Setting up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to work with FareHarbor

Integrating your GA4 measurement ID in your FareHarbor Dashboard enables ecommerce data to be collected and sent to GA4.

To set up GA4 in FareHarbor:

1. Log in to your FareHarbor Dashboard and go to Settings Analytics & Tracking.
2. Click Add analytics service.
3. Under SKU, enter your company shortname (for example: kayakisland).
4. Add your GA4 measurement ID (for example, G-12345). You can find your measurement ID by following the steps on this Google support page.
5. Optional: Check the box next to Calendar, item grid, or book button is added to multiple websites (read more about this option below).

Calendar, item grid, or book button is added to multiple websites

When to check this box: Select this option if your online booking flow is embedded on other sites (e.g., third-party websites or other websites you manage) and you want to track only the eCommerce data that comes from your own website.

Why it matters: By default, this box is not checked. Leaving it unchecked may cause your analytics to include data from non-API affiliates or your other websites or third party websites where your booking flow is connected, which can inflate your numbers.

What this setting does: When enabled, analytics will only run if the booking flow matches the measurement ID of the underlying (host) website. This ensures that only traffic and sales from your own site are counted, excluding those from external embeds.

Understanding differences in reporting between FareHarbor and GA4 when the checkbox is selected

If you're noticing differences between purchase data in FareHarbor and your GA4 reports, it may be due to how your integration and tracking are set up when the Calendar, item grid, or book button is added to multiple websites checkbox is selected. This setting ensures that GA4 tracks only transactions originating from your primary website, which is the best practice for accurate website performance insights.

However, certain scenarios can prevent purchase events from being recorded in GA4 when this checkbox is selected:

• The FareHarbor integration is not properly configured on your website
• The FareHarbor integration does not lightframe
• The Lightframe is embedded within a custom iframe on your website
• Custom modifications to the Lightframe by your developer can interfere with tracking
• Marketing campaigns that link directly to the Lightframe, skipping your website
• Direct traffic to the Lightframe 

Note: If you operate multiple websites or have ASNs, FareHarbor reports will show purchases from all sources. However, GA4 will only reflect transactions from your main website when the above-mentioned checkbox is selected. This ensures your GA4 reports accurately represent your own website’s performance.

There is one configuration setting that is mandatory in GA4:

• Set up the unwanted referral list

There are 3 configuration settings that are recommended in GA4:

• Activate Google signals
• Set the data retention period
• Configure internal traffic filtering

Setting up your unwanted referral list (mandatory)

To ensure proper configuration and accurate tracking of your traffic source, follow the steps below. You must add fareharbor.com and the URL of your website to the unwanted referral list.

Note: Adding the fareharbor.com URL to the unwanted referral list in GA4 prevents FareHarbor from being recorded as a referral source, which can cause inaccurate attribution of conversions and other metrics, thereby ensuring that transactions and revenue are correctly attributed to their actual sources.

To add fareharbor.com and your website URL to the unwanted referral list:

1. Click the Admin icon in the lower-left corner of the GA window.
2. Go to Property Data Streams.
3. Click Web and click a web data stream.
4. Click Configure tag settings at the bottom of the page.
5. Click Show all in the Settings section to see all available settings.
6. Select List unwanted referrals.
7. Select Referral domain contains in the Match type drop-down:
8. Under Domain, enter fareharbor.com.
9. Click Add condition.
10. Select Referral domain contains in the Match type drop-down.
11. Under Domain enter your website URL, for example: mycompany.com. Do not include www.
12. Click Save in the top-right corner.

Activating Google signals

Google signals is a powerful tool that prevents the loss of cookies and online identifiers. It collects information on individuals who are signed into their Google accounts and have enabled ad personalization. By tracking their interactions across multiple devices, Google signals can provide valuable insights into how users engage throughout their customer journey.

By using Google Signals you can:

• Gain a more holistic view of how your audience behaves on different devices.
• Gather demographic information such as age, gender and interests.
• Create remarketing lists of users for the Google network.

Note: When activating Google signals, you enter an agreement with Google that requires you to give necessary privacy disclosures to, and obtain consent from (opt-in), end users prior to their data being collected, stored, used, and advertised to. Learn more here.

To activate Google signals:

1. Click the Admin icon in the lower-left corner of the GA window.
2. In the Property column, click Data Settings Data Collection.
3. Turn on Google signals data collection.

Setting the data retention period of your choice

The Google Analytics data retention controls allow you to set the amount of time before user- and event-level data stored by Google Analytics is automatically deleted from Analytics servers. You have the choice between 2 months and 14 months. 14 Months will let you create custom reports with a longer data range.

This data retention period only affects the Explore workspace of GA4. A longer data retention is important if you create custom reports and would like to dive further into your data. All Life Cycle reports data will remain intact for the time period you have selected.

Note: The two-month retention period is always applied to age, gender, and interest data regardless of your settings.

To change the data retention period:

1. Click the Admin icon in the lower-left corner of the GA window.
2. In the Property column, click on Data Settings Data Retention.
3. Select 2 or 14 months from the drop-down. This change will reset the retention period of all user data from that point forward.
4. Click Save.

Note: Changes to these settings take effect after 24 hours.

Filtering internal traffic

You’ll also be tracking your own interactions and events by default in GA4. This can become a significant issue, particularly for larger businesses with a greater number of employees. Each employee’s visit or event can distort your data.

You can exclude internal traffic from your property data to ensure accuracy. However, keep in mind that if you choose to exclude your own traffic, you may not be able to view your events in DebugView for troubleshooting.

To exclude internal traffic, you must define your internal IP addresses as a rule within your tag settings.

To define your internal IP addresses:

1. Click the Admin icon in the lower-left corner of the GA window.
2. In the Data collection and modification section, click on Data Stream, and select your Data Stream.
3. Click Configure tag settings Show more.
4. Click on Define Internal Traffic.
5. Click Create.
6. Enter your Rule name.
7. Enter Internal under Traffic_Type Value.
8. Select Match Type IP address equals and add your IP address in the value field.
9. Click Create.

Once you have defined your IP addresses, you may activate the filter for internal traffic.
To activate the filter:

1. Click the Admin icon in the lower-left corner of the GA window.
2. In the Data collection and modification section, click on Data Filters.
3. Click on the three vertical dots on your Internal traffic filter to activate.

Adding FareHarbor as a user in your Google Analytics account allows FareHarbor to communicate with you on your website’s performance.

Have the email address provided by your FareHarbor Account Manager or Support analyst ready before proceeding with the following. If you have not received this email address, please reach out to FareHarbor Support.

To add FareHarbor as a user to your account:

1. In your Google Analytics account, click the Admin icon.
2. Navigate to the Account column, then click Account Access Management.
3. In the Account users list, click +, then click Add new users.
4. Enter the email address provided to you by your FareHarbor Account Manager or Support Analyst.
5. Select the Editor permission level.
6. Click Add.