Google Analytics (GA4) provides powerful insights into visitor behavior on your Uscreen platform. This guide covers everything from basic setup to checkout-event tracking and trial-to-paid conversion measurement with the Measurement Protocol.

ℹ️ INFO: GA4 integration is available for Uscreen Plus plans. If you're not yet on this plan and need this feature, please discuss an upgrade with our Sales team at sales@uscreen.tv.

📝 NOTE: Only GA4 Measurement IDs (format G-XXXXXXXXXX) are accepted. Legacy Universal Analytics IDs (UA-XXXXX) are no longer supported — Google stopped processing Universal Analytics data on July 1, 2023.

Getting Started

Create a GA4 Account

Google Analytics 4

Before connecting to Uscreen, you'll need to set up a Google Analytics 4 property.

Go to Google Analytics
Click Start Measuring if you're new, or Admin if you already have an account
Click Create Account
Enter an account name and configure data sharing settings
Click Next
Enter a property name (preferably your business name)
Select your reporting time zone and currency
Click Next
Provide information about your business
Click Create

After creating your property, you'll need to set up a Data Stream:

In the property setup, select Web as your platform
Enter your Uscreen website URL (e.g., storefront.uscreen.io)
Name your stream (e.g., "Uscreen Website")
Click Create & Continue

Find Your Measurement ID

Click your created stream to locate your Measurement ID. Copy and take note of this measurement ID: G-XXXXXXXXXX.

Connect GA to Uscreen

Navigate to Settings > Integrations
Find Google Analytics and click Connect
Paste your Measurement ID into the Tracking ID field
(Optional but recommended) Paste a Measurement Protocol API Secret — see the next section for how to generate one and what it unlocks
Click Connect

📝 NOTE: Google Analytics is not the same as Google Analytics E-Commerce. Uscreen's client-side events don't populate the GA4 e-commerce reports automatically; see What Uscreen Tracks to GA4 below for the exact events sent.

Enable Measurement Protocol for Trial-to-Paid Conversions (optional, recommended)

Uscreen also supports Google's server-side Measurement Protocol for one specific high-value event: a free trial converting to a paid subscription.

When a trial ends and the user is charged for the first time, the conversion happens server-side — the customer isn't on your site, so the browser pixel can't fire. Without the Measurement Protocol, GA4 never sees those paid conversions and can't tie them back to the original trial signup.

To enable it:

In GA4 Admin > Data Streams, select your web stream, then choose Measurement Protocol API secrets > Create — see Google's guide
Copy the generated API Secret
In Uscreen, go to Settings > Integrations > Google Analytics
Paste the secret into the Measurement Protocol API Secret field and save

Once enabled, when a trial subscription converts to paid, Uscreen sends a server-side GA4 purchase event with the paid amount, currency, transaction ID, and the user's ga_client_id (captured at signup).

ℹ️ INFO: Measurement Protocol conversions are only sent when the API Secret is configured and the user has a ga_client_id captured at signup. Sign-ups that happened before GA was connected (or where the GA cookie was blocked) are not sent server-side.

What Uscreen Tracks to GA4

Uscreen sends the following data to your GA4 property:

Event Action	Category	Label	When it fires	Method
page views	—	—	Every page load on your storefront	Automatic via `gtag('config')`
Sign Up	Checkout	—	User signs up and moves to the Payment Details step of checkout	Client-side `gtag('event', ...)` (custom event)
Purchase	Checkout	Offer title	Checkout completion (any offer type, including trial signup), donation, or gift	Client-side `gtag('event', ...)` (custom event)
`purchase` (lowercase, GA4 standard)	—	—	A free trial converts to a paid subscription. Includes `transaction_id`, `value`, and `currency`. Requires a Measurement Protocol API Secret.	Server-side via Measurement Protocol

📝 NOTE: The client-side Sign Up and Purchase events are GA4 custom events, not the standard GA4 e-commerce events. The server-side purchase event (trial-to-paid) is a GA4 standard event with proper value/currency parameters.

Example payload sent to Google Analytics (client-side):

gtag('event', 'Purchase', { event_category: 'Checkout', event_label: 'Monthly Subscription' });

Example payload sent via Measurement Protocol (server-side, trial-to-paid):

POST https://www.google-analytics.com/mp/collect?measurement_id=G-XXXXXXXXXX&api_secret=...
{
  "client_id": "GA1.1.1234567890.1234567890",
  "events": [{
    "name": "purchase",
    "params": {
      "transaction_id": "12345",
      "currency": "USD",
      "value": 12.0
    }
  }]
}

📝 NOTE: Our Google Analytics integration is designed for tracking web storefront behavior only. It doesn't support tracking user behavior from Uscreen mobile or TV apps.

Known Limitations

While the Google Analytics integration covers the storefront and most of the checkout funnel, there are some limitations to be aware of.

Trial-to-Paid Conversions (requires Measurement Protocol)

When a user signs up for a free trial, the client-side Purchase event fires on the checkout success page (with no value). The first paid charge happens later, server-side, when the trial ends — and at that point the user isn't on your site, so the browser pixel can't fire.

Without a Measurement Protocol API Secret configured: the trial-to-paid conversion is not sent to GA4. You can't measure or report on trial conversions in this mode.
With a Measurement Protocol API Secret configured: Uscreen sends a server-side GA4 purchase event with the paid amount, currency, and transaction ID.

