Create a GA4 property in your Google Analytics account under Admin > Property > Create Property. Google walks you through naming it and setting your timezone (use Eastern Time for Ottawa-based sites). You'll get a measurement ID that starts with G- instead of the old UA- format. For direct installation, copy the gtag.js snippet Google provides and paste it into the <head> section of every page on your site. If you run WordPress, plugins like Site Kit by Google or Insert Headers and Footers handle this without touching code. For multi-site setups or if you already use Tag Manager, deploy GA4 through GTM instead by creating a GA4 Configuration tag with your measurement ID and setting it to fire on All Pages. After deployment, verify data collection within 24 hours using the Realtime report in GA4. Navigate your own site in a different browser or incognito window and confirm events appear. The default setup tracks page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement, and file downloads automatically without custom code. Configure essential settings next: link your Google Search Console property under Admin > Property Settings > Search Console Links to see organic keyword data. Set up conversions by marking key events (form submissions, purchases, phone clicks) as conversion events under Admin > Events. Enable Google Signals if you want demographics and cross-device tracking, though this requires updated privacy policies mentioning Google advertising features. Common mistake: forgetting to remove old Universal Analytics (UA) code if you're migrating. Run both temporarily to compare data, but don't leave UA running indefinitely since it stopped collecting data July 2023. At Ottawa SEO we typically run parallel tracking for 30–60 days to validate the new setup, then remove the old property entirely. GA4's event-based model differs significantly from UA's session-based tracking, so expect your bounce rate and session metrics to look different—that's normal, not a configuration error.