Initial commit

skills/ga4-setup/references/property-creation-guide.md

@@ -0,0 +1,348 @@
+# GA4 Property Creation Guide
+
+Complete step-by-step guide for creating Google Analytics 4 accounts, properties, and data streams.
+
+## Account Hierarchy
+
+GA4 uses a three-level hierarchy:
+
+```
+Google Account (Login credentials)
+└── Analytics Account (Container for properties)
+    └── GA4 Property (Analytics container for website/app)
+        └── Data Stream (Platform-specific: Web, iOS, Android)
+            └── Events & Parameters
+```
+
+## Understanding the Hierarchy
+
+### Level 1: Google Account
+- Your Gmail/Google Workspace login
+- Required to access Google Analytics
+- Can own multiple Analytics accounts
+- No configuration needed (use existing account)
+
+### Level 2: Analytics Account
+- Container for organizing properties
+- Typically one per business or organization
+- Limit: Up to 2,000 properties per account
+- Shared settings: data sharing, account-level users, change history
+
+### Level 3: GA4 Property
+- Container for a specific website, app, or business unit
+- Can have multiple data streams
+- Property-specific settings: timezone, currency, industry, objectives
+- Limit: 2,000 properties per account
+
+### Level 4: Data Stream
+- Tracks specific platform (web, iOS, or Android)
+- Each stream has unique Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX)
+- Limit: Up to 1,000 data streams per property
+
+## Creating an Analytics Account
+
+### When to Create a New Account
+
+Create a new Analytics account when:
+
+- Starting analytics for a new organization
+- Separating client work (agencies)
+- Requiring distinct permission boundaries
+- Organizationally separating business units
+
+### Account Creation Steps
+
+1. Navigate to https://analytics.google.com
+2. Click "Start measuring" or Admin → Create Account
+3. Enter account name (e.g., "Acme Corporation")
+4. Configure account data sharing settings:
+   - Google products & services (recommended: enabled)
+   - Benchmarking (recommended: enabled)
+   - Technical support (recommended: enabled)
+   - Account specialists (optional)
+5. Click "Next" to proceed to property creation
+
+### Account Data Sharing Settings
+
+**Google Products & Services**:
+- Shares data to improve Google products
+- Enables product recommendations
+
+**Benchmarking**:
+- Allows comparison with industry peers
+- Anonymously shares data for aggregate reports
+
+**Technical Support**:
+- Google support can access account for troubleshooting
+- Recommended for faster issue resolution
+
+**Account Specialists**:
+- Share with Google account managers
+- Only relevant if you have dedicated account rep
+
+## Creating a GA4 Property
+
+### Property Details
+
+**Step 1: Property Name**
+
+Enter a descriptive property name:
+- Use clear naming: "Main Website", "Mobile App", "E-commerce Site"
+- Include environment if applicable: "Production Website" vs "Test Website"
+- Keep under 100 characters
+
+**Step 2: Reporting Time Zone**
+
+Select your primary business timezone:
+- Used for day boundaries in reports
+- Example: "United States - Pacific Time"
+- **Critical**: Cannot be changed retroactively affects historical data
+- Choose carefully based on where business operates
+
+**Step 3: Currency**
+
+Select reporting currency:
+- Used for revenue and monetary value reporting
+- Example: "US Dollar (USD)" or "Euro (EUR)"
+- All monetary values converted to this currency
+- Can be changed later without affecting historical data
+
+### Advanced Settings
+
+**Step 4: Industry Category (Optional)**
+
+Select relevant industry:
+- Automotive
+- Business & Industrial Markets
+- Finance
+- Healthcare
+- Technology
+- Travel
+- Real Estate
+- And more...
