Google Analytics 4 Proxy Quick Start Guide
Last updated
Last updated
This is a Proxy Integration for GA4. This destination runs on Freshpaint's servers, but emulates a native installation of GA4. That means the integration behaves the same as if you did a native installation of GA4, but the data first flows through Freshpaint before it's sent to GA4. See our docs on proxy integrations for more information.
Google Analytics 4 is an analytics service that enables you to measure traffic and engagement across your websites and apps.
After sending Freshpaint data to Google Analytics 4, you'll be able to analyze the data in order to identify trends and patterns in how visitors engage with your website(s).
For additional information on settings and configurations for the Google Analytics 4 Proxy destination, please see the Reference Guide.
Learn more about Google Analytics 4 here.
Supports HIPAA mode
Supports forwarding from the Google Tag Manager Integration
Refer to this destination as Google Analytics 4 Proxy in the Integrations object
If you've configured multiple Measurement IDs, you can choose a specific one by suffixing the Measurement ID, such as: Google Analytics 4 Proxy::G-PSW1MY7HB4. You can retrieve this value from the Google Analytics 4 (Proxy) configuration page for the Measurement ID of interest.
For other considerations when using multiple Google Analytics 4 Proxy Measurement IDs, see Google Analytics 4 Proxy Multi-Config Reference.
When no suffix is specified, all configured Measurement IDs are selected for inclusion / exclusion.
Connection Modes:
Client-side | Server-side (Proxy) | |
---|---|---|
Your Google Analytics Measurement ID
The Freshpaint Autotrack script tag installed on your site
Get your Measurement ID. In your Google Analytics account, go to Admin > Data Streams > [select data stream from list] and copy the Measurement ID value
Next, go to the Google Analytics 4 Proxy configuration page in Freshpaint and click Configure. Then, configure the app credentials by providing your Measurement ID.
Navigate to your Freshpaint event, and toggle the destination on to enable the event to be sent to the Google Analytics 4 Proxy destination.
Once the GA4 Proxy integration is enabled, you can now set it as an event destination:
If you have multiple Google Analytics 4 Proxy Measurement IDs enabled, you'll need to enable each Measurement ID separately.
If you're using Google Tag Manager to send data to Google Analytics 4 Proxy, and you have multiple Measurement IDs enabled, you'll need to specify which Measurement ID(s) you'd like to enable the event for in the event tag.
Freshpaint recommends allowing a number of properties. Many of your Google Analytics reports will not function correctly without these properties. As always, make sure that your choices align with your organization's stance for HIPAA compliance.
The fastest way to confirm if the integration is working is to:
Send an event to GA4 via the toggle like in the screenshot above
Go to your website and trigger the event you just toggled to send to GA4
Wait a few minutes, then check GA4's Realtime overview for the events. To navigate here, go to Reports > Realtime and scroll down to view the events:
If you’re already familiar with GA4’s reporting, you’ll likely have a number of specific reports that you view regularly. Confirm that the data in these reports is as you’d expect it to look.
If you’re new to GA4, we recommend reviewing a few basic standard reports and check for:
Acquisition > Overview: total users, new users
Acquisition > User/Traffic acquisition: channel, source and medium
Engagement > Overview: engagement time, views, event counts
Engagement > Events: event names, page_view event
Tech > Tech details: browser, platform/device category, operating system
Data from the previous day may not be ingested and displayed by Google in Reports until 3:30pm ET the following day. Visit the Realtime overview in your Google Analytics account to get a quick view of the data captured within the last 30-minute window.
Acquisition
Overview
User/Traffic acquisition
Engagement
Overview
Pages and screens
Events
Technology
Overview
Tech Details
Web
Mobile
Server