Google Analytics

1---
2name: google-analytics
3description: >
4  Set up, fix or audit Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for a small business website so the owner can
5  see which channels and ads bring leads, calls, bookings and sales. Use this skill for a new
6  GA4 property or data stream, the Google tag or gtag.js, @next/third-parties, consent mode v2
7  and the cookie banner, key events and conversions, UTM links, linking Google Ads or Search
8  Console, enhanced conversions, DebugView or Tag Assistant, and when the user says "set up
9  Google Analytics", "GA4 is not tracking", "conversions are doubled", "which ads bring
10  leads", "track form submissions" or "weekly analytics report".
11---
12
13# Google Analytics: Count the Leads, Not Only the Visits
14
15**RULE: Each key event fires once, only after the server confirms success, only with the
16visitor's consent, and never with personal data in it.**
17
18A small business does not need 40 reports. It needs one answer each week: how many leads,
19calls, bookings and sales came in, and from which channel. Everything in this skill serves
20that answer and the ad platforms that learn from it (`google-ads`, `meta-ads`).
21
22## 1. Own the property
23
24- The **owner's** Google account owns the GA4 account and property. The agency gets
25  Administrator or Editor access on the property. Never build the property in an agency
26  account: the owner loses the history when the agency leaves.
27- One property per business, one **Web** data stream per site. Copy the Measurement ID
28  (`G-XXXXXXX`); it is public and goes in the page.
29- Admin settings to change on day one:
30
31| Setting | Value | Why |
32|---|---|---|
33| Data retention (Data collection and modification) | 14 months | The default of 2 months removes year-over-year comparisons in Explorations |
34| Reporting time zone and currency | The business's own | Days and values match the owner's books |
35| Internal traffic rule, then the filter set to **Active** | Office and agency IP addresses | Staff visits do not count as customers |
36| Unwanted referrals (data stream, Configure tag settings) | Payment and booking domains, for example `checkout.stripe.com` | A return from checkout stays in the original session and channel |
37| Enhanced measurement: **Form interactions** | Off | It fires on every submit, also failed ones. The site sends `generate_lead` after success instead |
38| Enhanced measurement: page changes based on browser history events | On | Single-page apps (Next.js) get one page view per route change without extra code |
39| Data redaction (data stream) | Email on, plus query parameters such as `email`, `phone`, `name` | A safety net if a form ever puts personal data in a URL |
40
41## 2. Install the tag once
42
43Use exactly one install path. Two paths (for example the Next.js component plus a Google Tag
44Manager container that also has GA4) send every page view twice.
45
46- **Next.js:** `@next/third-parties` `GoogleAnalytics` in the root layout, or `gtag.js` with
47  `next/script`. Do not send `page_view` manually on route change: enhanced measurement
48  already does it.
49- **Other sites (WordPress, Webflow, static HTML, Shopify):** the Google tag snippet in
50  `<head>`, or the platform's own GA4 field. Not both.
51
52Code for both paths, the consent default and the event helper is in
53[references/implementation.md](references/implementation.md).
54
55## 3. Consent mode v2: respect the banner
56
57Consent mode tells Google tags what the visitor agreed to. It has four signals:
58`analytics_storage`, `ad_storage`, `ad_user_data` and `ad_personalization`.
59
601. Find the site's consent banner (Cookiebot, CookieYes, OneTrust, Termly, or a custom one).