Google Analytics Integration

Connect your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property to AccessFuel to unlock powerful web analytics including website traffic analysis, user behavior tracking, conversion funnel analysis, and audience demographics.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you'll need:

• A Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property
• Admin or Editor access to your GA4 property (for OAuth)
• Your GA4 Property ID(s)

Connection Methods

AccessFuel supports two ways to connect Google Analytics:

1. OAuth Connection (Recommended) - Quick and secure, no technical setup required
2. Service Account - For advanced users who need to share access across teams

Setup Guide: OAuth Connection (Recommended)

The OAuth method is the fastest and most secure way to connect GA4 to AccessFuel. It takes less than 2 minutes and requires no technical configuration.

Step 1: Navigate to Integrations

1. Log in to AccessFuel Console
2. Go to Settings → Integrations → Google Analytics
3. Click the Connect with Google button

Step 2: Authenticate with Google

1. A popup window will open showing Google's login page
2. Select the Google account that has access to your GA4 property
3. Review the permissions requested (read-only access to Analytics data)
4. Click Allow to grant AccessFuel access

Step 3: Select Your Property

1. After authentication, you'll see a list of your GA4 properties
2. Select the property you want to connect
3. Optionally, set a custom start date for historical data
4. Click Connect to complete the setup

Step 4: Verify Connection

1. You should see a green "Connected" status
2. Data sync will begin automatically
3. Initial data may take a few hours to appear in your dashboard

Setup Guide: Service Account (Alternative)

The Service Account method is useful when you need to share access with team members or when OAuth authentication isn't suitable for your organization.

Follow these steps to connect using a Service Account:

Service Account Step 1: Get Your GA4 Property ID

1. Log in to Google Analytics
2. Navigate to Admin (gear icon in the bottom left)
3. In the Property column, click on Property Settings
4. Your Property ID is displayed at the top (e.g., 123456789)
5. Copy and save this ID - you'll need it later

Service Account Step 2: Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Click Select a project at the top, then New Project
3. Name your project "AccessFuel Analytics" or similar
4. Click Create and wait for the project to be created
5. Select your new project from the project dropdown

Service Account Step 3: Enable the Google Analytics Data API

1. In the Google Cloud Console, go to APIs & Services → Library
2. Search for "Google Analytics Data API"
3. Click on Google Analytics Data API
4. Click Enable to enable the API for your project
5. Wait for the API to be enabled (this may take a few moments)

Service Account Step 4: Create a Service Account

1. In the Google Cloud Console, go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
2. Click Create Service Account
3. Enter the following details:
   • Service account name: AccessFuel
   • Service account ID: This will be auto-generated
   • Description: Service account for AccessFuel data integration
4. Click Create and Continue
5. Skip the optional steps by clicking Done

Service Account Step 5: Generate Service Account Key

1. Find your newly created service account in the list
2. Click on the service account email to open its details
3. Go to the Keys tab
4. Click Add Key → Create new key
5. Select JSON as the key type
6. Click Create
7. A JSON file will be downloaded to your computer - save this file securely

Service Account Step 6: Grant Service Account Access to GA4

Now you need to give the service account permission to read your GA4 data:

1. Go back to Google Analytics
2. Navigate to Admin (gear icon)
3. In the Property column, click Property Access Management
4. Click Add users (the + icon in the top right)
5. Enter the service account email (found in the JSON file or Cloud Console)
   • It looks like: accessfuel@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com
6. Under Role, select Viewer
7. Make sure Notify this user by email is unchecked
8. Click Add

Service Account Step 7: Prepare the Service Account JSON

Open the JSON key file you downloaded in Step 5. It should look like this:

{
  "type": "service_account",
  "project_id": "your-project-id",
  "private_key_id": "abc123...",
  "private_key": "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\n...\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n",
  "client_email": "accessfuel@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com",
  "client_id": "123456789...",
  "auth_uri": "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth",
  "token_uri": "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token",
  "auth_provider_x509_cert_url": "https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v1/certs",
  "client_x509_cert_url": "https://www.googleapis.com/..."
}

Service Account Step 8: Send Us the Credentials

Enter the following in Settings > Integrations:

• Property IDs: Your GA4 Property ID(s) (e.g., 123456789 or 123456789,987654321 for multiple)
• Service Account JSON: The complete contents of the JSON file from Step 5
• Start Date: The date from which you want to sync data (format: YYYY-MM-DD)

What Data Gets Synced?

