GA4 setup service in Japan – from installation to key events and ads

What a GA4 setup service includes

A GA4 setup covers installing the measurement ID, deciding what to measure, checking that it records correctly, and connecting it to your ads and search data. UNANOBO offers the following as one fixed service:

• Installation: GA4 property and data stream, installed with the Google tag or Google Tag Manager
• Core settings: data retention, internal traffic filter, unwanted referrals, time zone and currency
• Key events: form submissions, completed bookings, phone taps, purchases – the actions that matter
• Consent: cookie banner and Consent Mode, plus a check of your privacy policy wording
• Linking: Google Ads, Search Console and, for online stores, Merchant Center
• Testing and handover: checks in DebugView and Realtime, and a written list of every setting

If GA4 is already on your site, you can order an audit and fix only. New to GA4? Start with our GA4 basics guide.

What goes wrong with a basic GA4 install

GA4 records page views out of the box, so many sites assume they are covered. These symptoms usually point to missing settings:

• GA4 shows a different number of inquiries or bookings than your inbox
• You cannot compare with last year because explorations only keep two months of data
• Your own visits inflate the traffic numbers
• Purchases show the payment provider as their traffic source
• Google Ads shows zero conversions, so Smart Bidding has nothing to learn from
• Nobody knows whose account owns the property, so access cannot be granted

GA4 only applies changes from the day you make them – it cannot fix past data. The sooner the setup is right, the more useful history you build. A good first step: open Admin and check data retention and your list of key events.

Checklist of a correct GA4 setup

Use this list whether you set up GA4 yourself or want to check work done by someone else.

• Ownership: the GA4 account belongs to your company's Google account; outside helpers get user access
• Data retention: changed from the default two months to 14 months
• Time zone and currency: Japan and JPY (or your reporting currency)
• Internal traffic: office and home IP addresses defined and the filter set to active
• Unwanted referrals: external payment and booking services listed
• Enhanced measurement: scrolls, outbound clicks and form interactions recording as intended
• Cross-domain: configured if bookings or checkout run on another domain
• No duplicate tags: old tags, the Google tag and Tag Manager are not all firing at once

Duplicate tags are especially common after a redesign or theme change. If you want all tags in one place, see Google Tag Manager setup.

How to choose and set up GA4 key events

In 2024 Google renamed GA4 "conversions" to "key events". Google Ads still calls them conversions and imports them from GA4. The idea stays the same: record the actions that bring business.

Too many key events make it hard to see what really counts. Work through these steps:

• Pick the main outcome: inquiry, booking, brochure request or purchase
• Find the moment of completion: a thank-you page, a successful submit or the purchase event – something that fires once
• Separate supporting actions: phone taps and LINE button clicks as their own key events
• Test it: submit the real form and confirm one event in DebugView and Realtime
• Import into Google Ads: decide which conversions drive bidding and which are for reference

For online stores, sending order value and product data with each purchase lets you compare revenue by ad. For the full picture including Meta Ads, read conversion tracking setup.

Consent and ads linking: points to check

Telling visitors what you measure matters as much as accuracy. In Japan, the amended Telecommunications Business Act introduced rules in 2023 on sending user information to third parties, such as through cookies, including a duty to disclose it. Who is covered and what is required depends on your situation, so check the latest guidance from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and mention your analytics tools in your privacy policy.

If you have visitors or customers abroad, combine a cookie banner with Google Consent Mode so tags respond to each visitor's choice. For ads linking, check the following:

• Link GA4 and Google Ads with admin access from the same owner and turn on auto-tagging
• Link Search Console to see search queries next to landing pages
• Decide on Google signals together with your privacy policy wording
• On Shopify or BASE, make sure the platform's own integration and manual tags do not overlap

How UNANOBO handles GA4 setup

Send us your site address first. We review your current tags and propose a measurement plan – which actions should be key events and how they connect to your ads. We can also build a free demo of your site with clear paths to inquiry built in, so you can rethink the site and the tracking together.

The process is simple: free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, from setup to reading the numbers after launch, so you keep one contact. Everything runs by message, in Japanese or English. GA4 and Google Ads accounts are created and kept in your name, and you receive a written list of the settings.