Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s popular web analytics platform, and it offers a range of new features and improvements over previous versions. If you have a Shopify store, you can use GA4 to track key metrics like traffic, conversions, and customer behavior and use this data to improve your store’s performance.
In this article, we’ll show you how to set up GA4 on your Shopify store, so you can start tracking and analyzing your data.
The way you set up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify will depend on the version of Shopify you’re using. If you’re using Shopify Plus, you can install the tracking code (or Google Tag Manager) on all of the pages of your Shopify store, including the checkout pages. And if you’re using the standard version of Shopify, then you can install Google Analytics on all the pages of your store, excluding the checkout pages. (but you can use the below script and add it to the ‘Additional Scripts’ section under the Checkout settings of Shopify to track the purchase conversion in GA4)
1. ADD THE TRACKING CODE TO YOUR THEME
- Log in to your Shopify store
- Click on ‘sales channels‘ on the left panel and Navigate to ‘Online Store’.
- Then click on ‘Themes‘ and click on ‘edit code‘ on the live theme.
- On the theme editor, click on “theme.liquid” file under Layout.
You will then need to paste your tracking code between the <head> </head> tags.
Here’s an example of the code (important: you will need to replace the two instances of G-EXAMPLE with the measurement ID from your GA4 data stream):
2. Get your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) measurement ID
- Sign in to your Google Analytics account.
- Click Admin.
- At the top of the Property column, select your property.
- In the Property column, click Data streams.
- Click the data stream for which you need the ID.
- Your “G-” ID appears in the top right.
3. ADD THE TRACKING CODE TO YOUR ORDER CONFIRMATION PAGE
- Log in to your Shopify store
- Click on ‘settings‘ on the left panel.
- Then click on ‘Checkout‘ and scroll down to ‘Additional Scripts‘ section.
Here’s an example you can use (important: you will need to replace the two instances of G-EXAMPLE with the measurement ID from your GA4 data stream):
4. EXCLUDE SHOPIFY AS A REFERRAL IN GA4
To ensure that your sales are attributed to the correct marketing channels, you must prevent the Shopify checkout pages from showing up as referrals in your reports. To do this, follow below steps in Google Analytics.
You can configure a maximum of 50 unwanted referrals per data stream.
- In Google Analytics, click on settings -> Admin,
- Click on Data Streams in the Property column.
- Click Web and then click a web data stream.
- In the web stream details, click Configure tag settings (at the bottom).
- In the Settings section, click Show all to see all available settings.
- Click List unwanted referrals.
- Choose a match type.
- Under Domain, enter the identifier for the domain you want to match (e.g., myshopify.com).
- Click Add condition to add another domain.Under Include referrals that match ANY of the following conditions: Conditions are evaluated using OR logic.
- Click Save.
Pro tip: Since You won’t be able to see people traveling through the checkout pages in GA4 if you’re in the Shopify Basic plan. So, I recommend adding Universal Analytics to your Shopify store.
5. ADD YOUR UNIVERSAL ANALYTICS PROPERTY ID
- From your Shopify admin, click Settings > Apps and sales channels.
- From the Apps and sales channels page, click Online store.
- Click Open sales channel.
- Click Preferences.
- In the Google Analytics section, paste your tracking ID.
- Do not forget to check Use Enhanced E-commerce.
- Click Save. This enables Shopify to track and send all of your website data to Google Analytics.
- In your Google Analytics account, click Admin.
- In the View column, click E-commerce Settings.
- Click the Enable Enhanced Ecommerce Reporting toggle to turn it from OFF to ON.
- Click Save.
6. Viewing your data in Google Analytics in realtime
On your Google Analytics 4 account, you’ll click on ‘Reports’ and then ‘Realtime.’ You will be able to view the users in real-time reports. You can also view the audiences, events, and page titles. Once you go through the process, it won’t seem as complicated as it may seem right now.
Setting up GA4 on your Shopify store is a quick and easy process, and it can provide you with valuable insights into the performance of your store. Whether you’re just starting out with e-commerce or you’re an experienced store owner, GA4 is a powerful tool that can help you improve your store’s performance and grow your business.
What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)? and Why Should I Switch From Universal Analytics To GA4?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s web analytics platform. It provides insights into the performance of websites and applications and helps businesses and organizations understand how their online properties are being used.
GA4 includes a range of new features and improvements over previous versions of Google Analytics, including support for more data types and improved integration with other Google products and services. There are several reasons why you might consider switching from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Some of the key features of GA4 include the following:
- Enhanced data collection and processing: GA4 includes a new data model that is designed to support a wider range of data types, including events, user properties, and audiences. This enables businesses to track a broader range of interactions and behaviors on their websites and applications.
- Improved integration with other Google products: GA4 is integrated with other Google products and services, such as Google Ads and Google BigQuery, which allows businesses to analyze and act on their data across different platforms easily.
- Enhanced machine learning capabilities: GA4 includes built-in machine learning models that can automatically identify trends and patterns in data and provide recommendations for how to optimize marketing and business operations.
- Improved user experience: GA4 includes a redesigned user interface that is more intuitive and easier to use, making it easier for businesses to access and analyze their data.
Overall, GA4 provides a range of new features and improvements over UA that can help businesses get a better understanding of their online properties and make more informed decisions about how to optimize their marketing and business operations. While it’s not necessary to switch from UA to GA4 immediately, businesses that are looking to take advantage of the latest analytics capabilities should consider making the switch at some point in the future.
Why is Tracking Data and Analytics Critical For Your E-commerce Business?
Tracking data and analytics is critical for any eCommerce business because it provides valuable insights into the performance of the business and helps inform decision-making. By tracking key metrics like traffic, conversions, revenue, and customer behavior, businesses can gain a better understanding of how their website and products are being used and identify opportunities for improvement.
Here are a few specific reasons why tracking data and analytics is important for eCommerce businesses:
- Identify key performance indicators: Tracking data and analytics can help businesses identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to their business. These might include metrics like website traffic, conversion rate, average order value, and customer lifetime value. By tracking these metrics over time, businesses can get a sense of how their business is performing and identify areas where they might need to make changes or improvements.
- Improve marketing and advertising efforts: Tracking data and analytics can help businesses understand how their marketing and advertising efforts are performing and identify areas where they might need to make changes. For example, businesses can use data to understand which marketing channels are driving the most traffic and conversions and allocate their resources accordingly.
- Understand customer behavior: Tracking data and analytics can help businesses understand how customers are interacting with their websites and products. This can include things like what pages and products customers are viewing, how long they are spending on the site, and what actions they are taking. By understanding customer behavior, businesses can identify opportunities to optimize their website and products better to meet the needs and preferences of their customers. Here are some of the matrices you should be focusing on as a successful business owner:
- Customer Acquisition Cost (and Target CPA)
- Return on Ad Spend
- Customer Lifetime Value
- Average Order Value
- Returning Customer Rate
- Website Conversion Rate
- Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
- Email/SMS Opt-In Rate
- Email Open Rate
- Email/SMS Click-Through Rate
- Identify growth opportunities: Tracking data and analytics can help businesses identify opportunities for growth. For example, businesses might use data to understand which products or categories are performing well and consider expanding their product line or investing more in marketing efforts for those products. Alternatively, businesses might use data to identify underperforming products or categories and consider discontinuing or revising those products.
Overall, tracking data and analytics is an essential part of running a successful eCommerce business. By using data to inform decision-making, businesses can optimize their website, products, and marketing efforts and drive growth and success.
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