Once connected, AccessFuel will sync the following data from your Google Analytics 4 property:

Essential Reports

• Website Overview: Daily traffic, sessions, users, bounce rate, and engagement metrics
• Traffic Acquisition: Traffic by source, medium, and channel grouping
• Pages: Page performance, views, and engagement
• Conversions: Conversion events and attribution
• Events: Custom event tracking and parameters
• Demographics: Country, city, region breakdown
• Devices: Device category, operating system, and browser data
• Active Users: Daily, weekly, and 4-week active user counts

E-commerce Reports

• Purchases by Item: Product-level purchase data
• Purchases by Category: Category-level revenue analysis

Advanced Reports

• User Acquisition: First-user source and medium attribution
• Campaign Performance: Campaign-level traffic and conversions
• Content Groups: Grouped page performance
• Tech Details: Platform, screen resolution data

Data Refresh Schedule

• Frequency: Data syncs every 24 hours
• Historical Data: Data from your specified start date (default: 90 days)
• Incremental Updates: Only new dates are synced after the initial load
• Real-time Updates: Not available; data reflects the previous day's activity
• Data Freshness: GA4 data has a 24-48 hour processing delay

Features Enabled

Connecting Google Analytics unlocks these AccessFuel features:

• Website Traffic Analysis: Track visitors, sessions, and pageviews
• User Behavior Tracking: Understand how users navigate your site
• Conversion Funnel Analysis: Identify drop-off points in your funnels
• Audience Demographics: Learn about your visitor demographics
• Traffic Source Analysis: See where your traffic is coming from
• Campaign Attribution: Track marketing campaign performance

Troubleshooting

OAuth Connection Issues

Popup Blocked

If the authentication popup is blocked:

1. Check your browser's popup blocker settings
2. Allow popups from app.accessfuel.com
3. Try clicking the Connect button again
4. If using Safari, enable popups in Safari Preferences → Websites → Pop-up Windows

Authorization Failed

If you see an authorization error:

1. Ensure you're selecting a Google account with access to GA4
2. Verify you have at least Viewer role on the GA4 property
3. Try using a different browser or clearing cookies
4. If using a corporate Google Workspace account, contact your IT admin

Connection Expired

OAuth tokens expire periodically for security. If your connection shows as expired:

1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Google Analytics
2. Click the Reconnect button
3. Re-authenticate with Google
4. Your data will continue syncing automatically

No Properties Found

If no GA4 properties appear after authentication:

1. Verify you selected the correct Google account
2. Ensure you have access to at least one GA4 property
3. Check that your properties haven't been deleted
4. Try with an account that has Admin or Editor access

Service Account Issues

Invalid Service Account JSON

If your service account JSON is invalid:

1. Verify the JSON is properly formatted (use a JSON validator)
2. Ensure you copied the entire JSON content
3. Check for any extra characters or line breaks
4. Generate a new key if the JSON is corrupted

Service Account Has No Access

If you get a "no access" error:

1. Verify the service account email was added to GA4 Property Access Management
2. Ensure the service account has Viewer role
3. Check that you added access to the correct GA4 property
4. Wait 5-10 minutes after granting access, then try again

Property ID Not Found

If your Property ID isn't recognized:

1. Verify the Property ID is correct (should be numbers only)
2. Make sure it's a GA4 Property ID, not a Universal Analytics ID
3. Check that the property hasn't been deleted
4. Ensure the service account has access to this property

API Not Enabled

If you get an API error:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Navigate to APIs & Services → Library
3. Search for "Google Analytics Data API"
4. Verify it's enabled for your project
5. If not, click Enable

Data Not Syncing

Check the following:

1. Verify your Property ID is correct
2. Ensure the service account has Viewer access
3. Confirm the Google Analytics Data API is enabled
4. Check that your JSON key is valid and not expired
5. Verify your GA4 property is receiving data

GA4 Data Processing Delay

Google Analytics 4 processes data with a delay:

• Most data appears within 24 hours
• Some reports may take up to 48 hours
• This is normal GA4 behavior, not an AccessFuel issue

Service Account Security

Best Practices

1. Minimal Permissions: Only grant Viewer role in GA4
2. One Key Per Service: Don't share keys across multiple services
3. Regular Rotation: Rotate keys every 6-12 months
4. Monitor Usage: Check service account activity in Cloud Console
5. Revoke Unused Keys: Delete keys that are no longer needed

Rotating Your Service Account Key

To rotate your service account key:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console → Service Accounts
2. Click on your AccessFuel service account
3. Go to Keys tab
4. Create a new key (follow Steps 5-6 from setup guide)
5. Upload the new JSON in Settings > Integrations
6. Wait for confirmation that the new key is active
7. Delete the old key from the Cloud Console

Multiple Properties

If you have multiple GA4 properties (e.g., different websites or apps):

1. Collect all Property IDs you want to connect
2. Grant the service account Viewer access to each property
3. Send all Property IDs as a comma-separated list: 123456789,987654321,555555555

All properties will sync using the same service account.

Security & Privacy

• Credential Storage: Service account keys are encrypted with AES-256
• Data Transmission: All data is transmitted over HTTPS with TLS 1.3
• Access Control: Only authorized AccessFuel team members can access credentials
• Compliance: We comply with GDPR, CCPA, and Google's Terms of Service
• Data Retention: Data is retained according to your organization's settings
• Read-Only Access: AccessFuel only reads data; we cannot modify your GA4 configuration

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