The Complete Guide to Google Analytics 4 Setup for Malaysian Businesses

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s analytics platform, and it’s essential for any business that wants to understand their online performance. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the complete setup process specifically tailored for Malaysian businesses.

Why GA4 Matters

Unlike the previous Universal Analytics, GA4 uses an event-based data model that provides more flexibility and better cross-platform tracking. This means you can track user interactions across your website and mobile apps in a single property.

Key benefits include:

Better cross-device tracking
Machine learning-powered insights
Enhanced privacy controls
Free BigQuery integration

Step 1: Creating Your GA4 Property

Go to Google Analytics and sign in
Click “Admin” (gear icon) in the bottom left
In the Account column, select “Create Account” or use an existing one
In the Property column, click “Create Property”
Enter your property name (usually your business name)
Select “Malaysia” as your reporting time zone
Choose “Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)” as your currency
Click “Next” and complete the business information

Step 2: Setting Up Data Streams

For websites:

Choose “Web” as your platform
Enter your website URL
Give your stream a name
Click “Create stream”

You’ll receive a Measurement ID (starts with “G-”). This is what you’ll use to connect your website to GA4.

Step 3: Installing the Tracking Code

Option A: Google Tag Manager (Recommended)

If you’re using Google Tag Manager:

Create a new tag
Choose “Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration”
Enter your Measurement ID
Set the trigger to “All Pages”
Save and publish

Option B: Direct Installation

Add this code to the <head> section of every page:

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX');
</script>

Replace G-XXXXXXXXXX with your actual Measurement ID.

Step 4: Configuring Enhanced Measurement

GA4 comes with enhanced measurement that automatically tracks:

Page views
Scrolls
Outbound clicks
Site search
Video engagement
File downloads

To enable:

Go to Admin > Data Streams
Click your web stream
Toggle on “Enhanced measurement”
Click the gear icon to customize which events to track

Step 5: Setting Up Conversion Events

In GA4, goals are replaced by “conversion events.” Here’s how to set them up:

Go to Admin > Events
Toggle “Mark as conversion” for important events like:
- purchase (for e-commerce)
- generate_lead (for lead generation)
- contact (for contact form submissions)

Step 6: Configuring E-commerce Tracking

For e-commerce businesses, proper tracking is crucial. You’ll need to send specific events:

view_item - When a product is viewed
add_to_cart - When items are added to cart
begin_checkout - When checkout starts
purchase - When a purchase is completed

If you’re using Shopify, WooCommerce, or other platforms, there are plugins available to automate this.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not filtering internal traffic: Exclude your own office IP addresses
Ignoring data retention settings: Configure how long you want to keep data
Not setting up user properties: Track important attributes like customer type
Forgetting cross-domain tracking: If you have multiple domains

Next Steps

Once your basic setup is complete:

Create custom dashboards for your KPIs
Set up automated reports
Link Google Ads for better attribution
Connect BigQuery for advanced analysis

Need help with your GA4 setup? Contact us for professional assistance.

This guide was last updated in February 2025. GA4 features and interface may change over time.