Integration with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Helpdesk

This article provides a detailed guide on integrating Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with Scanova. It explains tracking scenarios, setup steps, required credentials, and how to analyze QR Code scan and engagement data in GA4.

Introduction

Integrating Scanova with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) enables organizations to measure QR Code performance and user engagement effectively. Depending on how QR Codes are deployed, GA4 tracking behaves differently.

If QR Codes redirect users to external websites where GA4 is installed, GA4 automatically captures rich user data. However, for Scanova-hosted landing pages, engagement data is sent via API, and GA4 only reflects the specific events transmitted.

This article outlines the complete process for setting up GA4 integration, retrieving required credentials, enabling event tracking, and analyzing data within GA4.

A. Understanding GA4 tracking scenarios

Tracking QR Code performance in GA4 depends on how the QR Code is used. The following are the two possible scenarios:

A.1 QR Code-driven traffic to the website

In this scenario, QR Codes redirect users to an external webpage where GA4 tracking is already implemented.

When a user scans the QR Code, they are redirected to the destination webpage
GA4 automatically records the visit as part of its standard tracking

GA4 collects the following additional insights automatically:

User geography (country, city, region)
Device type (mobile, tablet, desktop)
Operating system (Android, iOS, Windows, etc.)
Browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.)
Available demographic information

This method provides comprehensive analytics since GA4 directly tracks user sessions on the destination website.

A.2 Clicks and engagement on Scanova landing pages

In this scenario, QR Codes lead to landing pages hosted on Scanova.

User interactions (such as button clicks) are tracked
Engagement data is sent to GA4 via Measurement Protocol API

Key characteristics of this setup:

GA4 receives only the event data explicitly sent by Scanova
No automatic tracking of user attributes such as:
- Geography
- Device details
- Demographics

As a result:

GA4 reports mainly include engagement events (for example: button clicks)
User-level insights are limited compared to website tracking

Important notes

If a QR Code redirects to a page where GA4 tracking is not implemented, no data will appear in GA4
Universal Analytics (UA) was discontinued on July 1, 2023
UA IDs were supported only until June 30, 2023
All integrations must use Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

B. How to integrate GA4 with Scanova

Follow the steps below to connect your Scanova account with Google Analytics 4:

Log in to your Scanova account
Navigate to Dashboard → Analytics tab
Click Integrations
Under Google Analytics, click Setup

On the setup screen:

Click Setup under Google Analytics
Choose the type of data to send to GA4:
1. Scan Analytics Data
- Select this option to track the number of QR Code scans
- Suitable for monitoring overall QR Code usage
2. Event Tracking Data
- Select this option to track user interactions on Scanova landing pages
- Suitable for tracking clicks on buttons and interactive elements
Enter the required credentials:
- Google Analytics Measurement ID
- Measurement Protocol API Secret
Click Save to complete the integration

Additional notes

QR Code scan tracking starts automatically once integration is enabled
Event tracking requires additional configuration during QR Code creation

C. Steps to enable event tracking

To track engagement events on Scanova landing pages, follow these additional steps:

C.1 Enable event tracking in Scanova settings

Go to Scanova account settings
Ensure that Event Tracking is enabled

This step is mandatory for sending event data to GA4.

C.2 Add tracking to buttons on landing pages

While creating a landing page QR Code:

Navigate to Buttons → Button Design → Track Clicks
Enable click tracking for the required buttons
Assign a Tracking ID (event_tag):
- Use a unique and descriptive name
- Example:
  - "homepage_cta_click"
  - "product_demo_button"
  - "Contact_us_click"

This Tracking ID helps identify specific events in GA4 reports.

D. How to find GA4 measurement ID

The Measurement ID is required to connect GA4 with Scanova.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Google Analytics
Step 2: Select the required GA4 property
Step 3: Click Admin (gear icon at bottom-left)
Step 4: Under Data collection and modification, click Data streams
Step 5: Click Web data stream
Step 6: Select the data stream to integrate
Step 7: Locate the Measurement ID on the stream details page
- Format: G-XXXXXXXXXX

Note:

Measurement ID is specific to each data stream
It is not global across the GA4 account

E. How to create measurement protocol API secret

The API secret is required for sending event data from Scanova to GA4.

Prerequisite:

User must have Editor or higher access in GA4

Steps:

Go to Admin → Data Streams
Select Web → choose the required data stream
Navigate to Measurement Protocol API secrets under Events
Click Create
Enter a nickname for identification
- Example:
  - "Scanova Integration"
  - "QR Event Tracking"

Click Create
Copy the generated API Secret value

This secret will be used in Scanova during integration.

F. Viewing QR Code scan data in GA4

Once integration is complete, QR Code scan data can be accessed in GA4.

Navigate to Reports section

For detailed analysis:

Go to Business Objectives → Traffic → Pages and Screens

Alternative location (depending on GA4 UI version):

Lifecycle → Engagement → Pages and Screens

Key points

Each QR Code can be identified using its unique slug
Reports allow analysis of:
- Page views
- Traffic sources
- User behavior

Note:

Data may take up to 48 hours to appear in GA4 reports

G. Viewing engagement on Scanova landing pages in GA4

For landing page QR Codes, Scanova sends structured event data to GA4.

Each event includes the following parameters:

Field	Description
engagement_time_msec	Duration (in milliseconds) that the user was actively engaged with the page/component when the event occurred.
event_id	Unique identifier for each click event, visible in the API payload.
event_tag	Name of the tracked click event as assigned in Scanova (This is tracking ID that was added in Scanova landing page)
event_time	Timestamp when the user clicked on a trackable component.
ga_session_id	GA4 session identifier to associate multiple events with a single user session.
page_location	URL or landing page where the click occurred
qr_id	Unique identifier of the QR Code
qr_code_name	Name of the QR code in Scanova

These parameters enable detailed filtering and segmentation in GA4.

H. Setting up filters with custom dimensions in GA4

To analyze event parameters effectively, custom dimensions must be created.

Follow these steps:

Go to Google Analytics and open your property
Click Admin
Under Property column, select Custom definitions
Click Create custom image dimension

Fill in the required details:

Dimension name
- Example:
  - Product Name
  - Organization ID
  - Campaign Type
Scope
- Select Event
Description
- Optional but recommended
Event parameter
- Must exactly match:
  - event_id
  - event_tag
  - qr_code_name
Click Save