Website analytics with GA4 for SMEs: setup, measure and GDPR
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the free analytics standard for SME websites. Event-based, privacy-first and connectable to Search Console and Google Ads. Practical guide for installation, key events and GDPR compliance in 2026.
- GA4 is free (Standard) and replaced Universal Analytics, which Google shut down on 1 July 2023. GA4 works event-based (rather than session-based) and delivers richer data: page visits, scroll depth, form interactions and e-commerce events. Install the Google Tag via Google Tag Manager (GTM) or directly in the head of your website.
- Key events (formerly 'conversions') measure the actions that matter: forms completed, quote requests, phone clicks and purchases. Connect GA4 to Google Search Console for search term data and to Google Ads for attribution and ROAS measurement.
- GDPR requires that analytics cookies are only placed after consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR + ePrivacy Directive). Implement Consent Mode v2 so GA4 can track modelled conversions even without cookie consent. Sign a Data Processing Addendum (DPA) via your Google account. Set data retention to 14 months (default: 2 months).
What is Google Analytics 4 and how is it different?
GA4 is Google's free website analytics solution that replaced Universal Analytics (UA) on 1 July 2023. The main difference: GA4 is event-based, UA was session-based. In GA4, every interaction is an event (page_view, scroll, form_submit, purchase), giving SMEs a more accurate picture of user behaviour without connecting multiple tools. Enhanced Measurement enables eight automatic events with one toggle: page views, scrolling (90% page length), outbound clicks, internal searches, video engagement (YouTube embeds), file downloads and form interactions. GA4 is free via analytics.google.com. UA properties became unavailable on 1 July 2024; businesses that have not yet set up GA4 have been missing all data since then.
Installing GA4: Google Tag, data stream and Enhanced Measurement
Create a GA4 property via analytics.google.com (Admin → Create Property). Choose 'Web' as the data stream and enter your website URL. GA4 generates a Measurement ID in the format G-XXXXXXXXXX. Install the Google Tag via Google Tag Manager (GTM): create a new GA4 configuration tag in GTM with the Measurement ID, set the trigger to 'All Pages' and publish the container. Use DebugView in GA4 (Admin → DebugView) to verify events are received after installation. Without GTM, place the Google Tag snippet directly in the head of each page. Enable Enhanced Measurement via Admin → Data Streams → your web stream → Enhanced Measurement (toggle on): this automatically activates page_view, scroll, outbound_click, site_search, video_engagement, file_download and form_interaction. GTM is free and recommended for SMEs because it allows future tag changes without redeploying. Related: see also our articles on
Setting up key events: forms, quote requests and webshop purchases
In GA4, what was previously a 'conversion' is now called a 'key event'. Mark an event as a key event via Admin → Events → toggle 'Mark as key event'. For webshops: enable GA4 Enhanced E-commerce events (view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase) via your e-commerce platform (WooCommerce with Google Listings & Ads plugin, Shopify GA4 integration) or via GTM triggers. For contact forms: mark form_submission as a key event, or create a custom form_lead event via a GTM trigger on the thank-you page. Connect GA4 to Google Ads via Admin → Product Links → Google Ads: this enables automatic attribution tagging via gclid and activates ROAS reporting and Smart Bidding optimisation. Also connect Google Search Console via Admin → Product Links → Search Console: search term data, clicks and impressions then appear directly in GA4 under Acquisition. Related: see also our article on
GA4 Standard vs GA4 360: when do you need the paid version?
GA4 Standard is fully sufficient for the vast majority of SME businesses. GA4 360 is designed for large enterprises with more than 10 million events per month or advanced export and SLA requirements. Prices are indicative; verify current rates with your Google Marketing Platform partner.
| Feature | GA4 Standard | GA4 360 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Approx. €150,000+/year |
| Monthly event limit | 10 million events/property/month | Unlimited |
| Data retention | Max. 14 months | Up to 50 months |
| BigQuery export | 1 million events/day free | Unlimited |
| Availability SLA | No SLA | 99.9% SLA |
| Looker Studio connection | Yes (free) | Yes (advanced) |
| Suitable for | Almost all SME websites | Enterprise (>10M events/month) |
GA4 360 prices are indicative (typically via a Google Marketing Platform partner). Verify current rates via marketingplatform.google.com.
GDPR compliance: Consent Mode v2, DPA and data retention
GA4 does not store IP addresses (anonymisation enabled by default) and requires that analytics cookies are only placed after user consent under GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and the ePrivacy Directive. Implement Consent Mode v2 via GTM: configure gtag.js with consent defaults (analytics_storage: denied), and let your cookie consent platform (Complianz, Cookiebot or CookieScript) send the consent update upon approval. From March 2024, Consent Mode v2 is required for advertisers who want to continue using Google Ads personalisation features in the EU. Sign a Data Processing Addendum (DPA) via your Google account (myaccount.google.com → Data & Privacy). Set data retention to 14 months via Admin → Data Settings → Data Retention (default 2 months; this only affects exploration reports). Enable 'Adjust for users in European Economic Area' (Admin → Data Collection) to prioritise European processing. Looker Studio (free, looker.google.com) connects directly to GA4 and provides shared dashboards for monthly client or management reports.
Frequently asked questions about GA4 for SMEs
Is Google Analytics 4 free?
What are the advantages of GA4 over Universal Analytics?
How long does GA4 retain my analytics data?
Is GA4 GDPR-compliant?
How do I connect GA4 to Google Search Console?
Set up GA4, implement Consent Mode v2 or configure Looker Studio reports?
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