Google Analytics for Beginners: A Step-by-Step GA4 Guide (2025)

Key Takeaways

It is 100% Free and Absolutely Essential: Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a non-negotiable tool for any website owner. It costs nothing and provides invaluable information about your visitors.
Setup is Faster Than You Think: From start to finish, we can get your account created and your tracking code installed in under 15 minutes.
You Can Confirm It’s Working Instantly: You don’t have to wait days to know if you did it right. We’ll use a simple trick to verify your setup is working correctly before you even finish this guide.

Welcome to the world of data! If you’ve just launched your website, you’re at the right place. We’re going to cover off Google Analytics and how to install it on your website.

What is Google Analytics (And Why Should You Care?)

At its simplest, Google Analytics is a free web service from Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It’s like a sophisticated welcome mat for your website. It tells you not just how many people showed up, but where they came from, which pages they looked at, and how long they stayed.

It’s Not Just About Counting Visitors

Thinking of GA as a simple “visitor counter” is selling it short. That’s just the start. The true power of Google Analytics is in understanding user behavior. It helps you answer critical business questions:

Is my blog post on “organic dog food” getting more traffic from Google or from Facebook?
Are people on mobile phones leaving my site immediately from the homepage?
Which page is the most popular on my entire site?
Did anyone click the “buy now” button after reading my sales page?

From Universal Analytics to GA4: What Beginners Need to Know

You might see older tutorials mention “Universal Analytics” or “UA.” Think of that as the old version of Google Analytics. The new, current, and only version you need to care about is Google Analytics 4 (GA4). It’s built differently, focusing more on user actions (events) rather than just page views. All new setups are GA4 by default, so this guide will focus exclusively on getting you set up on the right platform from day one.

Is Google Analytics 4 Free to Use?

Yes. For the vast majority of users—from small bloggers to large e-commerce stores—Google Analytics 4 is completely free. There is a premium paid version called Analytics 360, but it’s designed for massive enterprise-level corporations. You can get every piece of insight you need to grow your business with the free version.

The First Step: How to Create Your Google Analytics Account

The Google Analytics marketing homepage, showing a large blue button that says 'Start measuring'.

Ready? Let’s do this. All you need is a Google account (like a Gmail account). Navigate to the Google Analytics homepage. Click “Start measuring” and sign in with your existing Google account. It’s best to use the Google account associated with your business.

Once you start, you’ll be greeted with a five-step workflow, which we’ll cover below.

Step 1: Create an account

The account creation screen in Google Analytics, showing the field for entering an Account Name.

Your “Account Name” should be your business or company name. For ‘Account Data Sharing Settings’, leave the top option unchecked and check the bottom three. Click ‘Next’ when you’re ready.

Step 2: Create a property

The GA4 property creation screen, showing fields for Property name, reporting time zone, and currency.

A property represents your website or app. Name it after your website (e.g., digihow.com). Set the reporting time zone and currency correctly. This is important for accurate reporting later.

Step 3: Business Details

The business details setup screen in Google Analytics, with dropdown menus for Industry category and Business size.

Google will ask you about your industry and business size. Be as accurate as you can and if your industry isn’t listed, there’s an option for ‘Other Business Activities’.

Step 4: Business Objectives

A screen showing the different business objectives you can choose in GA4, such as 'Generate leads' and 'Examine user behaviour'.

Select the applicable objectives. For a beginner, the best option is to select “Examine user behaviour.” This provides you with a great set of default reports that are perfect for starting out. You can always change this later.

Step 5: Data Collection

The data collection screen in GA4 prompting the user to choose a platform: Web, Android App, or iOS App.

For data collection, choose ‘Web’ since you are setting this up for a website.

On the next step, enter your website’s URL (make sure you select https or http correctly) and give your stream a name (e.g., “Main Website”). Click “Create stream.”

Congratulations! The foundation is built. Now for the most important part.

The Critical Part: How to Set Up the GA4 Tracking Code

The GA4 installation instructions screen, showing the Measurement ID and the Global site tag code snippet.

After you create your data stream, a screen will pop up with your “Installation instructions.” This is where many people get nervous. Don’t be. It’s simpler than it looks.

We will walk through how to install it on WordPress next (skip this section if you’re not using WordPress or any other Content Management System).

The Easiest Method: How to Install GA4 on WordPress with a Plugin

While there are several methods for installing Google Analytics on WordPress, we’ll be using the “Site Kit” plugin by Google due to its ease of use.

The 'Add New Plugin' screen in WordPress, with the search bar highlighted to find a plugin.

Login to your WordPress admin interface and on the left hand side, click on “Plugins” and then “Add New Plugin”. On the search bar search for “Site Kit” and you’ll see it show up as detailed in the screenshot above. Click “Install Now”. Once this is complete, click “Activate”.

