Google Analytics 4 & Tag Manager Workshop

Gathering Digital Marketing Data Using Google Analytics

Jarrod Griffin walks through setting up Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, and Google Search Console to track how customers find and use your website.

Learning Outcomes

Explain how Tag Manager, GA4, and Search Console work together
Configure a Tag Manager container and GA4 property on a website
Validate & debug data with Preview mode and DebugView
Verify a site in Search Console and link it to GA4
Build standardized UTM parameters for campaign tracking
Set up key events to measure business outcomes

About This Workshop

This session gives you a hands-on guide to measuring digital marketing performance with Google's core measurement tools: Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, and Google Search Console. You'll see how the three tools work together, then follow a live setup on a real client website, from creating a Tag Manager container and GA4 property to connecting them and confirming that data is flowing with Preview mode and DebugView.

We'll also cover verifying your site in Search Console and linking it to GA4, building consistent UTM parameters for campaign tracking, and setting up key events that capture the outcomes that matter most to your business. By the end, you'll be able to move from planning campaigns to measuring and optimizing them.

Workshop Preparation:

To get the most out of this workshop, sign in to one Google account that you can use across Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, and Google Search Console. To follow along with the full setup on your own site, you will also need a published website and admin access to its code or content management settings.

Options for Following Along:

Use your own published website (recommended) - A free site on GitHub Pages, Netlify, or Quarto Pub works, as long as you can add code to every page's head and body or install Tag Manager through your CMS.
Explore the Google Analytics demo account (no website needed) - Browse real sample data in GA4 to learn the reports and interface. https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6367342

Accessing the Tools:

Google Analytics 4: https://analytics.google.com/
Google Tag Manager: https://tagmanager.google.com/
Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console
Google Campaign URL Builder: https://ga-dev-tools.google/ga4/campaign-url-builder/

Tip: Pause any ad blockers while testing. They can stop Tag Manager Preview mode and GA4 DebugView from receiving data.

Presentation Slides: