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Google Analytics 4 Steps

I. Getting started

A. Go to Google Chrome and type "google analytics certification skillshop" and it will call up the following screen

B. Click on "Google Analytics 4 - Skillshop" at bottom of screen. This calls up next set of options.

https://skillshop.exceedlms.com/student/catalog/list?category_ids=6431-google-analytics-4
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C. For this Module's Assignment, you will need to complete the first 3 parts of this training set.

1. So, click on the top option in the screen above "Get Started Using Google Analytics" and it will call up the image
below:
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Brief Overview of Required Parts for GA4 Assignment

Part 1: Get to Know Google Analytics

1. Welcome to the Course (with Krista and Matt) - 1 minute. Very brief intro…no critical information
2. Use Digital Analytics to Grow Your Business - 7 Min
3. Learn How Google Analytics Handles Data - 5 min
4. Create Your Google Analytics Account and Property - 9 min
5. Set Up Your Website for Data Collection - 5 min
6. Set Up Your App for Data Collection - 5 min
7. Confirm Data is Being Collected - 6 min
8. Manage Account Access and Settings - 7 min
9. Power Your Reports with Dimensions and Metrics (8 min)

Part 2: Use Google Analytics for Your Business

1. Welcome to the Course - 1 min
2. Navigate Your Google Analytics Account - 7 min
3. Manage Your Google Analytics Events - 10 min
4. Manage and Filter the Data You Collect - 9 min
5. Manage Your Google Analytics Conversions - 4 min
6. Understand Google Analytics Reports - 9 min
7. Get to Know the Predefined Reports - 10 min
8. Filter and Compare Data in Reports - 7 min
9. Use Explore for Advanced Analysis - 12 min

Part 3: Measure Your Marketing with Google Analytics

1. Use Digital Analytics with Marketing Data - 7 min
2. Measure What Matters with Conversions - 7 min (renamed "Key Events")
3. Give Proper Credit with Attribution - 7 min
4. Group Valuable Customers with Audiences - 7 min
5. Use Analytics Together with Google Ads - 7 min
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Detailed Overview of Required Parts

Part 1: Get to Know Google Analytics
1. Welcome to the Course (with Krista and Matt) - 1 minute. Very brief intro…no critical information

2. Use Digital Analytics to Grow Your Business - 7 Min

a. What is digital analytics - 3 min
Beneath the Video is several important section, "Get access to the demo account"

This is a most critical part you don't want to miss - accessing the data for the actual "Google Merchandise Store" and the "Flood It" app.
Need a "Google" account, so you'll have to set one up if you have not before.

In the text beneath this video you'll see the following -- after you're logged into your gmail account, click on the first 2 hyperlinks (the
GA4 links) but NOT the 3rd "Universal Analytics" link as Google is ending that tool on July 1st 2024.

Once you're in one of the GA4 active accounts, you'll see a screen with menus and data.
Upper Left Corner menu is critical. It has 4 options: Home , Reports , Explore , and Advertising
A. Home
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B. Reports
Each "sub-folder" within "Reports" has additional sub-folders and all contain valuable information. EXPLORE THROUGH
THESE!!! SO MUCH information.
Brief Overview
"Reports snapshot" The snapshot is a set of about 14 graphs/tables culled from various report sub-folders
"Realtime" (what's happening at this moment)
"Lifecycle"
Acquisition: "Overview -", "User acquisition -", "Traffic acquisition -" & "User acquisition cohorts -"
Engagement: "Overview -", "Events -", "Pages and screens -" & "Landing Page -"
Monetization: "Overview -", "Ecommerce purchases -", "Purchase journey -", "Checkout journey -" &
"Promotions"
Retention
Search Console
Search Console: "Queries -" & "Google organic search traffic -"
User
User attributes: "Overview -", "Demographic details -" & "Audiences -"
Tech: "Overview -" & "Tech details -"