+
+**Purpose**: Influences default reports and recommendations
+
+**Step 5: Business Size (Optional)**
+
+Select company size:
+- Small (1-100 employees)
+- Medium (100-500 employees)
+- Large (500+ employees)
+
+### Business Objectives
+
+**Step 6: Select Objectives**
+
+Choose objectives that match business goals:
+
+**Option 1: Get baseline reports**
+- Default reports for all businesses
+- Choose if unsure or want standard setup
+- Recommended for first-time GA4 users
+
+**Option 2: Examine user behavior**
+- User engagement and retention reports
+- Path exploration tools
+
+**Option 3: Measure customer actions**
+- Conversion tracking emphasis
+- Ecommerce-focused reports
+
+**Option 4: Get insights on customers**
+- Demographics and interests
+- Requires Google Signals
+
+**Option 5: Improve marketing ROI**
+- Advertising and attribution reports
+- Google Ads integration
+
+**Note**: Can select multiple objectives; influences default reporting UI
+
+### Accepting Terms
+
+**Step 7: Review and Accept**
+
+- Google Analytics Terms of Service
+- Data Processing Amendment (GDPR)
+- Country-specific terms if applicable
+
+Read and check acceptance boxes, then click "Create"
+
+## Property Settings Configuration
+
+After property creation, configure additional settings:
+
+### Navigate to Property Settings
+
+1. Admin → Property → Property Settings
+2. Review and adjust:
+   - Property name (can change later)
+   - Industry category
+   - Time zone (CRITICAL - choose correctly first time)
+   - Currency (can change)
+   - Property ID (read-only, format: properties/XXXXXXXXXX)
+
+### Enable Google Signals (Optional)
+
+**Location**: Admin → Data Settings → Data Collection
+
+**Purpose**:
+- Collect demographics (age, gender)
+- Enable cross-device tracking
+- Requires users signed into Google accounts
+
+**Requirements**:
+- User consent for ad personalization
+- Compliance with privacy regulations
+
+**Enable Steps**:
+1. Admin → Data Settings → Data Collection
+2. Click "Get Started" under Google Signals
+3. Review requirements
+4. Click "Activate"
+
+**Impact**:
+- Demographics & interests reports available
+- Cross-device user tracking
+- Enhanced audience building
+
+### Configure Data Retention
+
+**Location**: Admin → Data Settings → Data Retention
+
+**Options**:
+- 2 months (default)
+- 14 months (recommended for most)
+- 26 months (GA4 360 only)
+- 38 months (GA4 360 only)
+- 50 months (GA4 360 only)
+
+**What's Affected**:
+- User-level data in Explorations
+- Event-level data in Explorations
+- User Explorer report
+
+**Not Affected**:
+- Standard reports (aggregated data retained indefinitely)
+- Conversion data
+- Audience data
+
+**Recommendation**: Set to 14 months for year-over-year analysis
+
+### Reset User Data on New Activity
+
+**Toggle Option**: ON or OFF
+
+**ON (Default)**:
+- Retention timer resets with each new event from user
+- User data persists as long as user remains active
+
+**OFF**:
+- Data deleted after retention period regardless of activity
+- Use for stricter privacy compliance
+
+## Property Best Practices
+
+### Naming Conventions
+
+Use consistent, descriptive names:
+
+**Good Examples**:
+- "Acme Corp - Production Website"
+- "Acme Corp - iOS App"
+- "Acme Corp - Test Environment"
+
+**Bad Examples**:
+- "Website 1"
+- "Test"
+- "Property123"
+
+### Environment Separation
+
+**Create Separate Properties For**:
+- Production website/app
+- Staging/test environment
+- Development environment
+
+**Why**: Prevents test data from polluting production analytics
+
+### Property Organization
+
+**Single Business**:
+- One property per major digital property (website, app)
+- Multiple data streams within property for subdomains
+
+**Multiple Businesses/Clients**:
+- Separate Analytics accounts for each
+- Or separate properties within agency account
+
+### Documentation
+
+**Document for Each Property**:
+- Property ID and name
+- Measurement IDs for all data streams
+- Timezone and currency selections
+- Business objectives chosen
+- Setup date and responsible person
+- Installation method used
+
+## Common Property Creation Issues
+
+### Issue: Cannot Create Property
+
+**Causes**:
+- Reached 2,000 property limit
+- Insufficient permissions
+- Account suspended
+
+**Solutions**:
+- Delete unused properties
+- Request Admin access from account owner
+- Contact Google support for suspension issues
+
+### Issue: Wrong Timezone Selected
+
+**Problem**: Cannot change timezone after creation
+
+**Solutions**:
+- Delete and recreate property (if just created)
+- Export data and create new property (if has historical data)
+- Accept timezone and use data studio for reporting in different timezone
+
+### Issue: Don't Know Which Industry Category
+
+**Solution**: Choose "Other" or most relevant category
+- Not critical for functionality
+- Can be changed later
+- Only affects suggested reports
+
+### Issue: Multiple Properties vs Multiple Data Streams
+
+**Decision Framework**:
+
+**Use Multiple Data Streams (Same Property)** when:
+- Same business entity
+- Want combined reporting
+- Example: main site + blog subdomain
+
+**Use Multiple Properties** when:
+- Different business entities
+- Different permission requirements
+- Test vs production
+- Example: separate brands, client sites
+
+## Next Steps After Property Creation
+
+1. **Create Data Stream** (see data-streams-configuration.md)
+2. **Install Tracking Code** (see installation-methods.md)
+3. **Verify Installation** (see verification-checklist.md)
+4. **Configure Enhanced Measurement**
+5. **Set up Internal Traffic Filters**
+6. **Create First Custom Events**
+
+## Additional Resources
+
+- Official Google: GA4 Property Setup
+- Official Google: Account Structure Best Practices
+- Official Google: Data Retention Settings