Introduction

What is a Measurement ID?

A measurement ID is a unique identifier provided by Google Analytics that enables website and app tracking. When you add the code to your website or app, the measurement ID tells Google Analytics which account and property the data belongs to. In GA4, this ID is referred to as a measurement ID, while in Universal Analytics, it was called a tracking ID.

How to Find Your GA4 Measurement ID?

To locate your GA4 measurement ID, go to the Admin section of your property. You can then enable tracking on your website or mobile apps by placing the measurement ID directly on your website or through Google Tag Manager. It is essential to insert your measurement ID before you start tracking your performance in Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager.

Difference Between Measurement ID and Tracking ID

In Universal Analytics, a tracking ID was used to collect data, while GA4 requires a measurement ID. While there are some differences between these two identifiers, the main thing to note is that in GA4, you will use a measurement ID to enable tracking, and you will not have a tracking ID in your new GA4 property.

In UA, the tracking ID was a string that started with UA- followed by a series of numbers. This string had to be inserted into your site's tracking code to send the data to the correct account and property. However, in GA4, the measurement ID will be formatted as G- followed by a series of numbers, identifying the data stream and directing the collected information to your GA4 property.

A measurement ID is an essential component of tracking website and app performance in Google Analytics 4. Although it differs from a tracking ID, the measurement ID serves the same purpose of identifying the data stream and sending collected data to the correct account and property. By finding and inserting your measurement ID, you can begin tracking your performance in Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager.

Understanding the Distinction Between GA4 Measurement ID and Property ID

If you're using GA4, it's important to understand the difference between your measurement ID and your property ID. While both of these are unique identifiers, they serve different functions in the data collection process. Here's what you need to know:

Property ID vs. Measurement ID

In GA4, you'll have a property ID and one or more measurement IDs. It's essential to avoid confusing these two. Here's what you should keep in mind:

Your property ID: This is a unique identifier that's associated with your Google Analytics account. It identifies the account itself, rather than any specific data streams.

Your measurement ID: This is a unique identifier that's associated with a specific data stream. It's used to identify the data that's being collected from that stream, which can be a website or mobile app.

Multiple Data Streams and Measurement IDs

In GA4, you can have multiple data streams feeding into the same property. Each of these data streams will have its own unique measurement ID, but the property ID will remain consistent across all of them. Here's an example to illustrate this concept:

Let's say you have a property for your website, and you also have a mobile app that you want to track in GA4. You would set up a data stream for each of these (one for the website, and one for the mobile app).

Each data stream would have its own measurement ID, which would be unique to that stream. This would allow you to distinguish between the data collected from your website versus your mobile app.

However, both data streams would share the same property ID, which identifies your overall Google Analytics account.

Overall, it's crucial to understand the difference between your property ID and your measurement ID in GA4. By keeping these two identifiers straight, you'll be able to ensure that you're accurately collecting and analyzing the data from your website and mobile app.

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To find your GA4 property ID, follow these steps:

1. Click on “Admin” on the bottom left.

2. Under “Property,” click “Property settings.”

However, keep in mind that this property ID will not allow data gathering. You'll need your measurement ID for this. We'll go over where to discover your measurement ID and how to utilise it later, but first, let's go over Universal Analytics.

How To Find Your Ga4 Measurement Id?

When you're ready to gather data, look for your measurement ID. So, first, let's show you where you can get it, and then we'll go over how to enable data collection in GA4. Finding your GA4 measurement ID is super easy! Just follow these steps:

1. Go to your GA4 property and click on “Admin” on the bottom left, under “Property,” click “Data streams, “Web” under Data Streams and the web data stream thereafter.

2. Your measurement ID shall be on the top right.

How to Enable Data Collection with Your Measurement ID: A Step-by-Step Guide

To gain insights into your website's performance, you need to enable data collection using your GA4 measurement ID. In this guide, we'll take you through the steps to enable data collection through Google Tag Manager. Note that while it is possible to place the JavaScript code directly on your website, we recommend using Google Tag Manager as it provides a more flexible and user-friendly way to manage your tags and events.

