How to Set Up GA4 in Elevar Server-Side Destination

Follow the step by step guide to launching your Google Analytics server-side tracking

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Note: GA4 Server-Side Tracking sends checkout and purchase events server-side. Other events are sent from the browser. We're working towards an integration that sends all events via the server.

Prerequisites

Before you can enable your Google Analytics Server-Side Destination, you will need to:

Step 1: Add GA4 as a Server-Side Destination

In My Tracking > Click Add Destination

Find and select GA4 If you are not seeing in the Destination list use the search feature.

You'll be taken to an overview screen, go ahead and press Get Started.

Step 2: Enter your GA4 Settings

Add your GA4 Measurement ID.

If you want to send custom dimension or have source/medium overrides for specific channel/order tags you can do so by exploring the Advanced Options

Step 3: Select Your Events

Currently the GA4 Server-Side integration just sends purchase conversions & refunds server-side. We are looking into sitewide server-side events.

Most likely, you won't need to adjust anything and can just select Save to continue to the next step.

Step 4: Consent Mode

If you've configured consent mode in your data layer settings for cookie compliance, then you can configure this option here as well. [How to make sure my server-side tracking adheres to my consent rules]

If you haven't enabled consent mode in your data layer settings, select Save & Continue.

If you have enabled consent mode, you will not be able to disable for your GA4 destination. By default your tracking will be set to utilize advanced consent mode which will will send anonymous data for GA4. Learn more about GA4 data modeling with anonymous data

If you do not wish to send anonymous data, select Customize settings and select additional consent categories. If a shopper declines any selected additional consent categories, data will not be sent to GA4 unless the shopper has provided consent.

Step 5: Select your Transaction Identifier

The Order Name is the most commonly used Transaction ID, so you likely won't need to adjust anything and can just select _Save _to continue to the next step.

Step 6: Select your Product Identifier

Product SKU is almost always used as the primary product ID in GA4 integrations, but you can override this for your purchase events.

If you change this, just be sure you update all ecommerce events to use this new product identifier (e.g. add to cart, etc).

Select _Save _to continue to the next step!

Step 7: Block Transactions

This step allows you to control exactly what purchase events are sent to GA4. You can block orders based on Source Channel Names, Order Tags or Order Gateways.

We'd recommend blocking any offline orders (e.g. Draft Orders) from being sent to GA4. Why? These orders don't have an associated session, so they may appear in your Traffic Acquisition Report as (not set). By default our best practice is to block exchange orders. You can leave this as is or add other offline channels

Learn how to block additional types of orders in this guide.

Not sure if you need to block and additional orders? Look at what Sales Channels you have in Shopify!

Otherwise, select Save to continue.

Step 8: Subscriptions

  1. If you sell subscriptions, select whether you are using the unified Shopify checkout, or are using a separate checkout.

  2. If using a separate checkout, select if you use ReCharge, OrderGroove or another subscription software.

  3. Decide if you want to send recurring orders to GA4. This is a business decision for your team to make.

  4. If you do want to send recurring orders to GA4, choose to either use the attribution of the first order or to set a custom attribution for these orders.

    If you do chose to use original attribution, be aware that this only works correctly with Recharge, and you must have "Save Order Notes" enabled in your Shopify source. Learn more about enabling order notes.

  5. Select Save & Continue to move on to the next step.

Step 9: Web Container Setup

Select Download Pre-Built Web Tags

Import the downloaded file to your Google Tag Manager Web Container. [How do I do this?]

Once imported, publish the new tags. [How do I do this?]

Select Mark as Complete after completing these steps

Step 10: Going Live

It's time to go live!

  1. Select Go Live on the Overview Step

    Be sure your GA4 Pre-Built Web Tags are published in Step 9.

Remove your previous tracking

If your previous GA4 tracking was implemented via Shopify follow this guide to remove your tracking. If you have installed a different way you'll want to remove that code or installation method.

Monitor your GA4 property via real time reports and/or your standard reports

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to ask us for help.