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How to Create a Google Analytics Account in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

Complete tutorial for installing Google Analytics 4 on your website. Account creation, tracking code installation, goal configuration and first reports.

4 April 20266 min

Why Google Analytics is essential for your website

Without data, you're flying blind. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the free reference tool for understanding who visits your site, where your visitors come from and what they do on your pages.

Google Analytics is free, used by more than 28 million websites worldwide, and essential for any SEO or digital marketing strategy in Belgium.

With GA4, you can:

  • See how many visitors arrive each day
  • Know which pages are the most popular
  • Understand where your traffic comes from (Google, social media, direct)
  • Measure your conversions (forms, purchases, calls)
  • Detect performance issues

Step 1: Create a Google Analytics account

Go to analytics.google.com

Visit the Google Analytics website and sign in with your Google account. If you don't have a Google account, create one for free.

Configure your account

  1. Click "Start measuring"
  2. Name your account (e.g. "My Business")
  3. Configure data sharing settings — leave defaults
  4. Click Next

Create a property

The property represents your website:

  1. Property name: your website name (e.g. "leadco.be")
  2. Time zone: select Belgium (UTC+1)
  3. Currency: Euro (EUR)
  4. Click Next

Business information

  1. Select your industry and business size
  2. Choose your objectives: generate leads, increase awareness, etc.
  3. Click Create
  4. Accept the terms of service

Step 2: Install the tracking code on your website

After creation, Google will suggest adding a data stream.

Configure the web data stream

  1. Select Web
  2. Enter your website URL (e.g. https://www.leadco.be)
  3. Name the stream (e.g. "Main website")
  4. Click Create stream

Get your Measurement ID

After creating the stream, you'll receive a Measurement ID that looks like: G-XXXXXXXXXX

This is the identifier you'll integrate into your website.

Add the code to your website

Google provides a code snippet to integrate. Depending on your platform:
WordPress:
  • Install the Site Kit by Google plugin (official and free)
  • Sign in with your Google account
  • The plugin automatically installs the tracking code
Shopify:
  • Go to Online Store > Preferences
  • Paste your Measurement ID in the "Google Analytics" field
Custom site (HTML/Next.js):
  • Add the Google Tag script to the <head> of your website
GA4 tracking code installation instructions
GA4 tracking code installation instructions

Verify it works

After installation, check that data is coming in:

  1. Return to Google Analytics
  2. Go to Reports > Real-time
  3. Visit your site in another tab
  4. You should see 1 active user in real-time
Google Analytics real-time report showing 1 active user
Google Analytics real-time report showing 1 active user

Step 3: Configure goals and conversions

Key events (formerly "conversions") are the important actions your visitors take.

Automatic events

GA4 automatically tracks certain events:

  • page_view — each page view
  • scroll — when a user scrolls to 90% of the page
  • click — clicks on outgoing links
  • file_download — file downloads

Create custom events

To track important business actions:

  1. Go to Admin > Events
  2. Click Create event
  3. Examples of events to create:
EventTriggerPurpose
form_submitContact form submissionMeasure leads
phone_clickClick on phone numberMeasure calls
whatsapp_clickClick on WhatsApp buttonMeasure contacts
cta_clickClick on main CTA buttonMeasure engagement

Mark as key event

For an event to count as a conversion:

  1. Go to Admin > Events
  2. Find your event
  3. Toggle on "Mark as key event"

Step 4: Understanding essential reports

Acquisition report

Where to find it: Reports > Acquisition > Overview
This report shows you where your visitors come from:
  • Organic Search: traffic from Google (SEO)
  • Direct: people who type your URL
  • Social: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
  • Referral: links from other websites
  • Paid Search: Google Ads
GA4 acquisition report showing traffic sources
GA4 acquisition report showing traffic sources

Engagement report

Where to find it: Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens
This report shows which pages are most visited and how long people spend on them. Identify:
  • The most popular pages (to optimise first)
  • Pages with a high bounce rate (content or UX problem)
  • Average time spent on each page

Demographics report

Where to find it: Reports > Demographics > Overview
Understand who your visitors are: country, city, language, device (mobile/desktop). Essential for adapting your content.

Step 5: Connect Google Search Console

For a complete view of your SEO, connect Google Search Console to Analytics:
  1. In GA4, go to Admin > Product Links > Search Console Links
  2. Click Link
  3. Select your Search Console property
  4. Confirm

This allows you to see directly in Analytics:

  • The keywords driving traffic
  • Your average position on Google
  • The click-through rate (CTR) of your pages

Common mistakes to avoid

Not verifying the installation

Many install the code and never check again. Verify the real-time report on the same day as installation.

Forgetting to filter internal traffic

Your own visits skew the data. Exclude your IP address:

  1. Admin > Data Streams > your stream
  2. Tag Settings > Define Internal Traffic
  3. Add your IP address

Not configuring conversions

Without configured conversions, you're measuring nothing useful. At minimum, define: form submission and phone click.

Ignoring GDPR compliance

In Belgium, you must inform your visitors and obtain their consent before collecting data. Use a compliant cookie banner that conditions GA4 loading.

FAQ

Is Google Analytics really free?

Yes, GA4 is 100% free for the vast majority of websites. The paid version (Analytics 360) only applies to very large sites (10+ million hits/month).

How long before seeing data?

Real-time data appears immediately. Detailed reports take 24 to 48 hours to populate.

Is GA4 compatible with GDPR?

GA4 offers consent and IP anonymisation options. But you still need to implement a compliant cookie banner and only load GA4 after consent.

Can I use Google Analytics on Shopify/WordPress?

Yes, both platforms support GA4 natively or via official plugins. Installation takes less than 5 minutes.

What's the difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?

Universal Analytics (UA) was permanently discontinued in July 2024. GA4 is the only active version, based on an event model (instead of sessions) and better integrates cross-platform analysis (web + app).

LeadCo

LeadCo Agency

Founder of LeadCo

Web developer and conversion expert based in Brussels. I build websites that turn your visitors into paying customers.

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