What Is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics (GA) is a free web analytics service provided by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions. It helps website owners understand who their visitors are, where they come from, what they do on the site, and whether they complete desired actions (conversions). Google Analytics 4 (GA4), released in 2020 and made the sole version in 2023, uses an event-based data model replacing the older session-based Universal Analytics.
Key metrics in Google Analytics 4
Users — unique individuals who visited your site. Sessions — groups of interactions within a time period. Engagement rate — percentage of sessions with meaningful engagement (replacing the old 'bounce rate'). Average engagement time — how long users actively interact with your site. Conversions — key actions completed (sign-ups, purchases, form submissions). Traffic channels — Organic Search, Direct, Referral, Social, Email, Paid Search.
GA4 vs Universal Analytics
GA4 uses an event-based model — every interaction is an 'event' (page_view, click, scroll, purchase). Universal Analytics used a session/hit model. GA4 provides cross-device tracking, predictive metrics (churn probability, purchase probability), and integration with Google Ads. GA4 reports are more flexible but require more configuration. All Universal Analytics data stopped being collected after July 2023.
Setting up GA4
Create a GA4 property in Google Analytics (analytics.google.com). Get your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX). Add the tracking code to your site via the `<head>` tag or Google Tag Manager. Configure conversions — mark key events (form_submit, sign_up, purchase) as conversions in GA4. For Next.js, use the `@next/third-parties` package or add the script in layout.tsx.
Google Analytics & Canvas Builder
canvasbuilder.co uses GA4 to track template page views, tool usage, and conversion events. To track usage of Canvas Builder generated HTML pages, add a GA4 snippet to the generated HTML's <head> section.
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