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How to Read Google Analytics (GA4) Without Being a Tech Expert

How to Read Google Analytics (GA4) Without Being a Tech Expert

Q: Is Google Analytics 4 easy to learn?

GA4 has a learning curve, but it becomes quite manageable once you understand the core reports, like traffic sources, engagement, and conversions. With a guided setup, most clinics can confidently use GA4 without requiring technical skills.

Q: Can you use GA4 without Google Tag Manager?

Yes, you can install GA4 directly on your website using the tracking code. However, using Google Tag Manager (GTM) offers more flexibility, especially if you want to track custom actions, such as button clicks or form submissions, without involving a developer each time.

Q: What is the difference between GTM and GA4?

Think of GA4 as the analytics dashboard that shows your data, while GTM is the tool that helps you send that data to GA4. GTM manages all your tracking tags in one place, making it easier to update them without modifying your website code.

Q: Is there an alternative to Google Analytics?

Yes. Platforms like Matomo, Plausible, Clicky, or Adobe Analytics offer alternatives. Some focus on privacy (like Plausible), while others offer enterprise-level tools. However, GA4 remains the most robust and widely supported, especially if you're using Google Ads or SEO.

Q: Is there a free version of Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Yes, GA4 is entirely free and includes all core tracking features. For larger hospitals or enterprise healthcare systems, Google also offers GA4 360, a premium version with advanced features; however, the free version is more than sufficient for most clinics.

July 22, 2025Posted By: Manjiri Bhate

Digital marketing for clinicsGA4 for healthcareHealthcare MarketingPatient conversion tracking

Introduction

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google’s newest web analytics platform — a complete rebuild of the older Universal Analytics (UA). Designed for today’s cross-device world, GA4 doesn’t just count pageviews; it focuses on what users do, such as clicking buttons, scrolling pages, watching videos, or filling out appointment forms.

Instead of merely showing that 500 people visited your “Knee Replacement” page, GA4 helps you:

Track behavior patterns across multiple visits
Identify where patients drop off before booking
Discover which content drives the most engagement
Measure campaign performance across Google, Facebook, referrals, and more

For healthcare practices, this level of insight goes far beyond vanity metrics. It tells the real story — how prospective patients interact with your website, what persuades them to reach out, and where you might be losing them.

GA4 vs. Universal Analytics: What Changed — and Why It Matters

Universal Analytics focused on sessions and pageviews — practical, but often too shallow for strategic decisions. GA4 shifts the focus to events, meaning it logs specific patient actions, like:

Clicking a “Book Now” button
Watching a surgery testimonial video
Downloading a knee replacement recovery guide
Viewing doctor bios or facility photos
Calling your clinic or starting a WhatsApp chat

The biggest leap?
GA4 tracks these interactions across devices, giving you a unified view of the patient journey. With built-in machine learning, it even predicts which types of visitors are more likely to convert, eliminating the need for a data science team. These features aren’t just fancy tech upgrades. They’re practical tools that help hospitals and clinics make smarter marketing decisions, improve patient experiences, and grow confidently, even without technical know-how.

So, how do you get started? First, let’s walk you through logging in and understanding what to look at first.

How to Log In to GA4 and What to Look At First

Logging into GA4 might initially seem intimidating, but it’s surprisingly straightforward. You don’t need to install any extra software — just access your GA4 property through your Google account. Here are a few simple steps to start with:

Go to https://analytics.google.com
Sign in using the Google account associated with your website.
Select your GA4 property from the dropdown in the top-left corner (If your account was upgraded from Universal Analytics, your GA4 property will be listed separately)
Once inside, you’ll land on the “Reports Snapshot” — your command center.

Pro Tip:
Bookmark this dashboard for daily or weekly check-ins. You don’t need to explore every tab — we’ll focus on just a few key areas that matter to healthcare providers.

Once you are in, here are the top three most important places to begin:

Reports Snapshot

This gives a quick overview of traffic trends, user activity, and real-time engagement. It answers:

How many people visited today?
Where are they coming from? (Google, Facebook, etc.)
Are users engaging or leaving quickly?

Real-time Report

Ideal for checking if your marketing campaign or new landing page is getting attention. You’ll see:

Who’s on the site right now?
Which pages they’re viewing
What actions they’re taking (e.g., clicking “Book Now”)

Engagement → Pages and Screens

This report shows which pages are most frequently visited and how much time people spend on them. For a clinic, this could reveal:

High-interest services (e.g., Knee Replacement vs. Physical Therapy)
Drop-off points where patients lose interest
Pages that drive form submissions or calls

Now that you’re inside GA4 and know where to begin, let’s zoom in on the metrics that truly matter for your clinic or hospital.

Metrics That Matter Most (Visitors, Bounce Rate, Conversions)

Once you’re inside GA4 and exploring the right reports, it’s time to focus on what the numbers mean and, more importantly, which ones truly matter for clinics and hospitals.

Total Users (a.k.a. Visitors)

This indicates the number of unique individuals who visited your website. It helps answer:

Is your visibility improving after running ads or doing SEO?
Are more people discovering your clinic online?

Look at trends over time (weekly/monthly). Sudden dips might mean your ads aren’t performing, or there’s an issue with SEO or your website.

