session hit), privacy-first (built for a cookieless future with consent mode and modeled data), and cross-platform (web and app data unified in a single property).
At BankBazaar, we set up a custom GA4 event for "loan_calculator_submit" — tracking how many users hit the results page after entering loan details. This revealed that mobile users were 2× more likely to apply after using the calculator compared to desktop users. That single insight influenced our mobile-first content strategy and led to a dedicated calculator landing page for high-intent mobile traffic.
GA4 Data Flow
User Interaction → Event Fired → GA4 Processes → Reports & Explorations → Business Decision
In GA4, everything is an event. There are three categories: Automatic events (collected without any setup — page_view, scroll, first_visit, session_start), Recommended events (standard names Google suggests — form_submit, search, purchase), and Custom events (you define these for your specific business needs — e.g., loan_calc_used, credit_card_apply_click). Custom events are where most of the real analytical value is created.
A conversion is any event you mark as important to your business goal. In GA4 you simply toggle any event to "conversion" status. Common examples: form_submit, purchase, generate_lead, call_click. Tracking conversions lets you measure ROI across all channels and campaigns.
A dimension is a category or label (device category, country, source/medium, page title). A metric is a number (sessions, conversions, engagement rate, revenue). Every GA4 report is built from combinations of dimensions and metrics. The skill is picking the right combination to answer your actual business question.
Attribution determines which channel gets credit for a conversion. Last-click gives 100% credit to the final touchpoint before conversion — simple but misleading for multi-touch journeys. Data-driven attribution (GA4's default) uses machine learning to distribute credit across all touchpoints based on their actual contribution. For most teams, data-driven is the right choice.
Create a GA4 property in Google Analytics, then install the Google tag via Google Tag Manager. GTM gives you flexibility to add events without developer releases.
Enable enhanced measurement in GA4 (scroll tracking, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement). These give you immediate data with zero code.
Identify the top 5–10 user actions that signal intent or value. Build GTM triggers for each and send them to GA4 as custom events with relevant parameters.
In GA4 Admin → Events, toggle your most important events as conversions (form fills, calls, purchases, app installs). These will appear in your conversion reports and feed attribution models.
GA4's Exploration section lets you build custom freeform reports. Drag in the dimensions and metrics you need, apply segments, and create funnel visualizations for key user journeys.
Connect GA4 to Looker Studio and build a live dashboard. Share a single link with stakeholders — no more manual exports. Include traffic, conversions, top pages, and channel performance.
Use my free Meta Tag Extractor to check whether your pages have the right canonical tags, title tags, and meta descriptions that GA4 will use to identify your content.
Open Meta Tag Extractor →