Overview
This guide explains how to set up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) on your Volcanic website so you can understand how candidates, clients, and visitors interact with your site. You'll learn how to connect GA4, stay compliant with GDPR, track conversions, and make sense of the data flowing into your Volcanic reports.
Key benefits
Setting up Google Analytics helps you:
Track how visitors behave and engage with your recruitment website
Measure how well job applications, registrations, and custom forms perform
Feed analytics data straight into Volcanic's reporting tools for better insights
Stay compliant with GDPR by using third-party cookie consent tools
Make smarter decisions about your website's performance and SEO
Before you start
Before you connect Google Analytics, make sure you have:
Admin access to your Access Volcanic website •
A Google Analytics 4 (GA4) account set up under your organisation's Google Business profile
Reviewed Volcanic's cookie compliance guidance so you can stay GDPR-compliant
📌 Note: Volcanic's default cookie banner isn't suitable for use with GA4. You'll need a third-party cookie consent tool like CookieBot.
Connect Google Analytics (recommended)
This is the best way to connect GA4 to your Volcanic website because it lets GA data flow into your Volcanic reports automatically.
Create a GA4 account in Google Analytics
Log into your Volcanic admin area
Click the Settings tab
Under Site, click Google Analytics
Click the orange Authorise Google button
Log into your GA4 account and allow access
Select the correct account, then click Allow
Click the blue Submit button to save your changes
🤓Tip: Your data usually starts tracking in GA4 within 24 hours and shows up in Volcanic reports within 7 days.
Manually connect Google Analytics
If you need to connect GA4 manually, you can add the tracking code directly or use Google Tag Manager (GTM).
⚠️ Important: Manual connection should only be used as a temporary fix. Your GA data won't appear in Volcanic reports. Make sure you remove any duplicate tags once GA4 is fully connected to your site.
Method 1: Add the GA4 tag directly
Copy your GA4 tracking tag from Google
Log into the Volcanic admin area
Navigate to Page Tags
Paste the GA tag into the Header code field
Click the blue Submit button to save your changes
Method 2: Use Google Tag Manager
Check whether Google Tag Manager (GTM) is already installed on your site
If not, follow Volcanic's setup guide for GTM
Site verification
Sometimes Google Analytics (or Google Search Console) asks you to verify you own the site. One way to verify involves placing a text file (like analytics.txt) at your root domain (example.com/analytics.txt).
This isn't possible because the Volcanic platform uses a cloud-based structure instead of a traditional directory system.
Alternative verification methods
Instead, you can use one of Google's other verification methods:
Add a Domain Name System (DNS) record
📌Learn more: Google's site verification guide
Cookie compliance and consent mode
Because Google Analytics is a third-party tool, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules apply when you use it on your site.
What you need to know about cookie consent
Volcanic's default cookie banner isn't suitable for GA4. To stay compliant, you need to use a third-party cookie consent tool like CookieBot.
Consent Mode V2: If you're using GA with Google Ads or Yell Pay-Per-Click (PPC), make sure your cookie provider supports Consent Mode V2.
⚠️ Important: GDPR applies even if your business is outside the EU, as long as EU users can access your site. Volcanic cannot give legal or compliance advice, so if you need specific guidance on your obligations, it's worth consulting a qualified legal professional.
Tracking conversions and events
GA4 doesn't automatically mark applications and registrations as conversions. You'll need to set these up in GA4 yourself.
Job applications
When someone completes an application, they get redirected to a page ending with /apply/completed. GA4 captures this as a pageview, but you need to create a conversion event in GA4 to track it properly as a conversion.
Candidate registrations
Platform registration forms don't create a thank-you page. Instead, candidates get redirected to the dashboard (/dashboard). Alternatively, candidates can create accounts via quick apply or when registering for job alerts. This means it can be tricky to track conversations for registrations.
What we recommend: Create a custom GA4 event that combines first_visit with a /dashboard pageview.
📌Learn more: GA4 First Visit Event and Tracking Key Events in GA4 – Analytics Mania
Custom forms
If you use custom or dynamic forms, you can set up a feedback or thank-you page and track its URL in GA4. This works the same way as tracking the /apply/completed page for applications.
📌 Note: Volcanic arent' experts in Google Analytics. So we can only provide guidance and pointers, and confirmation that GA is connected correctly on our end. If you need help managing conversion events and GA4 set up check out Google Analytics' resources and support.