You can find this option at:

Reports → Life Cycle → Acquisition → User acquisition

Engagement Rate (Replaces Bounce Rate)

Old versions of Google Analytics tracked the “bounce rate,” which measured the percentage of people who left your site after viewing only one page. However, GA4 uses the Engagement Rate, which is much more helpful. It measures how many users:

Stayed on the site for 10+ seconds
Viewed multiple pages, or
Triggered an event (like clicking a button)

A higher engagement rate indicates that your website is effectively serving its purpose, whether by educating users, answering questions, or encouraging them to book.

Where to find it:

Reports → Engagement → Overview

Conversions (Appointment Submissions, Calls, Downloads)

This is the most critical metric — it tells you if people are taking meaningful actions, such as:

Submitting an appointment request form
Clicking a “Call Now” button
Downloading a service brochure or patient guide

You’ll need to set up conversions in GA4 manually (we’ll cover that next), but once you’ve done that, you can measure marketing performance directly.

Where to find it:

Reports → Engagement → Conversions

Once you know what to look for, GA4 becomes much less intimidating. Let’s move on to one of the most critical things you should be tracking, because that’s where interest turns into action.

How to Track Appointment Form Submissions

If you’re running paid ads, working on SEO, or promoting your services through social media, it’s essential to understand which marketing efforts drive the most appointment requests. Tracking form submissions tells you:

Which campaigns are generating real leads
Which pages encourage patients to take action
Where users might be dropping off

Option 1: Track Using “Thank You” Page

Tracking is effortless if your form redirects users to a Thank-You page after submission.

Steps:

Go to your GA4 dashboard
Navigate to Admin → Events
Click Create Event
Name your event (e.g., appointment_form_submit)
Set the condition as:
- event_name equals page_view
- page_location contains /thank-you
Save the event
Mark it as a conversion under Admin → Conversions.

And that’s it! It’s a form submission whenever someone lands on the Thank You page.

Option 2: Track Button Clicks

You’ll need to track button clicks if your form submits without redirecting (e.g., an AJAX-based form).

Steps:

Install Google Tag Manager (GTM) (if it’s not already set up)
Create a Click Trigger that targets the “Submit” button
Use GTM to fire a custom event (e.g., form_submit) when the button is clicked
In GA4:
- Go to Admin → Events → Create Event
- Use event_name equals form_submit
- Mark it as a conversion.

Pro Tip:
If needed, ask your developer to assist you in setting this up. It’s a one-time setup that takes less than 15 minutes.

Once set up, follow these simple steps to check the number.
Reports → Engagement → Conversions

Look for your custom event (appointment_form_submit or form_submit), and you’ll see how many patients reached that final step. Your marketing becomes more innovative and accountable when you see how many patients are taking action. Now that your form tracking is in place, let’s explore how to set up simple goals in GA4 to track other meaningful actions.

Setting Up Simple Goals in GA4 (Step-by-Step)

In GA4, “Goals” are now called Conversions, and they help you track the actions that matter for your clinic or hospital, like form submissions, phone calls, brochure downloads, or even WhatsApp chats. Once these are set up, you’ll stop guessing and start knowing precisely what’s driving results.

Let’s walk through a basic setup using GA4’s built-in tools:

Step 1: Identify the Event You Want to Track

Start by defining what user action qualifies as a conversion for your clinic. This could be:

A form submission
A visit to a thank-you page
A click on your WhatsApp chat button
A brochure download
A tap-to-call button

Ideally, this is something already firing as an event in your GA4 account. If it’s not, don’t worry — you can create one easily in a later step.

Step 2: Log In to GA4 and Navigate to Admin

Once you’re logged into your GA4 account:

Look at the bottom-left corner
Click the gear icon labeled “Admin.”

This is your main settings panel where you can manage data streams, events, and conversions.

Step 3: Click on “Events”

Look for the event you want to convert, such as form submissions, page views, or click-to-call actions.

If you already see it in the list, you’re one step closer to tracking it as a goal.

Simply toggle it on to start measuring its impact on your clinic’s performance.

If You Don’t See the Event Yet

You must create a custom event for button clicks or unique actions. Here’s a quick guide:

Go to Admin → Events → Create Event
Name it clearly: e.g., whatsapp_click or brochure_download
Define the matching conditions:
- event_name equals click
- link_url contains whatsapp.com or the URL of the file/page
Save it
Then go back and mark it as a conversion.

Step 4: Mark the Event as a Conversion

Next to the event, toggle the “Mark as Conversion” option to ON.

That’s it! No complex coding or tech help needed if the event is already being tracked.

Conversions tell you what’s working. If your Facebook ads bring 100 visitors, but only 1 books an appointment, you’ll know it’s time to tweak your ad targeting, page layout, or call-to-action. Now that you’re tracking form submissions and setting goals, your GA4 is no longer just a dashboard — it’s your decision-making tool.

Let’s wrap this up with one final step: how to get free help setting it all up, so you can focus on your patients.

Conclusion

Once you know what to track, where to look, and how to set up simple goals, you’ll see a tool that quietly reveals what’s working and what needs fixing. Whether you’re running a multi-specialty hospital or a small clinic, GA4 can help you answer questions like:

Are patients engaging with your content?
Which services attract the most interest?
Is your advertising spend turning into real patient leads?

ZealousWeb understands that healthcare professionals have more important things to focus on than analytics dashboards. That’s why our team is offering a free GA4 setup support session — no strings attached.

In just 30 minutes, we’ll help you:

Set up GA4 the right way
Track meaningful goals like form submissions or calls
Understand your most important metrics
Align your data with your marketing campaigns

Request your complimentary GA4 setup session with our in-house experts and simplify your data, allowing you to focus on patient care and practice growth.