Detailed Overview
"Reports snapshot"
The snapshot is a set of about 14 graphs/tables culled from various report sub-folders such as "Overall counts",
"Users in last 30 min", "Insights", "New Users by channel", "Sessions by Medium", "Users by country", "How are
active users trending", "User retention" "Pages/Screens viewed most", "Top Events", Top performing Key
Events", "Top selling products", "activity by platform" "LTV by channel")

"Realtime" (what's happening at this moment) - used to assess that "GA4 tagged" websites are sending data to GA4
"Lifecycle"
Acquisition:
Overview -
User acquisition -

Traffic acquisition -
User acquisition cohorts -
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Engagement
Overview -
Events -

Pages and screens -

Landing Page -

Monetization
Overiview -
Ecommerce purchases -
Purchase journey -
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Checkout journey -

Promotions -
Retention
Search Console
Search Console

Queries -

Google organic search traffic -

User
User attributes
Overview - gives 7 graphs of Users by "Country", "last 30 min", "City", "Gender", "Interests", "Age" &
"Language"
Demographic details -
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Audiences -

Tech
Overview -

Tech details -

C. Explore
D. Advertising

Access the demo account

To access the demo account, click one of the three links at the end of this section. When you click a link:

 If you already have a Google account, you're prompted to log in to that account.
 If you don't have a Google account, you're prompted to create an account and then log in.

Access the demo account, which contains three properties, by clicking one of the following links based on the property you
would like to access first. You can change to the other properties at any time by using the account selector.

 Google Analytics 4 property: Google Merchandise Store (web data)

 Google Analytics 4 property: Flood-It! (app and web data)
 Universal Analytics property: Google Merchandise Store (web data)

3. Learn How Google Analytics Handles Data - 5 min

Info on Events
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Steps 4 through 8 are run by IT depts typically, but analysts should know the high level basics.
4. Create Your Google Analytics Account and Property - 9 min
Info on designing background website to Google Analytics connection.

5. Set Up Your Website for Data Collection - 5 min

Intro to concept of tagging website, pages and the data you get back from them. Initial website tagging set up is CRUCIAL - often it is not in
the hands of analysts but of IT departments, so communication between Marketing, Analytics and IT is critical when setting GA4 up on a
website.
6. Set Up Your App for Data Collection - 5 min
Similar to the tagging of websites in the previous lesson, this one deals with setting up a Phone App so that it is tracking/sending data to GA.
Again, this is typically not done by data analysts but by IT departments. Still, it is good to have a basic knowledge of what goes on behind
the scenes and where the data comes from.

7. Confirm Data is Being Collected - 6 min

Again, IT dept often runs this, but a wise Digital Analyst will be looking to see that "GA4 tagged" websites that are getting hits are having
those interactions tabulated properly in GA4.

8. Manage Account Access and Settings - 7 min

The idea of "Custom Dimensions" hat will be introduced in section 9 below is likely more important to data analysts than the information in
section 8 here. The administrator of a website has critical control of the GA account, so those in such a position MUST understand how all
of this Account Property and Access stuff works.

9. Power Your Reports with Dimensions and Metrics (8 min)

Here we see some account Admin issues that are very critical, especially as digital analysts have become familiar with GA4 basics and now
want to customize data collection to their personal/company/client needs.
Critical to understand the difference between Dimensions () and Metrics (Numbers like event count, length, etc)
Need to register "Custom Dimensions" to set up specific "events" for your business needs.

Part 2: Use Google Analytics for Your Business

1. Welcome to the Course - 1 min
Not important really.
2. Navigate Your Google Analytics Account - 7 min
As with the second section of "Part 1: Get to Know Google Analytics", the second section of Part 2 ALSO connects you to the GA4
demonstration. It is in the text section beneath the video:

Want to take a tour of the Google Analytics interface?

Check out the Google Analytics guided tour below. This tour will open a new window and take place in the Google Analytics demo
account. If you haven't already gained access to the demo account, follow the steps on this Help Center article.

Take a tour of the Google Analytics interface ↗

Clicking on the blue box will take you to the GA4 interface that I downloaded so many images on pages 4 through 8 earlier in this document.

