How to add Google Analytics 4 code to your website (and where to find it)
Google Analytics 4 looks and works differently from Universal Analytics, so it can feel unfamiliar at first. In the video below, you’ll see exactly where to find the code (your Google tag / Measurement ID) and what you need to add to your website so GA4 can start tracking.
Universal Analytics is no longer collecting data, so you don’t need to keep it running. Focus on getting GA4 installed correctly and then check that your tracking is working.
I recorded this video to show you how to add the GA4 code to your WordPress website.
For other platforms, please follow the links:
Once you’ve added the GA4 code to your website, it’s important to check that it’s actually working. A very common mistake is pasting the code in the wrong place or assuming it’s tracking without verifying it.
The easiest way to check is inside Google Analytics itself. Log into your GA4 property and go to the Realtime report. Then open your website in a new browser tab and click around a few pages. If everything is set up correctly, you should see activity appearing almost immediately.
If you don’t see any data, don’t panic. Double-check that you’ve copied the correct Measurement ID (it starts with G-) and that it’s been added only once to your website. Using both a theme setting and a plugin at the same time can cause duplicate tracking.
For WordPress websites, it’s usually best to add GA4 using either a trusted plugin or your theme’s built-in analytics field, rather than pasting code directly into files. This reduces the risk of it breaking during theme updates.
It’s also worth giving GA4 a little time. While Realtime data should appear straight away, standard reports can take up to 24 hours to fully populate. This is normal and doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
Once GA4 is up and running, you can start exploring key reports such as traffic sources, page views, and user engagement. Don’t feel you need to understand everything at once. GA4 is powerful, but it’s best approached gradually, focusing first on the data that actually helps you make decisions about your website.
