Analytics Setup for New Brands: Measure What Matters

Why Analytics From Day One

Every visitor to your new website tells a story: where they came from, what they looked at, and whether they took action. Without analytics, you're guessing. With analytics, you're making informed decisions about content, marketing, and product development.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Setup

GA4 is the current version of Google Analytics. It's free and the industry standard for website analytics.

Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account

1. Go to analytics.google.com
2. Click "Start measuring"
3. Enter your account name (your brand name)
4. Configure data sharing settings
5. Click Next

Step 2: Create a Property

1. Enter your property name (your website name)
2. Set your time zone and currency
3. Answer the business questions
4. Accept the terms of service

Step 3: Set Up a Data Stream

1. Select "Web" as your platform
2. Enter your website URL
3. Name your stream
4. Click "Create stream"

Step 4: Install the Tracking Code

GA4 gives you a Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX). Install it on your site:

Website builders:

• Squarespace: Settings → Advanced → External API Keys → Google Analytics ID
• WordPress: Use a plugin like Site Kit by Google or manually add to your theme
• Shopify: Online Store → Preferences → Google Analytics
• Webflow: Project Settings → Integrations → Google Analytics

Manual installation: Add the Google tag (gtag.js) snippet to every page's head section.

Step 5: Verify Installation

1. Visit your website in a new browser tab
2. In GA4, go to Reports → Realtime
3. You should see yourself as an active user

Essential GA4 Configuration

Set Up Conversions

Conversions track the actions that matter most to your business:

• Form submissions
• Product purchases
• Newsletter signups
• Phone calls
• Button clicks

In GA4, mark key events as conversions in Admin → Events.

Configure Enhanced Measurement

GA4 automatically tracks:

• Page views
• Scrolls
• Outbound clicks
• Site search
• Video engagement
• File downloads

Enable all of these in Admin → Data Streams → Enhanced Measurement.

Exclude Internal Traffic

Filter out your own visits to keep data clean:

1. Go to Admin → Data Streams → your stream
2. Configure Tag Settings → Define internal traffic
3. Add your IP address
4. Create a data filter to exclude internal traffic

Link Google Search Console

Connect GSC to GA4 for combined search and behavior data:

1. Go to Admin → Product Links → Search Console Links
2. Select your Search Console property
3. Link them together

Other Analytics Tools to Consider

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

What it does: Manages all your tracking codes in one place — GA4, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn, etc.

Why use it: Adding and updating tracking codes without editing your website's code. Essential once you're running multiple marketing channels.

Microsoft Clarity

Cost: Free What it does: Session recordings and heatmaps showing how visitors interact with your pages.

Why use it: See exactly where people click, how far they scroll, and where they get confused. Invaluable for improving your website.

Plausible or Fathom

Cost: Starting at $9/month What they do: Privacy-focused analytics alternatives to Google Analytics.

Why use them: If you prefer not to send data to Google, these tools provide essential metrics without cookies.

Key Metrics for New Brands

Focus on these metrics initially:

Traffic Metrics

• Users: How many unique visitors?
• Sessions: How many total visits?
• Traffic sources: Where do visitors come from?

Engagement Metrics

• Engagement rate: Percentage of engaged sessions (replaced bounce rate)
• Average engagement time: How long do visitors actively interact?
• Pages per session: How deep do visitors explore?

Conversion Metrics

• Conversion rate: What percentage of visitors take your desired action?
• Conversion sources: Which channels drive the most conversions?

Building a Dashboard

Create a simple dashboard you check weekly:

1. Traffic overview — Users, sessions, new vs. returning
2. Top traffic sources — Organic, direct, social, referral
3. Top pages — Which content performs best?
4. Conversions — How many goal completions?
5. Device breakdown — Mobile vs. desktop

In GA4, use the "Library" section to customize your reports.

Common Analytics Mistakes

• Not filtering internal traffic — Your own visits skew the data
• Tracking everything but analyzing nothing — Focus on actionable metrics
• Making decisions on too little data — Wait for statistical significance
• Ignoring mobile — Check mobile behavior separately
• Not setting up conversions — Traffic without goals is vanity metrics

Your Analytics Setup Checklist

• [ ] GA4 account and property created
• [ ] Tracking code installed on all pages
• [ ] Installation verified with Realtime report
• [ ] Conversions configured for key actions
• [ ] Enhanced measurement enabled
• [ ] Internal traffic filtered
• [ ] Google Search Console linked
• [ ] Google Tag Manager set up (optional but recommended)
• [ ] Microsoft Clarity installed (optional but valuable)
• [ ] Weekly review routine established

Analytics starts with having a website, and a website starts with a domain. Use BrandScout to find an available domain for your brand, build your site, and set up analytics to measure your growth from the very first visitor.