Google Analytics (GA4) is a free website analytics platform from Google that tracks who visits your site, what they look at, and how they behave. It's the industry standard, and if you're doing any kind of online marketing, (ads, email, SEO, social) you're going to want it to be hooked up.
This guide walks you through connecting Google Analytics to your Run Free Project store in the simplest way possible, and then covers the more advanced setup (Google Tag Manager) if you need it.
NOTE: If you have questions about Google Analytics functionality, their documentation is located here. Be sure to check their documentation before reaching out to Run Free support about GA4 dashboard functionality, as their UX changes frequently and our team may not be up to speed with their most recent navigation changes, as a result our team could accidentally send you in the wrong direction with outdated guidance.
Before You Start
You'll need a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property. If you don't have one yet, go to analytics.google.com and create one. It's free and it takes about five minutes. Once the property is set up, Google will give you a Measurement ID that looks like this:
G-XXXXXXXXXX
That's the only code you need for the recommended setup below.
The Simple Setup (Recommended for Most Stores)
Run Free has a built-in direct integration with Google Analytics. It can be access on the SEO settings tab in the admin dashboard as shown below:
If you paste your Measurement ID into your admin panel, we handle everything else. No additional code, no Google Tag Manager container, no tag configuration required.
What you get automatically:
Pageviewsand user trafficAll five core eCommerce events fired on your store:
view_item,add_to_cart,begin_checkout,add_shipping_info, andpurchaseGA4's Monetization → Ecommerce purchases report populates out of the box
GA4's Monetization → Purchase Journey and Checkout Journey reports populate out of the box (these are the reports most store owners actually care about, they show you where shoppers drop off in your funnel)
The ability to build your own custom funnel explorations in GA4's Explore section using the events above
How to set it up:
Log into your Run Free admin dashboard.
Click the settings icon in the upper-right corner.
Choose Store SEO from the drop-down.
Scroll to the section labeled Google tag, aka G tag
Paste your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX) into that field.
Leave the Google Tag Manager field blank. (If both are filled in, the GTM setup takes over and the direct integration won't run. More on that below.)
Save.
That's it. Data will start flowing to GA4 within a few minutes and the built-in reports will populate over the next 24-48 hours as Google processes the new data stream.
To verify it's working:
Open GA4 → Admin → DebugView
Visit your store in a new browser tab and walk through a test transaction (add to cart, start checkout, complete an order)
Events should appear in DebugView within a few seconds, one per step
If events don't show up in DebugView, double-check that the Measurement ID is pasted correctly and the GTM field is empty.
Advanced Setup: Google Tag Manager (GTM)
Google Tag Manager is a separate Google product that acts as a "container" for tracking tags. Instead of adding Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Klaviyo, Google Ads, and other marketing tags directly to your site, you add one GTM container, and then configure each of those tags from inside GTM.
GTM is useful when:
You're running multiple marketing platforms beyond GA4 (Meta Pixel, Google Ads conversion tracking, LinkedIn Insight, Klaviyo, etc.)
You have a dedicated marketing agency or analytics consultant who actively manages your GTM container
You want fine-grained control over which events get sent where
GTM is NOT necessary if:
You only need GA4 (the simple setup above covers you)
You don't have someone on your team actively managing the GTM container — unmanaged GTM containers tend to drift and break silently
If you do want to use GTM:
Create a GTM account and container at tagmanager.google.com. Your container ID will look like GTM-XXXXXXX.
In your Run Free admin dashboard (Settings → Store SEO), paste that container ID into the field labeled Google Tag Manager tag, aka GTM tag.
Leave the Google tag field blank. The two fields are mutually exclusive by design. If both are filled, the GTM container takes precedence and the direct GA4 integration is bypassed. This prevents double-counting events.
Save.
Inside your GTM container at tagmanager.google.com, configure a Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration tag using your GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX). You'll also want to configure GA4 Event tags for any eCommerce events you want sent through to Google Analytics.
What Run Free sends to your GTM container:
When GTM is active, we push the following eCommerce events into your container's dataLayer for you to route as you see fit:
view_item- fired when a shopper views a product pageadd_to_cart- fired when a shopper adds an item to their cartbegin_checkout- fired when a shopper enters checkoutadd_shipping_info- fired when a shopper completes the shipping steppurchase- fired when a shopper completes a transaction
Each event includes standard GA4 eCommerce parameters (items array, value, currency, transaction_id). You can preview the exact structure in the GTM Preview mode.
Choosing Between Simple Setup and GTM
Just want to see how your store is performing? Choose the simple setup (direct GA4)
Need abandonment reports (Purchase Journey / Checkout Journey)? Simple setup (direct GA4)
Running Meta Pixel, Google Ads, Klaviyo, LinkedIn Insight, etc.? GTM
Have an analytics consultant or agency actively managing your stack? GTM
Don't have anyone actively managing tags and just need analytics Simple setup
You can switch between the two setups at any time. If you started with GTM and want to move to the simple setup, just clear the GTM field, paste your GA4 Measurement ID into the Google tag field, and save. (Important: make sure to clear the GTM field first, otherwise the switch won't take effect.)
Common Questions
Q: I already had a GTM setup. Will switching to the simple setup lose my historical data?
No. Historical data stays in your GA4 property regardless of how new data is sent in. The switch only changes the pipe, not the destination.
Q: I already had a GTM setup with Meta Pixel and other tags. Should I switch?
If your other tags are working and you have someone managing the container, stay on GTM. The simple setup is for stores that don't need the extra flexibility.
Q: I have a GA4 property but I'm not sure where to find my Measurement ID.
In GA4, go to Admin → Data Streams, click your web stream, and the Measurement ID is at the top right of that page (starts with `G-`).
Q: I used to have Universal Analytics. Does that still work?
No. Google ended Universal Analytics (UA) on July 1, 2023. All new setups need to be done with GA4 Measurement IDs (G-XXXXXXXXXX), not UA tags (UA-XXXXXXXX).
Q: How long before I start seeing data?
Pageviewand event data appear in GA4's Realtime report within a minute or two. The built-in funnel reports (Purchase Journey, Checkout Journey) take 24-48 hours (typically closer to 48 hours in our experience) to populate because GA4 processes that data on a slower schedule.
Q: Will switching from GTM to direct GA4 affect my Google Ads or Meta Pixel setup?
If those tags were configured inside your GTM container, yes. They'll stop firing when the container is disabled. If you rely on them, stick with the GTM setup, or reinstall them directly through Run Free's other integrations (Meta Pixel has a dedicated field in the same SEO settings panel).