Many Sri Lankan websites have Google Analytics installed, but few track what actually matters: enquiries, calls, WhatsApp messages and sales. Without that, you can see visitors but can't tell which marketing brings customers. Here's how to set up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) properly.
Step 1: Create a GA4 property
- Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with a business Google account, not a personal one that belongs to a staff member.
- Create an account for your business and a property for your website.
- Set the time zone to Sri Lanka and currency to LKR, unless you mostly sell in USD.
- Create a web data stream for your domain. You'll get a Measurement ID starting with
G-.
Step 2: Install the tag
- WordPress: use Google's Site Kit plugin or add the tag through Google Tag Manager.
- Shopify / Wix: paste the Measurement ID into the built-in Google integration.
- Custom sites: add the gtag.js snippet to every page, or use Google Tag Manager.
Use Google Tag Manager if you plan to track many custom events. It lets you add tracking without editing site code each time.
Step 3: Check enhanced measurement
In your data stream settings, enhanced measurement automatically tracks page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement and file downloads. Keep it on.
Step 4: Track the actions that matter
For most Sri Lankan service businesses, these are the key actions:
| Action | How to track |
|---|---|
| Contact form submitted | Event on the thank-you page or form success |
| Phone number clicked | Click on tel: links |
| WhatsApp clicked | Click on wa.me or api.whatsapp.com links |
| Email clicked | Click on mailto: links |
| Purchase | Ecommerce purchase event with value in LKR |
| Quote or booking request | Event on submission |
Detailed steps for WhatsApp: how to track WhatsApp clicks in GA4.
Step 5: Mark them as key events
In Admin, Events, mark your important events as key events (GA4's name for conversions). Now every report can show which channels and pages drive enquiries.
Step 6: Connect Google Search Console
In Admin, Product links, link Search Console. You'll see which Google searches bring visitors to which pages, right inside GA4. New to it? See our Search Console guide.
Step 7: Exclude internal traffic
Define your office IP address as internal traffic and filter it out, so staff visits don't inflate your numbers.
Step 8: Extend data retention
By default, GA4 keeps detailed data for only 2 months. In Admin, Data retention, change it to 14 months.
Reports worth checking monthly
- Traffic acquisition: which channels bring visitors and key events
- Landing pages: which pages people arrive on, and which convert
- Key events by source: is organic search bringing enquiries, not just visits?
Better still, build a simple dashboard. See build an SEO dashboard in Looker Studio.
Privacy and consent
Mention analytics in your privacy policy. If you serve visitors in the EU or UK, for example as a tourism business, you'll need a cookie consent banner and Google Consent Mode.
Get it set up properly
Our Google Analytics setup service handles GA4, Tag Manager, key events and dashboards, and we're Google Analytics certified. Also read SEO KPIs: what to measure.