How to Create and Setup a Google Analytics Account

Google Analytics may seem complex with all the insights and data it collects 24/7 from your website (or mobile app), but it is free and easy to get started with (we'll show you how). Even if you don't utilize all the treasure trove of marketing analytics it provides now, you might eventually work with an agency, consultant, or marketing freelancer that does.

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Key takeaways

1. Google Analytics is the most popular marketing analytics tool used by 55.49% of all websites
2. Installation is free and easy and should be done as soon as your new website is live
3. First create a Google Analytics account which includes setting up a property, then install it on your site or app

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What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics (also called Google Analytics 4 or GA4) is a free website and app analytics platform by Google that helps you track how people find and use your website or app.

It tracks important data such as:

• Website traffic
• Traffic sources (Google Search, social media, ads, email, etc.)
• Page views
• User behavior
• Conversions and purchases
• Form submissions
• Device and location data

It also integrates seamlessly with other Google tools like Google Ads and Search Console, making it easier to understand where your traffic comes from and which marketing efforts drive results.

Who should use GA4?

GA4 is for anyone with a website or app who wants to make data-driven decisions. You don't need to be a developer to get started since many website platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace let you install GA4 without touching code.

‍Note: Google also offers a paid enterprise version called Google Analytics 360, which includes higher data limits, advanced support, and additional features for large organizations.

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Before you create a Google Analytics account

Before getting started, you’ll need:

✔️ A Google account (Gmail or Google Workspace)

✔️ A website or app you want to track

✔️ Admin access to your website if you plan to install GA4 yourself

It’s also helpful to understand the difference between a Google Analytics account and a property:

• An account is the main organization layer that holds your properties, users, and settings. You can create up to 100 Google Analytics accounts.
• A property is the specific website or app you want to track. Each account can contain up to 2,000 properties.

Most businesses only need one account and one property to get started.

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How to create a Google Analytics account

To create a Google Analytics account, go to Google Analytics, sign in with your Google account, name your account, create your first GA4 property, choose your business details, and click “Create.”

Here’s the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Go to Google Analytics

Visit Google Analytics (https://analytics.google.com/) and click the blue “Start measuring” button.

You may be asked to:

• Confirm account recovery information
• Add a home address (optional)
• Accept Google’s terms and privacy settings

❗ Note: If you already use Google Analytics and want to create a separate account for another business or website, click Admin > Create > Account.

This is useful if you manage multiple businesses or want to keep reporting separate.

Step 2: Create your Google Analytics account

Enter an account name, which is usually your business, brand, or website name.

You’ll also see the account data sharing settings, where you can choose what information is shared with Google for things like:

• Technical support
• Benchmarking
• Product improvements

💡Tip: Keep the default settings enabled unless you have specific privacy or data-sharing preferences.

Click “Next.”‍

Step 3: Create your GA4 property

Now create your first GA4 property. A property is the specific website or app you want to track inside your account.

Enter your:

1. Property name
2. Reporting timezone
3. Currency

💡 Tip: Choose your timezone carefully. Changing it more than once a day can affect reporting consistency and create temporary spikes or gaps in your analytics data.

Next, select your industry category, business size, and business objectives. Google uses this information to personalize your default reports and recommendations inside GA4.

For example, choosing “Generate leads” customizes reports around lead tracking and conversions.

Click “Create” and accept Google Analytics’ Terms of Service to finish setup.

Step 4: Access your Google Analytics dashboard

Once you see the Start collecting data screen, your Google Analytics account and first GA4 property have officially been created. 🙌

❗ Important: Tracking has not been installed on your website or app yet.

You can now continue setting up tracking for your platform or click “Skip for now” to access your Google Analytics dashboard.

The next section covers how to install Google Analytics on your website or app.

Step 5: Add a data stream

A data stream is the connection between your website or app and Google Analytics. It sends user activity data into your GA4 property.

To get started, click “Web” since we’re setting up tracking for a website.

If you skipped this step earlier, you can manually create a data stream anytime by going to:
Admin > Data Streams > Add stream.

Next, enter your website URL and a stream name (usually your website or business name)

You’ll also see the option to enable Enhanced Measurement, which automatically tracks actions like:

• Page views
• Scrolls
• Outbound clicks
• Site searches
• File downloads

Once you’re ready, click “Create stream.”

You can choose to set up a data stream for your website or an app.

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Google Analytics will generate a Measurement ID (also known as Google Tag). This unique ID starts with “G-” followed by a combination of letters and numbers, such as: G-PSW1MY7HB4

Your Measurement ID connects your website to your GA4 property and ensures your website data is sent to the correct Analytics account.

You’ll use this ID in the next step when installing Google Analytics on your website.

How to install your Google Tag and start collecting data

To start collecting data in Google Analytics, you’ll need to install your Google tag on your website.

You can do this in three ways:

1. Through your website builder or CMS (easiest)
2. By manually adding the Google tag to your website
3. Using Google Tag Manager

Option 1: Install Google Analytics through your CMS or website builder

Many website platforms already include built-in Google Analytics integrations, including:

• WordPress
• Shopify
• Wix
• Squarespace
• HubSpot

List of platforms that accept google tag id: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/10447272?hl=en 

In most cases, all you need is your Measurement ID, which starts with “G-”. To find it, simply go to Admin > Data Streams.

Install Google Analytics through WordPress 

If you use WordPress, one of the easiest ways to install Google Analytics is with Site Kit by Google (Google’s official WordPress plugin).