📝 NOTE: To capture trial-to-paid conversions, see Enable Measurement Protocol above.

Recurring Subscription Payments are not tracked

Recurring subscription renewals (e.g., monthly or annual charges after the first billing cycle) are processed server-side by your payment provider without any browser interaction, and Uscreen does not send them to GA4 — even with the Measurement Protocol enabled.

Client-Side Events Don't Carry Revenue

The client-side Purchase event (capital P, custom event) fires on every checkout success but does not include a value or currency parameter. Only the server-side trial-to-paid purchase event includes revenue data.

If you need revenue figures on every checkout (not just trial conversions), you can implement custom tracking using Google Tag Manager and the JSON payload exposed on the /checkout/success page.

🔗 Learn more about the Checkout Purchase Flow

Mobile App Purchases are not tracked

The Google Analytics integration only works on your web storefront. Purchases made through iOS, Android, or TV apps are not tracked, as these transactions are handled through the respective app stores.

Browser & Privacy Blocking

Client-side GA4 events can be reduced by:

Ad blockers and tracker blockers
Browser privacy features: Safari ITP, Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection
Cookie consent rejections if you have a CMP installed

The Measurement Protocol mitigates ad blockers and browser-side blocking for trial-to-paid conversions specifically.

Tracking Data Across Multiple Domains

If your user experience spans multiple domains (e.g., external-site.com to your-uscreen-site.com), you should configure cross-domain tracking to measure these visits as a single user journey.

ℹ️ INFO: Cross-domain tracking matters because without proper configuration, Google Analytics treats each domain visit as a separate user, inflating your visitor counts and fragmenting your analytics data.

Enable Cross-Domain Tracking in GA4 via GTM Tag

This works after you have connected Google Tag Manager to your Uscreen store and after inserting the GTM installation code to your other external sites.

🔗 Learn more about Google Tag Manager Integration

In Google Analytics, click the gear icon ⚙️ to access the Admin settings
Expand Data Collection and select Data Stream
Click your stream
Scroll down to the Google Tag section and select Configure Tag Settings
Scroll down on the following page and select Configure Your Domains
Add the domains you want to track together
Click Save

💡 TIP: You also have to make sure that your GTM Tag is configured to fire on All Pages.

Analyze the Data

Viewing User Engagement

To analyze checkout events in your GA4 property:

Go to Reports
Expand Business Objectives > View User Engagement
Select Events
Find the Checkout events in your event list
Click on an event to view details

💡 TIP: You can use the Exploration feature of GA4 to create custom reports for deeper analysis or set up custom segments to compare different user groups.

Tracking Traffic Acquisition

To understand where your visitors are coming from:

Go to Reports
Expand Business Objectives > Generate Leads
Select Traffic Acquisition
View the breakdown of traffic by source/medium
Click on specific channels to drill down into more detailed information

💡 TIP: You can use the Comparison feature to compare different segments and create custom reports in Explore to analyze specific traffic patterns.

FAQs

Can I track revenue with Google Analytics?

Partially. The server-side trial-to-paid purchase event (sent via the Measurement Protocol when an API Secret is configured) includes value, currency, and transaction_id, so trial-to-paid revenue is fully tracked in GA4.

The client-side Purchase custom event that fires on every checkout success does not carry value/currency. To report revenue on immediate (non-trial) purchases, implement custom tracking using GTM and the JSON payload on the /checkout/success page. Learn more about Checkout Purchase Flow.

How can I set up Goals for the checkout success page?

In GA4, traditional goals have been replaced by conversion events. You can mark any event as a conversion by going to Admin > Events > Mark as conversion. The client-side Purchase and Sign Up custom events, and the server-side trial-to-paid purchase event, are all good candidates to mark as conversions.

Can I track free trials vs. paid purchases in Google Analytics?

Yes, when the Measurement Protocol API Secret is configured. The two events are distinguishable in GA4:

Trial signup: fires the client-side custom Purchase event (capital P, category Checkout) on the checkout success page
Trial converts to paid: fires the server-side standard purchase event (lowercase, with value/currency/transaction_id) when the first paid charge succeeds

You can filter, segment, or build conversion goals on either event independently.

What should I do if my Google Analytics integration isn't working?

Check that:

You've entered the correct GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX) — Universal Analytics (UA-XXXXX) IDs are not accepted
If you expect trial-to-paid conversions: the Measurement Protocol API Secret is filled in and the user had GA cookies active at signup
You haven't added GTM code elsewhere besides the Head Code snippets
Your browser extensions, ad blockers, or VPN aren't blocking tracking
You've configured any cross-domain tracking correctly

For persistent issues, check the Uscreen status page for service disruptions.

Do I need to add a consent management platform?

If you're using Google Analytics, especially in regions covered by GDPR or similar privacy regulations, you may need to implement a consent management platform. Uscreen doesn't have a built-in cookie banner, so you'll need to add one through Google Tag Manager or by adding code to your Head Code Snippet. Learn more about Adding a Cookie Consent Banner

Can I hire someone to help set up Google Analytics for my Uscreen site?

Yes, if you need specialized help with Google Analytics setup, you can find contractors on platforms like Upwork who specifically offer GA4 and Google Ads setup services for Uscreen.

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