✅ How to Set Up GA4 (Part 2): Time Zone, Data Retention, Google Signals, and Search Console Linking

How to Set Up GA4 (Part 2): Time Zone, Data Retention, Google Signals, and Search Console Linking

If you’ve just connected your GA4 tracking through Google Tag Manager, the next step is optimizing your GA4 property settings. This tutorial walks you through four essential configurations:

1. Set your preferred time zone and currency
2. Extend data retention to 14 months
3. Turn on Google Signals for enhanced reporting
4. Link Search Console to unlock SEO performance insights

These settings make a huge difference in your long-term analytics accuracy—especially if you plan to grow your blog and increase your AdSense earnings.

1. Set Your Time Zone and Currency

Your GA4 property should match the time zone and currency you want to use for tracking and reporting.
This ensures your traffic patterns and revenue insights align correctly with your workflow.

Steps:

• Go to Admin → Property Settings → Property Details
• Set:
• Reporting time zone → choose your preferred region (e.g., South Korea – GMT+09:00)
• Currency → select your main reporting currency (e.g., USD ($))
• Click Save

This alignment prevents inaccurate reporting (especially important for RPM calculations).

2. Extend Your Data Retention Period (14 Months)

By default, GA4 stores event and user data for only 2 months.
For SEO, long-term growth tracking, and AdSense optimization, you need 14 months.

Steps:

• Go to Admin → Data Settings → Data Retention

• Set both:

  Event data retention → 14 months
• User data retention → 14 months
• Enable:
• ✓ Reset user data on new activity
• Save

This allows year-over-year comparisons and long-term SEO pattern analysis.

3. Enable Google Signals (Google Data Collection)

Google Signals unlocks advanced features:

• Cross-device tracking
• Better remarketing audience insights
• More accurate demographic reports

Steps:

1. Go to Admin → Data Collection
2. Turn ON Google Signals data collection
3. Confirm and save

If your website targets global English-speaking users, Google Signals greatly improves reporting accuracy.

4. Connect GA4 with Google Search Console

Linking Search Console reveals:

• Search queries that bring traffic
• Impressions, clicks, CTR
• Landing page performance
• Index coverage & SEO diagnostics

This is essential for fast SEO growth.

After linking, you’ll see two new reports inside GA4:

• Organic Search Queries
• Organic Search Traffic

Steps:

• Go to Admin → Product Links → Search Console Links
• Click Link

• Choose your verified Search Console domain property

• Select the GA4 Web Stream (ex: unicosmos.pe.kr)

• Review → Submit
• GA4 will show “Link Created” once complete

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Next Tutorial:
➡️ Upload a Free Google HTML Template to Your Blogger Site (for SEO + UX improvement)

Recommended Previous Posts

1. How to Exclude Internal IP Traffic in GA4 (Step-by-Step Guide)
2. Google Tag Manager: How to Connect Your GA4 Measurement ID etc