3. Manage Your Google Analytics Events - 10 min

More of the critical meat for analytics - Defining "Events"
Critical to understand the difference between
Events (first visit, first open, etc)
New Events (e.g. when someone adds to growing basket)
Parameters
Admin section is where "Custom Dimensions" are created
Name it
Scope it (3 types: Event, User or Item)

Custom Events possible ( https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/12229021 )

4. Manage and Filter the Data You Collect - 9 min
"Cross Domain" measurement process walked through. Again, IT departments often set and maintain these metrics.
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Also cover removing own company actions and developer actions from data

5. Manage Your Google Analytics Conversions - 4 min

How to set up an "event" as a "Conversion".

6. Understand Google Analytics Reports - 9 min

Extremely valuable for Digital Analysts -- information on those standard reports that were identified near the
top of this document.

7. Get to Know the Predefined Reports - 10 min

Also Extremely valuable for Digital Analysts -- More detailed information on those standard reports that were
identified near the top of this document. Includes Reports found only for "Apps" and a bit about "Google
Signals".
Gives description of drop down boxes for dimensions like Demographics which is defaulted to "Country" but
which is a drop down with multiple Demo breaks that can be toggled to via the drop down.

8. Filter and Compare Data in Reports - 7 min

Reviews critical report capabilities such as Filters and Comparison Data
How to use "Add Filter" to choose Dimensions.

9. Use Explore for Advanced Analysis - 12 min

Valuable intro to new "Explore" capabilities in tool.
Explain "The Canvas"

Part 3: Measure Your Marketing with Google Analytics No Videos

1. Use Digital Analytics with Marketing Data - 7 min
Brief intro to Advertising workspace
Under "Resources" section near bottom, read "Get privacy-safe customer insights with Google Analytics"

2. Measure What Matters with Conversions - 7 min

Introduction to GA4's connecting of online behavior with Conversions (such as "purchases")
Covers how you mark/code Events are as "Conversion" actions to count
Click on and read the 4 "panels" under the "What is Google's Conversion modeling approach" - explains methodology beneath without
going deep into the weeds.
"Resources" section at bottom has several more details on various issues for those desiring a deeper understanding of the inner workings of
GA4. All should read "Set up and manage conversion events" link

3. Give Proper Credit with Attribution - 7 min

Lots of info in this one.
Be sure to click on all 6 of the "Cross Channel Models" as the different types of attribution models described frequently lead to different
parts of marketing mix getting bulk of credit for a conversion. "Last click" and "First click" models are being used far less frequently than in
the past due to increased awareness of complexity involved in a customer's journey to purchase (many touchpoints missed for many
consumers in those models). "Data-Driven" attribution most preferred today.
Good summaries of Advertising Workspace sub-sections on "Model Comparison" and "Path Comparison" - more complex work available
to GA4 users.

Again, "Resources" section at bottom has many interesting articles that go into greater detail. All must read "The Future of attribution is
data-driven".

4. Group Valuable Customers with Audiences - 7 min

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Review of GA4 capabilities around using groups/segments of population in analyses/reports. For example, the data in the Reports sections
covered earlier can all be examined at audience subset levels as well. GA contains many pre-defined audiences AND allows users to define,
create and track audiences that interest/matter to them.
Carefully review the entire "Predefined and new audiences" section. Within "Create a new audience" sub-section, click on all of the "+"
symbols in the image to reveal detailed valuable info about each part of that interface.

"Resources" section - There are very valuable "How To" YouTube videos that can be reached in the top 2 resource buttons: "Overview of
Audience Builder in GA4 properties" and "Overview of Using Predictive Analytics in GA4 Properties". Must watch the video and read the
text that comes up when you click on the "Create, edit, and archive audiences" button (video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz-
nlf1mzzs ).

5. Use Analytics Together with Google Ads - 7 min

Summarizes how to integrate Google Ads with GA4
Youtube Web-Engaged View Conversions (EVCs) defined

"Resources" - must watch Video that's reached by clicking on "Setting up Google Ads Integration in Google Analytics"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trTuipKPxBk
The second link gives detailed text of how to set up the link of Google Ads to GA4.