To set it up:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. Go to Plugins > Add New
3. Search for “Site Kit by Google” then Install and activate it
4. Open Site Kit from the left-hand menu
5. Check “Connect Google Analytics as part of your setup”
6. Sign in with your Google account
7. Select your existing GA4 property
8. Click “Complete Setup”

Once connected, Site Kit automatically installs your Google tag and starts sending data to Google Analytics.

Site Kit can also connect your WordPress site with other Google products such as Google Search Console. 

💡 Tip: Installing Google Analytics through WordPress is usually the easiest option for beginners because it avoids manually editing your website’s code.

Option 2: Install the Google tag manually

If your platform doesn’t support a direct GA4 integration, you can manually add the Google tag to your website.

To do this:

1. Go to Admin > Data Streams
2. Open your web data stream
3. Click “View tag instructions”
4. Select “Install manually”

Google will generate a JavaScript snippet for your website.

Copy the entire Google tag and paste it immediately after the <head> tag on every page of your website.

If a developer manages your website, send them the tracking code to implement instead.

Option 3: Install Google Analytics with Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager (GTM) lets you manage tracking tags without editing your website’s code directly. 

Before getting started, you’ll need a Google Tag Manager account and a container, which is basically a workspace for your website’s tracking tags. Creating one is simple; you’ll just enter your business name and website URL during setup.

To install GA4 using GTM:

1. Open your Google Tag Manager container 
2. Click “Tag Configuration”
3. Select Google analytics > Google tag
4. Paste your GA4 Measurement ID
5. Set the firing triggers to All Pages
6. Save and publish your container

Many marketers and growing businesses prefer Google Tag Manager because it makes it easy to:

• Add marketing and analytics tags
• Manage tracking centrally
• Configure custom events
• Update tracking without developer help

💡If you’re new to analytics setup, installing GA4 through your CMS or website builder is usually simpler than using Google Tag Manager.

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How to check that Google Analytics is working

After installation, it can take up to 30 minutes for data to appear in Google Analytics.

To verify your setup:

1. Open the Realtime report in GA4
2. Visit your website in another tab
3. Confirm that your visit appears in the report

You can also use DebugView or Google Tag Assistant for more advanced troubleshooting.

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How to delete a Google Analytics account or property

Need to clean up an old setup or remove tracking from a website? Google Analytics lets you delete accounts, properties, and data streams from the Admin settings.

To delete them:

1. Go to Admin
2. Select the account, property, or data stream you want to remove
3. Open the relevant settings page:
   
   1. For an account, go to Account details
   2. For a property, go to Property details
   3. For a data stream, go to Data Streams
4. Click “Move to Trash Can” or “Delete stream”

💡 Be careful before deleting anything. Removing a data stream permanently stops data collection, and deleted streams cannot currently be recovered.

You’ll also need Editor permissions or higher to make these changes.

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What to do after setting up Google Analytics

Once your Google Analytics account is live, there are a few important things you should set up next to get more useful data and insights from GA4.

#1. Give your team or marketing partners access

If you work with teammates, freelancers, or marketing agencies, you’ll need to grant them access to your GA4 account so they can view reports, manage tracking, or help optimize your website’s performance.

In GA4, you can add users at:

• the account level (access to all properties)
• or the property level (access to a specific website or app only)

To add users:

1. Go to Admin
2. Open Account Access Management or Property Access Management
3. Click the + icon and select “Add Users”

For a full walkthrough, check out our guide on how to give or request access to Google Analytics.

💡 If you work with a marketing agency, they can send you a Leadsie request link instead. This lets you securely grant access to Google Analytics without manually adding users or changing permissions yourself.‍

#‍2. Link Google Ads to Google Analytics

If you run Google Ads campaigns, linking them to Google Analytics helps you understand which ads, keywords, and landing pages drive the most valuable traffic and conversions.

To connect the two:

1. Go to Admin
2. Under Product Links, click “Google Ads Links”
3. Click “Link”
4. Select the Google Ads account you want to connect
5. Review your settings and click “Submit”

Once connected, Google Ads and GA4 can share conversion and audience data, helping you improve campaign targeting and reporting.

#3. Set up events and conversions

GA4 uses event-based tracking, meaning actions on your website, like form submissions, purchases, scrolls, and outbound clicks, can all be measured as events.

Some actions are automatically tracked through enhanced measurement, a GA4 feature that tracks common interactions like scrolls, page views, and file downloads without needing extra code.

You can also mark important events as conversions to track goals like purchases, lead form submissions, or sign-ups.

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⚡Pro tip: Save time and stay in control of your marketing accounts

Working with marketing partners or agencies? There’s an easier, faster, and more secure way to share access to your business accounts.

With Leadsie, you can grant access to all your marketing accounts in just a few clicks. 

What is Leadsie?

Leadsie is a client onboarding software that simplifies requesting and giving access to marketing assets, social media, and ad accounts with one secure link. Give access to your Facebook, Instagram, Google, TikTok, Shopify, LinkedIn, and 20+ other accounts without sharing passwords.

How does Leadsie work?

Leadsie speeds up client onboarding by replacing manual access requests with one secure approval link. Your agency partner sends it to you, you approve the permissions you want to give, and they get instant access.

Benefits of Leadsie for client onboarding

✅ Approve the exact access your partners need 

✅ Keep all your permissions secure and easy to manage

✅ Reduce onboarding time by more than 50%

✅ Avoid costly mistakes like giving the wrong level of access

✅ Get projects started faster

🎁 If your agency isn’t using Leadsie yet, share this with them—they can try it free for 14 days (no credit card needed)!

P.S. It's risk-free and you get to keep the account connections after the trial ends 🙌