Episode 36: Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager
GA4’s event-based model, the essential reports, key events, and code-free tracking with Google Tag Manager.
Ads Manager tells you what happened on the ad. But when Priya came to the website, what did she see? Where did she get stuck? Where did she come from?
Google Analytics 4 is your website’s CCTV (with privacy): who came from where, what they did, and where they went.
GA4: everything is an “event”
GA4 treats every action as an event: page viewed, scrolled, button clicked, video played, add to cart, purchase.
| Event type | Example |
|---|---|
| Automatic | page_view, session_start, first_visit |
| Enhanced measurement | scroll, outbound click, site search, video engagement |
| Recommended (e-commerce) | view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase |
| Custom | whatsapp_click, size_chart_open |
Mark important events as key events (formerly called “conversions”): e.g. purchase, whatsapp_click.
Setup steps
- Create an account + property at analytics.google.com
- Web data stream: stylestreet.in
- Add the Measurement ID (G-XXXX) to the website: via the Google & YouTube app/channel in Shopify, or via GTM
- Turn on enhanced measurement
- Check e-commerce events (the Shopify integration sends them)
- Mark key events
- Link Search Console
5 reports you’ll use every day
| Report | Question |
|---|---|
| Acquisition → Traffic acquisition | Where did people come from? (Instagram, Google, WhatsApp, direct) |
| Engagement → Pages and screens | Which pages were viewed most? |
| Monetization → E-commerce purchases | Which products sold? |
| Explore → Funnel exploration | Where did people drop in view → cart → checkout → purchase? |
| Realtime | Who’s on the site right now (best for testing tracking) |
Google Tag Manager: the control room for tags
A tool for adding tracking codes (tags) to a website without needing a developer every time.
Tag
What to do.
Send the GA4 event “whatsapp_click”
Trigger
When to do it.
When a wa.me link is clicked
Variable
Extra info.
Click URL, page path
Test in Preview mode, then publish. Publishing without testing = wrong data.
Reading data correctly
- Ads Manager and GA4 numbers never match exactly: different attribution, cookies, ad blockers. Look at trends
- Filter out internal traffic (Neha herself)
- Don’t draw big conclusions from little data
- Privacy: consent and a policy page are necessary
StyleStreet’s real problem
“2,000 people came to the website, that’s all”
From the Shopify dashboard, Neha could only see visitors and orders. Questions she couldn’t answer:
- Do people from Instagram buy more, or people from Google?
- How many times was the WhatsApp button clicked?
- Do people who view the size chart convert better?
Practical example: Insights from GA4 + GTM (30 days)
| Source | Sessions | Purchases | Conv. rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram (organic + ads) | 1,150 | 22 | 1.9% |
| Google organic | 380 | 10 | 2.6% |
| Google Ads | 270 | 6 | 2.2% |
| 200 | 8 | 4.0% |
Custom event: people who triggered size_chart_open converted ~2x. Action: move the size chart right below the product photo.
Your mission: Build a tracking plan
For the StyleStreet website:
- Write a GA4 setup checklist
- List 8 events to track (automatic + e-commerce + custom)
- Decide which 3 events will be key events
- Write the tag, trigger and variable for whatsapp_click in GTM
- List 5 reports you’ll check every week
- Write 3 reasons for data mismatches
Quiz
-
What is “add_to_cart” in GA4?
- A. A page
- B. An event
- C. A report
- D. A tag
Show answer
Correct answer: B. An event
In GA4, every user action is an event.
-
Which report shows where people came from?
- A. Traffic acquisition
- B. Realtime
- C. Pages and screens
- D. Purchases
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Traffic acquisition
Acquisition = the sources of traffic.
-
In GTM, what is “when the WhatsApp link is clicked”?
- A. Tag
- B. Trigger
- C. Variable
- D. Event
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Trigger
Trigger = when the tag fires.
-
Ads Manager shows 40 purchases, GA4 shows 34. What does it mean?
- A. Someone is stealing
- B. Different attribution/tracking methods; look at trends
- C. GA4 is broken
- D. Stop the ads
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Different attribution/tracking methods; look at trends
Tools give credit differently. Don’t expect an exact match.
Output for the client project
Your project file now has an Analytics Setup:
- GA4 property + key events
- Event tracking plan
- GTM: whatsapp_click, size_chart_open
- Weekly report list
- Insight: WhatsApp and Google organic convert best
Golden rule: What isn’t tracked isn’t improved. Clean events, test before publishing, and read the trend in the numbers, not one day’s.