How to set up Google Analytics: a UK business guide

Why does Google Analytics matter more now that AI answers questions?

Google Analytics shows who visits your website, where they came from and what they do next. That matters more now, because some customers ask an AI assistant first and only click when they are ready to act. Fewer visits can still mean more enquiries. Analytics is how you see which is happening to you.

The current version is Google Analytics 4. The setup itself is a short run of forms. The real skill is deciding what to measure. Good reports answer the questions you care about: which pages bring enquiries, and which places send you customers.

The steps below follow Google's own help pages, checked in October 2026. Button names change from time to time, but the order stays the same.

What do you need before you start?

You need a Google Account the business controls, access to your website's settings or code, and a clear idea of what counts as a lead. Use a business account rather than a personal one, so the data stays with the business if someone leaves.

• A Google Account the business owns, not one tied to a former employee.
• Admin access to your website, its content management system (CMS) or its code.
• Your website address, your time zone and your currency.
• A short list of the actions that matter: enquiry forms, calls, bookings or sales.

How do you create a Google Analytics account and property?

Sign in to Google Analytics, go to Admin, select Create and choose Account. Name the account after your business. Then create a property with a name, your reporting time zone and your currency. Google's guide to setting up Analytics for a website shows each screen.

A property is where one website's reports live. Keep one property per website, so your numbers never mix.

Next, Google asks for your industry and business size, then how you intend to use Analytics. If enquiries are the point of your site, choose the option to generate more leads. Google uses that answer to pick your default reports. Finally, select Create and accept the Terms of Service and the Data Processing Amendment.

How do you add your website and the Google tag?

Add a web data stream. In Admin, under Data collection and modification, select Data streams, then Add stream and Web. Enter your website address and a stream name, leave enhanced measurement on and select Create stream. Google then shows a Measurement ID that starts with G-. That ID links your site to the property.

How you add the tag depends on how your site is built:

1. Your website builder or CMS has a Google Analytics field. Paste the Measurement ID there and save.
2. There is no field. Paste the Google tag at the very top of the head section of every page.
3. Someone else runs your site. Send them the Measurement ID and ask them to confirm that every page carries the tag.

Enhanced measurement records page views, scrolls, outbound clicks and site searches without extra code. Make sure no personal information reaches Analytics. A common slip is a form that puts a name or email address into the page address after someone sends it.

How do you check that Google Analytics is working?

Open your website in a fresh browser window and click through a few pages. Then open the Realtime report in Analytics. Google's setup guide says data collection can take up to 30 minutes to begin, so give it that long before you change anything.

If the report stays empty, work through these checks in order:

• The Measurement ID on your site matches the one in your data stream.
• The tag is on every page, not only the home page.
• You accepted analytics cookies on your own banner when you tested. If you declined, your visit will not count.

Rather have it done for you? We build your website free, it goes live in days, and you pay nothing for the first 14 days. No card needed. See how the free 14-day trial works.

Which actions should you mark as key events?

Mark the few actions that mean a real lead: a sent enquiry form, a tap on your phone number, a booking or a sale. In Admin, under Data display, select Events and click the star beside the event. Google's page on marking key events explains how to mark one before it first happens.

Key events connect visits to enquiries, and enquiries are what pay the bills. Good key events for a service business include:

• An enquiry form sent, often measured as a view of your thank-you page.
• A tap on your phone number or WhatsApp link.
• A booking made or a quote requested.
• A chat started with the assistant on your website.

A form only counts if your site sends an event when someone submits it. If yours does not, a thank-you page is the simplest fix.

How do you see visits from AI assistants?

Create a custom channel group with a channel called AI assistants. Give it a condition that the traffic source matches the web addresses of the AI assistants and AI search tools your customers use. Then move that channel above Referrals, so those visits are not mixed in with ordinary links.

Google's page on custom channel groups walks through this exact AI assistants example. It also says custom channel groups apply to your reports retroactively, so you see past visits too. To read the numbers, open Acquisition, then Traffic acquisition, and choose your new channel group.

This is the report that tells you whether AI answers are sending you customers. Update the list of web addresses when a new assistant becomes popular. If the AI channel grows, make sure those tools describe your business correctly. Our guide to getting your business into AI answers covers that next step.

Do you need a cookie banner for Google Analytics?

Usually, yes. Analytics is not needed to show your page. So the safe default is to ask first, and load the Google tag only after a visitor agrees.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance on cookies and similar technologies sets the rule. You must get consent unless a cookie is strictly necessary for the service a visitor asked for. Cookies that are helpful but not essential, or only essential for your own purposes, still need consent.

Google's consent mode changes how its tags behave when someone says no, but it is not a banner. You still need a consent tool that shows the choice and records it. The ICO says it is consulting on revised guidance. It will update that page when the guidance is final, so check it before you change your banner.

Which settings should you change on day one?

A few settings save trouble later. Set data retention to the longest option, so the detail in your exploration reports lasts longer. Link Google Search Console, so you can see the searches behind your visits. Make two people administrators, so access never depends on one person.

• Data retention: the longest option offered.
• Search Console: linked to the same website. Our guide to getting your business on Google shows how to add your site.
• Access: two administrators who both still work with you.
• Key events: marked and tested with a real enquiry.

Analytics is one of several free tools worth having. Our list of the best search engine optimisation (SEO) tools for small business covers the others.

How long does it take, and when should you get help?

The forms take a short session. The real time goes into the detail: the tag on every page, a working form event, consent and the AI channel. Then someone has to read the reports each month and act on them. If your time is better spent with customers, that is the part to hand over.

Buzzozo builds websites that are ready for AI search, with contact forms, click-to-call and an AI chat assistant built in. Our SEO service comes with a clear monthly report: what moved, what we did and what is next. To be named in AI answers as well as search results, see our AI search optimisation service.

Want a website built to turn those visits into enquiries? Compare the plans and prices, or start your free 14-day trial. No card needed.

Common questions