How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify

Understanding GA4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) represents a complete rebuild of Google's analytics platform. Unlike Universal Analytics (the previous version), GA4 is built around events rather than sessions. Everything a user does is tracked as an event, from page views to purchases.

This event-based model offers much more flexibility in what you can track and how you analyse user behaviour. For ecommerce stores, it means better insight into the customer journey from first visit to repeat purchase.

The learning curve for GA4 can be steep if you're used to Universal Analytics, but the capabilities are worth it. This guide will help you get set up correctly from the start.

Creating Your Property

Before connecting to Shopify, you need a GA4 property. If you already have one, skip to the next section. Here's how to create a new property:

1. 1
   Go to Google Analytics

   Visit analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account. If you don't have an Analytics account yet, click "Start measuring" to create one.

2. 2
   Create a new property

   In Admin (gear icon), click "Create Property". Name it after your store. Select your reporting time zone and currency (GBP for UK stores).

3. 3
   Describe your business

   Select your industry category (likely "Shopping") and business size. This helps Google provide relevant default reports.

4. 4
   Choose your objectives

   Select "Generate leads" and "Drive online sales". This configures relevant default reports and suggested events.

5. 5
   Set up a web data stream

   Select "Web" as your platform. Enter your Shopify store URL (your custom domain or myshopify.com domain). Name it something clear like "Website".

6. 6
   Copy your Measurement ID

   After creating the stream, you'll see a Measurement ID starting with "G-" (e.g., G-ABC123XYZ). Copy this for the Shopify integration.

Shopify Integration

Shopify has native GA4 integration that handles ecommerce tracking automatically. This is the recommended method as it tracks all standard ecommerce events without custom code.

Method 1: Shopify's Native Integration (Recommended)

1. 1
   Go to Online Store settings

   In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Preferences. Scroll down to the Google Analytics section.

2. 2
   Enter your Measurement ID

   Paste your G- Measurement ID from GA4. Shopify will validate it.

3. 3
   Save your settings

   Click Save. The GA4 tracking code is now installed on all pages of your store, including checkout and order confirmation.

Method 2: Google Tag Manager (Advanced)

For more control over your tracking, you can use Google Tag Manager. This is useful if you want to add custom events or integrate multiple tracking platforms.

1. 1.Create a GTM container at tagmanager.google.com
2. 2.Add the GTM container code to your Shopify theme's head section
3. 3.Create a GA4 Configuration tag with your Measurement ID
4. 4.Set up ecommerce event tags using the data layer

Ecommerce Tracking

GA4 has built-in ecommerce reports that show you everything from product views to purchase behaviour. When using Shopify's native integration, these events are tracked automatically.

Standard Ecommerce Events

Shopify's integration tracks these events out of the box:

Verifying Ecommerce Tracking

To confirm your ecommerce tracking is working:

1. 1.Open GA4 and go to Reports → Realtime
2. 2.In another tab, visit your store and view a product
3. 3.Add the product to cart
4. 4.In GA4 Realtime, you should see view_item and add_to_cart events
5. 5.Complete a test purchase to verify the purchase event

Key Events to Track

In GA4, "Key Events" (formerly called Conversions) are the actions that matter most to your business. You should mark important events as key events so they appear prominently in reports and can be used for Google Ads optimisation.

Setting Up Key Events

1. 1.Go to GA4 Admin → Events
2. 2.Find the event you want to mark (e.g., purchase)
3. 3.Toggle "Mark as key event" to on

Creating Custom Events

You can create new events based on existing ones. For example, track when someone views a specific collection:

1. 1.Go to Admin → Events → Create event
2. 2.Name it (e.g., "view_sale_collection")
3. 3.Set conditions: event_name equals "page_view" AND page_location contains "/collections/sale"

Custom Dimensions

Custom dimensions let you segment your data by attributes specific to your business. For ecommerce, these are incredibly valuable for understanding customer behaviour.

Useful Custom Dimensions for Shopify

• •Customer type - New vs returning customer
• •Logged in status - Guest vs account holder
• •Discount code used - Track which codes drive sales
• •Order count - First order vs repeat purchase

Setting Up Custom Dimensions

1. 1.Go to Admin → Custom definitions → Custom dimensions
2. 2.Click "Create custom dimension"
3. 3.Enter a name and description
4. 4.Select the scope (Event or User)
5. 5.Enter the event parameter name that will contain the value

Reports and Insights

Once your tracking is set up, GA4 offers powerful reports to understand your store's performance. Here are the most valuable reports for ecommerce.

Creating Custom Explorations

The Explore section lets you build custom reports. For ecommerce, try:

• •Funnel exploration - Custom conversion funnels
• •Path exploration - How users navigate your site
• •Segment overlap - Compare different user groups

Common Issues

GA4 setup can be tricky. Here are the issues we see most often and how to fix them.