Setting up Google Analytics 4 for your Fitness Website

Your Fitness Business Needs Google Analytics 4… 

Here’s how to set it up and start using it! 

Google. It’s one of the few companies worldwide that has become so successful that their name has become a verb. 

I mean, think about it. 

If your friend asks you, “Hey, how do I find a marketing agency that specialises in meeting the specific needs of my fitness business?”, you will give one of two responses: either “I dunno, google it.” or, if you are in the know about this sort of thing, “Book a free call with FitMedia today!” 

Googling has become synonymous with searching the internet for funny pictures of cats, finding the answers to exam papers, and, yes, even finding articles about Google Analytics 4 tailored especially for fitness professionals. 

But there is so much more to it than that. 

In addition to Google Search, Google has a whole host of marketing tools to help you grow your business and succeed in search… the most popular, by far, being Google Analytics. 

In this article, we’ll go through what Google Analytics is, why you need it, how it will benefit you, and how to set it up and get going straight away. 

‍

What is Google Analytics (GA)? 

Google Analytics, simply put, tracks and reports website traffic, giving you access to boatloads of data about how users interact with different parts of your website. GA tells you which pages are visited most and least frequently, how long visitors stay on the site, which devices they use, and where in the world they are. 

If you want to optimise the user experience of visitors to your website, this is exactly the sort of data you need. 

‍

Already have Google Analytics set up? Check again… 

You could be using an older, endangered version of GA known as Universal Analytics. Be careful here, because Universal Analytics is going to be redundant after 1st July 2023, with all of its data deleted. 

Universal Analytics is the older version of Google Analytics, also known as GA3. GA4 is the brand-spankin’-new edition of Universal Analytics with a host of new features. 

GA4 tracks the same users more effectively between different devices, integrates AI to give powerful analytical insights into user behaviour, and allows more granular data controls. It also integrates better with Google Ads. Privacy is also a greater focus with GA4 than it was with Universal Analytics, as third-party cookies are increasingly being phased out. 

To stay relevant, you have no real choice but to move with the times to GA4 so that you don’t end up being surpassed by rival fitness professionals who have a better understanding of their audience’s behaviour. This article will tell you exactly how to do that, but first… 

‍

How could Google Analytics benefit my fitness business marketing? 

If you are a seasoned user of Google Analytics, you already know what a giant boost this service can provide your business on the marketing front. For those who haven’t already reaped the benefits, let me break if down for you: 

• Understanding your audience. GA tells you everything you could possibly want to know about the visitors to your site, including location, age, sex, interests, and more. This means you know who you’re marketing to, who you’re attracting, and how this fits in with your goals. 

• Tracking conversions. You can use the Goals feature to track whenever a user completes a desired action, such as requesting a call, signing up for a class, filling out a form, or purchasing a product. 

• Website optimisation. The most and least visited pages on your website can tell you a lot about your potential clients’ intentions. Their bounce rates and session durations, too, will help you to identify areas to strengthen overall user engagement. 

• Marketing campaign analysis. Because it’s all a part of the Google ecosystem, GA integrates perfectly with Google Ads to track their effectiveness and return on investment (ROI). 

There’s a plethora of other reasons why GA (in particular, GA4) is worth setting up to grow your fitness business, but we think you’re already convinced. 

And if you aren’t, we’re not entirely sure what you’re doing here, anyway. ;) 

‍

How can I set up Google Analytics 4 on my website? 

‍Step 0: Create a Google Analytics account. (You don’t need to do this step if you already have an account with Google Analytics, even if it was only for the earlier Universal Analytics account.) 

‍Step 1: Set up a new ‘Property’. In your GA account, click on the Admin panel (bottom-left corner) and find the ‘Create Property’ option. Once you’ve clicked that, follow the instructions to set up a GA4 property. 

Step 2: Get your ‘Measurement ID’. Once GA4 is properly set up, you’ll get a Measurement ID — similar to the Tracking ID back in the Universal Analytics days — given as either a number or a snippet of code. 

Step 3: Install the Measurement ID on your website. Exactly how you do this depends on how your website is built. For many website platforms, simply add this small chunk of code to your website’s header. There are plugins for WordPress and other similar website platforms to make this easier, in which case you only need to enter the longer number. If your website is a custom build, you may need to ask your web developer to do this for you. 

Once you have done this, you will have access to all your Google Analytics data through your GA account. Real-time reports (what is happening right now on your website), audience reports (longer-term breakdowns of your audience’s demographics, behaviour, and interests), acquisition reports (to track where your audience are finding you from, whether through ads, social media, search engines, or otherwise) and more are all at your fingertips. 

Easy, huh? 

‍

If you’re stuck with installing, integrating or interpreting Google Analytics 4 into your website, don’t hesitate to book a free call with the FitMedia team. We’ll be happy to assist you: www.fitmedia.net/apply.