Google Analytics 4 tracking

Google Analytics 4 tracking

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Tracking

⏱ Estimated time: 10 minutes

👤 Role: Marketing Managers, SEO/Web Agencies, Data Analysts


What you'll learn:

  • How to locate and share your GA4 Measurement ID.

  • How to prevent "Referral Self-Referral" issues by configuring cross-domain tracking.

  • Adjusting data retention settings for longer reporting windows.

  • Preventing duplicate tracking conflicts with Google Tag Manager (GTM).


When should I use this?

Use this guide during your initial platform setup or when migrating to a new GA4 property. This configuration ensures that guest behavior, conversion rates, and revenue data flow accurately from your storefront into your Google Analytics reports.

Key Logic:

The platform features built-in GA4 ecommerce tracking. To work correctly, it needs your Measurement ID. Additionally, because guests often move from your main brand website to the booking storefront (e.g., from hotel.com to hotel.onejourney.travel), you must tell Google that these are the same session to avoid fragmented data.


Before you start:

  • Ensure you have "Editor" or "Administrator" access to your Google Analytics 4 property.

  • Identify your brand website domain and your specific storefront URL.

  • Warning: If you use both the built-in tracking and a custom GTM container, follow the "Duplicate Tracking" steps below to avoid double-counting revenue.


Step-by-step:

1. Locate and Share your Measurement ID

A Measurement ID (starting with G-) is required for data collection; a Property ID will not work.

  1. In GA4, click Admin (bottom left) > Data Streams (under Property).

  2. Click on the relevant Data Stream name.

  3. Copy the Measurement ID from the top right corner.

  4. Email this ID to support@journey.travel to enable platform-side tracking.


2. Configure Cross-Domain Tracking

This prevents Google from seeing your own website as a "Referral" source, which preserves the original marketing source (e.g., Organic Search or Paid Ads).

  1. In your Data Stream settings, click Configure tag settings (at the bottom).

  2. Select Configure your domains.

  3. Click Add condition and enter your domains using the "contains" match type:

  • Condition 1: Your main website (e.g., hotelname.com).

  • Condition 2: Your storefront URL (e.g., hotelname.onejourney.travel).

  1. Click Save.


3. Adjust Data Retention

By default, GA4 only stores user-level data for 2 months. Most hotels prefer 14 months for year-on-year analysis.

  1. In GA4 Admin, go to Data Settings > Data Retention.

  2. Change Event data retention to 14 months.

  3. Click Save.


4. Prevent Duplicate Tracking (GTM Users)

If you have a general GA4 tag in Google Tag Manager, you must prevent it from firing on the storefront to avoid double-counting.

  1. Log in to Google Tag Manager and edit your GA4 Configuration/Event tags.

  2. Click Triggering > Add Exception.

  3. Create a new trigger: Page View > Some Page Views.

  4. Set the condition to: Page Hostname > contains > onejourney.travel.

  5. Save the trigger and Publish the container.


Best practice:

The Real-Time Test: After the Support team confirms your ID is added, open your storefront in an Incognito window and browse. Check the Real-time report in GA4; you should see your activity appearing immediately, confirming the connection is live.


Important Notice:

Measurement ID vs. Property ID: Always double-check that you are providing the G-XXXXXXXX ID. Providing the numerical Property ID is a common error that will result in zero data being collected.



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