The installed plugins page in WordPress, showing the activated Site Kit by Google plugin and a 'Start Setup' button.

You’ll be redirected to your installed plugins page, where you will see Site Kit. There will be a prompt at the top in which you can click “Start setup”. If the prompt isn’t showing up, you can click on Site Kit on the top-left side bar as seen in the screenshot above.

The Site Kit setup wizard welcome screen, with a checkbox for connecting Google Analytics and a 'Sign in with Google' button.

On the Site Kit plugin page, check the box on the middle left and click “Sign in with Google”.

The Site Kit verification step, showing that Google will verify site ownership and a button to proceed.

Once signed in, Google will need to verify ownership. Once you click “Verify”, the verification will occur behind the scenes.

The Site Kit permissions screen, explaining that connecting will allow Google to display metrics within WordPress.

The next step involves allowing Google to display metrics within your WordPress site. It’s a great feature that allows you to stay within WordPress to view your analytics. Click “Allow”.

The Site Kit setup step for Google Search Console, showing that the tool is being configured.

The next steps allows you to set up Google Search Console so you can have it within the Site Kit WordPress dashboard. If you’re unfamiliar with Google Seach Console, you can learn more about it here.

The final Site Kit setup step for Google Analytics, confirming the service is being connected.

On this last step, click “Next”.

The Site Kit connection page, with dropdown menus to select the correct Google Analytics Account, Property, and Web Stream.

The final step in this process is to select the applicable options in the dropdown provided. These will be what you set up here. Once you’ve selected them and confirmed your stream name, click “Configure Analytics”.

A success screen in the WordPress dashboard showing that Google Analytics and Search Console have been connected via Site Kit.

Congratulations! You’ve now successfully installed Google Analytics onto your site. And as an added bonus, Google Search Console too!

Feel free to explore the Site Kit dashboard within WordPress to see all of the features.

The Manual Method: Where to Put the Google Analytics Tracking Code in Your HTML

If you’re not on WordPress, prefer not to use a plugin or have a custom solution, you’ll need to add the Global Site Tag script directly to your website’s code.

If we take a look back at the screenshot from here, you can copy the tracking code snippet.

An example of an HTML document, with the Google Analytics tracking code snippet highlighted inside the <head> section.

You’ll need to paste the code you copied within the <head> tag on your website as shown in the image above. Many modern solutions have a head component that is displayed on all pages. However, if you’re creating each page manually, you must add the tag to every page to ensure accurate tracking.

Did it Work? How to Verify Your Google Analytics Installation Instantly

How do you know if you did it right? You don’t have to wait 24 hours.

The Realtime report in Google Analytics, showing a map with one active user and the 'Users in last 30 minutes' chart at 1.

In your Google Analytics account, in the left-hand sidebar, navigate to Reports > Realtime.
Open a new tab in your browser and visit your own website.
Look at the Realtime report. Within about 30-60 seconds, you should see the “Users in Last 30 Minutes” chart jump to “1”. You’ll also see a dot appear on the world map showing your location.

Seeing that number change to “1” is your confirmation. It’s working!

What to Do If You Don’t See Yourself: Common Google Analytics Mistakes

If no data appears, don’t panic. It’s usually one of these things:

Caching: Your website might be showing you an old, “cached” version. Clear your website’s cache (if you use a caching plugin) and your browser cache, then try again.
Ad Blockers: Many ad-blocking browser extensions also block Google Analytics scripts. Try visiting from a browser with ad-blockers disabled or from your phone.
Code in the Wrong Place: If you installed manually, double-check that the code is right after the head tag and that you saved the file correctly.

Your First Look: Navigating the Google Analytics Dashboard Without Fear

Okay, you’re set up and verified. When you log in tomorrow, you’ll have some data. Here’s a quick tour so you’re not overwhelmed.

Understanding the Home Dashboard: Your 30,000-Foot View

The main “Home” screen is a summary. It tries to give you an overview of your users, traffic sources, and popular pages. It’s a great starting point, but the real details are in the “Reports” section.

The “Reports” Section: Where the Stories Are Told

Click on the “Reports” icon in the left-hand menu. You’ll see four main collections:

Acquisition: Tells you where your users are coming from (e.g., Google, Facebook, email).
Engagement: Tells you what your users are doing (e.g., which pages they view).
Monetization: For e-commerce and in-app purchase tracking.
User: Tells you who your users are (e.g., their country, device type).

We’ll dive deeper into GA4 Acquisition Reports in a separate guide.

A Quick Look at “Explore” and “Advertising”

The Explore section allows you to build custom, deep-dive reports. It’s very powerful, but you can safely ignore it as a beginner. The Advertising section is for tracking the performance of paid ad campaigns.

