Google Analytics 4 FAQs

Q: What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
A: GA4 is the modern analytics standard that replaced Universal Analytics. It is a powerful tool built into the Finalsite CMS that tracks user activity across your site. By connecting your website to a GA4 property, you can analyze traffic and engagement to improve your visitors' experiences.

Q: How is GA4 different from the previous Universal Analytics (UA)?
A: UA primarily tracked "sessions" and "pageviews." In contrast, GA4 captures every interaction as an event. GA4 also provides three user metrics (Total, Active, and New) compared to UA’s two. The old classifications of Category, Action, and Label no longer exist; they have been replaced by more flexible Event Parameters.

Q: How does GA4 collect data on my site?
A: GA4 uses a Javascript tracking code built directly into Finalsite's CMS. Once configured, it drops a browser cookie to track user interactions. Every action—from a page view to a button click—is captured as a specific "event" with associated parameters.

Q: What is an "Engagement Rate" and why is my "Bounce Rate" gone? 
A: In GA4, Engagement Rate is the new primary metric. It measures the percentage of sessions that lasted longer than 10 seconds, had a conversion event, or had 2 or more page views. While "Bounce Rate" is still available, it is now simply the inverse of Engagement Rate (e.g., a 70% Engagement Rate means a 30% Bounce Rate). For schools, an Engagement Rate above 60% is typically considered very healthy.

Access and account management

Q: How do I create a new account?
A: If you don't have an account, follow Google’s setup instructions. Once your property is created, see our guide: Set up Google Analytics 4 on a Composer site.

Q: How can I access GA4? I don't know who controls it.
A: Start by checking your Finalsite admin site under Modules & Settings > Site Information. You can often find the connected email address there. 

  If you cannot find the login, try your general marketing/communications email addresses at analytics.google.com. If access is lost entirely, you will need to contact Google Support to reclaim the account; Finalsite cannot grant access to Google-owned properties.

Q: How do I exclude internal traffic (staff and faculty) from my data? 
A: To keep your data accurate, you should exclude clicks from your own office.

1. Go to Admin > Data Streams > [Your Stream] > Configure Tag Settings > Show All > Define Internal Traffic.

2. Enter your school's IP addresses and give the rule a name (e.g., "Main Office").

3. Finally, activate the filter under Admin > Data Settings > Data Filters by setting the "Internal Traffic" filter to Active.

Q: How are multiple domains and subdomains handled?
A: In Composer, the GA4 Measurement ID must be added to each subdomain individually within the Domain Settings. Note that Finalsite does not currently support GA4 tracking for mobile apps via the CMS integration.

Tracking and module specifics

Q: Why don't I see my custom data (like button text) in my reports? A: Even if the data is being sent by Finalsite, GA4 requires you to manually register parameters as Custom Dimensions before they appear in your reports. Navigate to Admin > Custom Definitions to add dimensions like button_text or click_text.

Q: How does tracking work for pop-ups (Calendar, Constituent, or Posts)?
A: When these modules open as a pop-up, you can use the element_text dimension to track engagement. Specifically, look for the events constituent_pop_up_displayed and posts_pop_up_displayed in your reports.

Q: How can I see which specific page a "Button Click" happened on? 
A: In your GA4 Exploration reports, you need to add Page path + screen class as a dimension alongside your click_text or button_text. This allows you to see, for example, which specific page's "Apply Now" button is getting the most engagement.

Q: Is there a CTA button event?
A: Yes. CTA buttons are tracked via internal_link_click and external_link_click. You can pair these with dimensions like element_url or click_text to define specific button events in Admin > Events > Create. 

Q: How does tracking work for the Resources Module?
A:

• Video: We pass resource_title to GA4 for the events resource_video_played and resource_video_paused. For YouTube embeds, you can also track video_complete.
• Files: We recommend disabling "File Downloads" in GA4's native Enhanced Measurement to avoid double-counting. Finalsite’s custom tracking is more accurate for Composer because it captures PDFs even when the .pdf extension is missing from the URL string.

Q: Is it possible to track individual file download counts?
A: While we track download events, the most reliable way to count specific file interactions is to place the link on a unique site page and track visits to that page, or use the data_file_name parameter in your GA4 Event reports.

Testing and verification

Q: How do I know if my events (like button clicks) are working? 
A: The fastest way to verify your setup is using the Realtime report.

1. Open your website in a new incognito window and click a button or download a file.

2. In GA4, go to Reports > Realtime.

3. Look at the Event count by Event name card. You should see your custom events (e.g., internal_link_click) appear within seconds.

Q: Can I isolate my own activity in the Realtime report to make testing easier? 
A: Yes, you can use a Comparison.

1. At the top of the Realtime report, click Add comparison.

2. Select Include > City (or Device category) to isolate your specific session.

3. This filters out other site traffic so you can see exactly which events are firing as you click through the site.

Q: Why does my data look different in the "Realtime" report vs. "Standard" reports? 
A: The Realtime report shows activity from the last 30 minutes and is meant for testing. Standard reports have a processing delay of 24 to 48 hours. Additionally, GA4 may apply "Data Thresholding" to standard reports to protect user privacy if your site traffic is low, which can cause slight discrepancies.

Q: How do I see a breakdown of specific button clicks in the Realtime report? 
A: In the "Event count by Event name" card, click on a specific event like internal_link_click. This will open a sub-menu showing the parameters associated with that click. You can then select click_text to see the actual text of the button you just clicked.

Q: I need some help auditing my GA4 instance! 
A: Let us help you! Access a great audit checklist in our knowledge base: "Google Analytics (GA4) audit checklist."