How To Load Multiple Google Analytics 4 Properties With A Single Script

Monitoring a single site with multiple Google Analytics 4 (GA4) accounts can serve various purposes related to sales, marketing, and online technology. Here are some reasons why a company might want to do this:

1. Data Segmentation: Different departments or teams within a company may have specific analytics needs. Using multiple GA4 accounts, they can segment and view relevant data to their respective areas, such as marketing, sales, product development, and customer support.
2. Access Control: GA4 allows you to set different access levels for each account. Companies can use multiple accounts to control who has access to specific data and reports. For example, the marketing team may access marketing-related data, while the sales team can access sales-related data.
3. Client Reporting: If a company provides services to multiple clients or partners and manages their websites, having separate GA4 accounts for each client’s website allows for customized reporting and tracking of performance. This can be especially important in marketing agencies.
4. Testing and Experimentation: For companies that conduct A/B testing, having multiple GA4 accounts can help separate data for different test groups. This ensures that the results are not mixed and allows for accurate analysis of the impact of changes.
5. Geographic or Regional Tracking: If a company operates in multiple geographic regions or markets, having separate GA4 accounts for each region allows for localized tracking and analysis of website performance, helping tailor marketing and sales strategies accordingly.
6. Data Backup and Redundancy: By having multiple GA4 accounts, a company can create redundant data backups. This ensures that critical website data is not lost in case of technical issues or accidental data deletions.
7. Third-Party Integration: Some third-party tools and platforms may require their own GA4 account for integration purposes. Having separate accounts makes it easier to manage these integrations without affecting other analytics data.
8. Compliance and Privacy: Different regions or jurisdictions may have specific data privacy and compliance requirements. Separating GA4 accounts can help ensure data handling and retention policies comply with local regulations.

GA4 Script

To include GA4 tracking on a website, you need to add a script to your website’s HTML code. Here’s an example of what a single GA4 tracking script looks like:

<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=GA_MEASUREMENT_ID"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag() {
    dataLayer.push(arguments);
  }
  gtag('js', new Date());

  gtag('config', 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID');
</script>

You should place this script just before the closing </head> tag on all website pages where you want to track user interactions. In this script:

• The first <script> tag asynchronously loads the Google Analytics gtag.js library from Google’s servers. Replace 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID' with your actual GA4 Measurement ID, which is unique to your GA4 property.
• The second <script> block initializes the window.dataLayer array, defines a gtag() function for pushing events and data to the dataLayer, and sets up the configuration for GA4 using your Measurement ID.

Make sure to replace 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID' with the actual Measurement ID for your GA4 property, which you can find in your Google Analytics account. Once implemented, GA4 will start collecting data about user behavior on your site, including pageviews, events, and more, which you can analyze in your GA4 property.

GA4 Script With Multiple Accounts

Incorporating multiple accounts is simple. You add the measurement ID for each of your GA4 Accounts.

<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag() {
    dataLayer.push(arguments);
  }
  gtag('js', new Date());

  gtag('config', 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID1');
  gtag('config', 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID2');
</script>

• The first <script> tag asynchronously loads the Google Analytics gtag.js library from Google’s servers. Replace 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID1' and 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID2' with your actual GA4 Measurement IDs unique to each GA4 property.
• The second <script> block initializes the window.dataLayer array, defines a gtag() function for pushing events and data to the dataLayer, and sets up the configuration for GA4 using your Measurement IDs.

Differentiating Events By GA4 Property

If you want to track data from multiple GA4 accounts in a single script, you can use the send_to parameter to specify which account you want to send each event to. For example, the following code would track a pageview to the first GA4 account and an event to the second GA4 account:

gtag('event', 'pageview', { 'send_to': 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID1' });
gtag('event', 'sign_in', { 'send_to': 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID2' });

The send_to parameter is optional. If you do not specify the send_to parameter, the event will be sent to all the GA4 accounts included in the script.

My recommendation would be to manage all of this in Google Tag Manager. If your company needs assistance with GA4, DK New Media can help! We do comprehensive audits for our clients, ensuring events and campaigns are properly enabled, helping them back up and report across historical Universal Analytis, providing reporting, and incorporating all other channel and medium insights.