The Core Four: Key GA4 Metrics Every Beginner MUST Understand

You don’t need to know every metric. Master these four first.

Metric	What It Means	A Simple Analogy
Users	The number of unique individuals who visited your site.	The number of unique people who walked into your shop.
Sessions	The number of times your site was visited. One user can have multiple sessions.	The total number of visits to your shop. One person might visit Monday and again on Friday (1 User, 2 Sessions).
Engaged Session	A visit that lasted longer than 10 seconds, had a conversion event, or had at least 2 pageviews.	A person who came into your shop and actually browsed a few aisles, instead of walking in and leaving immediately.
Engagement Rate	The percentage of sessions that were “engaged sessions.”	The percentage of your shop visitors who browsed, rather than leaving right away. A higher number is better!

A Note on Data Accuracy: How Accurate is Google Analytics?

No analytics tool is 100% accurate. Data can be skewed by things like cookie consent banners (if a user rejects cookies, they aren’t tracked), ad blockers, and bot traffic. However, it is exceptionally good at showing you trends and patterns. Don’t get hung up on whether you had 105 visitors or 108. Focus on the big picture: Is traffic from Google going up? Are more people visiting your services page this month than last month? That’s where the value is.

Your First 7 Days with GA4: A Simple Action Plan

Knowledge is useless without action. Here’s a simple plan to get comfortable with your new data.

Day 1: Check Your Traffic Sources

Where to go: Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
What to ask: Where did my first visitors come from? Was it “Organic Search” (Google), “Direct” (they typed my URL), or “Referral” (another site linked to me)?

Day 3: See Your Most Popular Pages

Where to go: Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens.
What to ask: Besides my homepage, what is the most viewed page on my site? You might be surprised.

Day 7: Look at Where Your Users Are From

Where to go: Reports > User > User attributes > Demographics details.
What to ask: Which countries or cities are my visitors from? This can be fascinating and can inform your marketing efforts.

Quick Takeaways

Focus on GA4: Google Analytics 4 is the current standard. Ignore any outdated information about Universal Analytics (UA).
Account Structure: Your business is the “Account,” your website is the “Property,” and your data source is the “Web Stream.”
Use a Plugin for WordPress: The easiest way to install the tracking code on a WordPress site is with a dedicated, well-reviewed plugin like Google’s Site Kit.
Verify with the Realtime Report: Don’t guess if it’s working. Use the Realtime report to see your own visit and confirm a successful installation instantly.
Master the Core Four Metrics: Focus on understanding Users, Sessions, Engagement Rate, and Events. Don’t get lost in the noise of other metrics just yet.
Look for Trends, Not Absolutes: The power of GA is in the patterns it reveals over time. Is your traffic growing? Are certain pages becoming more popular?
Take Action: Follow the “First 7 Days” plan to build the habit of checking your data and asking questions.

Conclusion: Your Journey into Data Has Just Begun

You did it. You’ve installed what is arguably the most powerful free marketing tool on the planet. By moving from “I have no idea who is visiting my site” to “I can see where my users are from and what they’re looking at,” you have taken a monumental step forward for your business or project. You’ve laid the foundation for making informed decisions based on real user behavior, not just guesswork.

The next step is simple: don’t stop. Don’t let this be a one-time setup. Put a reminder in your calendar to log in once a week. Pick one question you want to answer—“Where did my traffic come from this week?” or “What was my most popular blog post?”—and use the reports we’ve discussed to find the answer. The more you do this, the less intimidating the platform will become, and the more valuable it will be. You are now in control of your data.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for Google Analytics to start showing data?

While the Realtime report shows data within seconds, your standard reports (like Acquisition and Engagement) can take 24-48 hours to fully populate with processed data. It’s best to wait a full day before diving into those.

Can I put Google Analytics on multiple websites?

Yes. Within a single Google Analytics Account, you can create multiple “Properties.” You would create one Property for each website you own. Each property will have its own unique Measurement ID and tracking code.

Does Google Analytics slow down my website?

The Google Analytics script is asynchronous and highly optimized, meaning it loads in the background without interfering with the main content of your page. Its impact on your site’s speed is negligible and not something most website owners will ever need to worry about.

What’s the difference between Google Analytics and Google Search Console?

They are a perfect team. Google Search Console tells you how your site performs in Google search results—what keywords people used to find you, your ranking, and any technical SEO issues. Google Analytics tells you what happens after someone gets to your site—who they are, how they got there (from Google, social media, etc.), and what they do. You should use both and link them together.

Do I need a privacy policy to use Google Analytics?

Yes, absolutely. To comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws, you must have a privacy policy that discloses your use of tracking technologies like Google Analytics. You must also inform users about how they can opt out of tracking. This is a critical legal requirement.