Step 1: Access Your Workspace in Your Container

To start, go to tagmanager.google.com and access your workspace in your container. If you haven't set up your container yet, you'll need to do that first. You can refer to Google's guide on how to set up a container here.

Step 2: Create a New Tag

Once you've accessed your workspace, go to "Tags" and click "New." This will open the tag creation wizard.

Step 3: Choose "Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration"

Next, choose "Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration" as your tag type. This will bring up the configuration settings for your GA4 measurement ID.

Step 4: Enter Your Measurement ID

In the configuration settings, you'll need to enter your measurement ID. You can find your measurement ID in your GA4 property settings, under "Data Streams."

Step 5: Configure Your Fields to Set

If you're ready, you can configure your "Fields to Set." We recommend using the recommended event parameter names here. This will ensure that your events are categorized correctly in your reports.

Step 6: Enter Custom User Properties

You can also enter any custom user properties at this time in "User Properties." You can set up to 25 user properties in your GA4 properties, and Analytics does automatically log some user properties.

Step 7: Set Tag Firing Priority

You can also go to "Advanced Settings" and set a Tag Firing Priority or use Tag Sequencing to make sure your Configuration tag fires first, before other event tags. This can be useful if you have other tags that depend on your GA4 Configuration tag.

Step 8: Select Triggering Events

Click "Triggering" and select the events that would cause the tag to fire. You can choose from a variety of trigger types, including page views, clicks, form submissions, and more.

Step 9: Save and Publish Your Container

Finally, save your tag and publish your container. This will ensure that your GA4 measurement ID is deployed and ready to collect data. You can also refer to Google's full support guide here for more details and resources.

Enabling Data Collection by Inserting Your Measurement ID Directly on Your Website

If you prefer to insert your measurement ID directly on your website, you can follow the guide here. Keep in mind that this method requires you to edit your website's code, so we recommend working with a developer or someone experienced if you're not comfortable with coding.

Enabling data collection is essential for understanding your website's performance and making informed decisions. By following the above steps, you can deploy your GA4 measurement ID using Google Tag Manager and start collecting data. Remember to test your implementation and make sure everything is working as expected before relying on your data for analysis.

Measurement ID in Google Analytics 4: Enabling Data Collection

Measurement ID is a unique identifier that Google Analytics 4 uses to track data from your website or app. It enables you to collect and analyze data that helps you understand your website or app's performance and make informed decisions.

Enabling Data Collection

Enabling data collection using your measurement ID can take some time, especially if you are new to Google Analytics. However, the process is very straightforward and can be configured according to your preferences.

We recommend using Google Tag Manager to enable data collection for your GA4 property. This will help you make the most of your Analytics experience.

Benefits of using Google Tag Manager:

• Simplifies tag management
• Enables you to add and update tags without code changes
• Provides access to more than 100 templates
• Offers enhanced debugging and error checking
• Maintaining Universal Analytics Properties

We highly recommend keeping your old Universal Analytics properties for the time being. GA4 is still new and rolling out updates all the time. Maintaining your old properties will provide a backup for any data that you may need to reference in the future.

Benefits of maintaining Universal Analytics properties:

• Ensures you have access to all historical data
• Provides a fallback if any issues arise with GA4 data collection
• Enables you to compare data between GA4 and Universal Analytics properties
• Conclusion

Enabling data collection with your measurement ID is essential to fully utilize the features and benefits of Google Analytics 4. By using Google Tag Manager and maintaining your Universal Analytics properties, you can ensure a seamless transition to GA4 while maintaining access to all your historical data.

You can also check out our blogs on the key features of GA4 and GA4- From a Business owner’s perspective to better understand GA4 and adapt timely as well as effectively to GA4. Alternatively, you can also check out Our Offerings in terms of GA4, if you’d like to explore the option of us coming in and doing it for you.

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