Key metrics to track
Once GA is connected, you can keep an eye on important engagement and performance areas. These include visits to:
Visits to the candidate dashboard (/dashboard)
Visits to the job search page (/jobs)
Successful job applications (/apply/completed)
Visits to form feedback pages
Visits to key client pages.
Tracking these helps you measure engagement, see how well conversions are performing, and make better decisions about your website.
Google Analytics in Volcanic reports
Some reports in your Volcanic admin area rely on GA being connected properly through the platform.
GA provides data for key metrics like users, sessions, bounce rate, page views, and traffic sources across both Standard and Advanced Reports.
Without GA connected through the recommended method, these reports will be incomplete.
🔮Coming soon: Standard and Advanced Reports help guide – Learn how to access, interpret, and use Volcanic's reporting features.
Interpreting your analytics data
When you're reviewing GA data (either in GA itself or in Volcanic reports), here's what to focus on.
Conversion rate: Compare your visitors to conversions so you can see how well your site is performing.
Form success: Check how many people complete forms versus how many leads you generate, so you know if your forms are working well.
Return on Investment (ROI): Use GA data to back up your ROI calculations and show the value your website brings.
Organic traffic growth: Track your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) performance over time to see if your search visibility is getting better.
Keyword relevancy: Use GA alongside Google Search Console to check whether candidates are finding you through the right search terms.
Referral traffic: Keep an eye on how well external sources like job boards and aggregators perform, and compare referral traffic against organic conversions.
Understanding traffic drops in GA4
You might notice lower traffic numbers when comparing GA4 to Universal Analytics (GA3). This is completely normal and happens for several reasons.
Why traffic looks lower
Tracking works differently: GA4 uses event-based tracking instead of session-based tracking, which often shows different numbers compared to GA3.
Browser privacy has improved: Safari, Firefox, and Chrome have all introduced stricter privacy protections that limit how GA4 can track visitors.
More people use ad-blockers: Ad-blocking software stops GA4 scripts from running, which means some visits don't get counted.
Local Service Ads take up space: Google's Local Service Ads appear at the top of search results, pushing organic results further down and sometimes reducing website traffic.
The market keeps changing: Global events, search algorithm updates, and shifting user behaviour all affect traffic patterns.
What you can do about it
Work with SEO or marketing experts to review your GA4 setup and configuration.
Stay informed about industry changes and updates from Google.
Focus on creating strong, engaging content and improving user experience.
Look at trends over time instead of directly comparing GA3 and GA4 numbers.
Best practices
Always connect GA4 through the Volcanic platform so you get full reporting
Use a GDPR-compliant cookie consent tool
Regularly check your GA events to make sure they're accurate
Combine GA insights with SEO tools to track performance trends
Review your GA reports at least once a month so you can adapt your strategies based on real data
Set up conversion tracking for applications and registrations in GA4
Keep an eye on both mobile and desktop user experience
⚠️ Important: Access Volcanic provides tools and basic guidance to help you improve your website's analytics setup, but we're not analytics specialists or consultants. For personalised advice, we recommend working with qualified analytics professionals.
FAQs
Q1: How long does it take for GA data to appear in Volcanic reports?
Answer: Data usually starts appearing within 7 days of setup. Make sure you've connected GA4 through the recommended method rather than manually.
Q2: What happens if I only add GA manually?
Answer: Manual tags will collect GA data, but it won't feed into your Volcanic Standard, Advanced, or Dashboard reports. Always connect through the recommended method for full functionality.
Q3: Can Volcanic set up GA4 conversions for me?
Answer: No, you'll need to configure conversions in GA4 directly. Volcanic can confirm your GA connection is working, but you'll need to set up conversion events yourself or work with a GA specialist.
Q4: Do I need a cookie tool if I only use GA4?
Q5: Can I use GA4 with Google Ads or Yell PPC?
Answer: Yes, but make sure your cookie consent tool supports Consent Mode V2 so you stay compliant with European privacy laws.
Q6: Why is my GA4 traffic lower than before?
Answer: GA4 uses event-based tracking instead of session-based tracking, and stricter browser privacy rules combined with more people using ad-blockers mean traffic often looks lower compared to GA3. This is normal and doesn't necessarily mean you're getting less traffic.