By the end of this guide: Clicky installed on your site, collecting real-time data, running alongside GA4 so you can compare both. Total time: under 10 minutes for most sites.
Prerequisites: A website you control. That’s it. No developer required.
Before You Switch
A few things worth knowing before you touch anything.
Your GA4 data doesn’t disappear. Historical data in Google Analytics stays in your Google Analytics account. You can access it anytime. Removing GA4’s tracking code just stops new data from being collected. It doesn’t delete what’s already there.
Clicky starts fresh. There’s no way to import GA4 historical data into Clicky. Clicky begins collecting from the moment you install it. For most sites, this isn’t a real problem. You’ll have your GA4 history for reference if you need it.
Run both simultaneously. We recommend keeping GA4 and Clicky running at the same time for 2–4 weeks. This lets you compare the numbers, understand the differences (Clicky will likely show more visitors, which is expected and explained below), and get comfortable with the Clicky dashboard before pulling the GA4 plug.
This isn’t permanent. Nothing about installing Clicky prevents you from re-adding GA4 later. If for any reason you change your mind, just re-add the tracking code.
How to Switch From GA4 to Clicky (Step by Step)
Step 1: Create your Clicky account
Go to clicky.com and sign up.
The free tier covers up to 3,000 daily pageviews for one website. No credit card required. If your site gets more than 3,000 pageviews per day, paid plans start at $9.99/month.
Step 2: Add your website
After signup, add your domain name. Clicky will generate your Site ID and Site Key. You’ll need both for installation.
Step 3: Install the tracking code
WordPress
Install the official Clicky plugin from the WordPress plugin directory. Search for “Clicky” in Plugins > Add New. Install and activate it.
Go to Settings > Clicky. Enter your Site ID and Site Key from your Clicky dashboard. Save. Clicky is now tracking your WordPress site.
Shopify
In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit Code. Open theme.liquid. Find the closing </head> tag and paste your Clicky tracking snippet immediately before it. Save.
Webflow
Go to Project Settings > Custom Code > Head Code. Paste the Clicky tracking snippet in the head code section. Click Save and Publish.
Any other site (manual install)
Copy the tracking snippet from your Clicky dashboard (under the Site Settings for your site). Paste it into your site’s <head> section, before the closing </head> tag. Deploy your site.
The snippet looks like this (with your actual Site ID):
<script>var clicky_site_ids = clicky_site_ids || []; clicky_site_ids.push(YOUR_SITE_ID);</script>
<script async src="//static.getclicky.com/js"></script>Step 4: Verify it’s working
Visit your site in a new browser tab. Then open your Clicky dashboard. Within a few seconds, you should see your visit appear in the real-time view. If you see it, Clicky is installed and working.
If nothing shows up after a few minutes, check the troubleshooting section at the end of this guide.
Step 5: Run both tools in parallel (2–4 weeks)
Leave GA4 running. Use this period to:
- Compare the total visitor counts. Clicky will likely report more visitors than GA4. This is normal. Clicky’s script isn’t on major ad blocker lists, so it sees visitors that GA4 misses. The difference is typically 15–25%.
- Get comfortable with the Clicky dashboard. It’s much simpler than GA4, but it helps to spend a few weeks with it before fully committing.
- Verify that the data Clicky reports makes sense for your site.
Step 6: Configure Clicky to your needs
While you’re running both tools, set up the Clicky features you’ll actually use:
Goals and conversions: Go to your site settings in Clicky and set up goals for any actions you want to track: form submissions, button clicks, purchase completions, file downloads.
Email reports: Configure daily or weekly email digests in your account settings. Useful for sites where you want a quick summary without logging into the dashboard.
Custom tracking: If you want to track specific outbound links, downloads, or custom events, Clicky has JavaScript-based event tracking. The documentation is clear and the implementation is simpler than GA4’s event model.
Heatmaps: If you’re on a paid plan, heatmaps are available and update with real visitor data. Find them in the dashboard under Heatmaps for any of your pages.
Step 7: Remove Google Analytics
Once you’re satisfied with Clicky’s data and comfortable with the dashboard, it’s time to remove GA4.
If you installed GA4 directly (not via GTM): Remove the gtag.js script tag from your site’s <head>. This is typically in your theme file, header template, or site-wide header code.
If you installed GA4 via Google Tag Manager: Go into GTM, find the GA4 Configuration tag, and either pause or delete it. Publish the updated container.
For WordPress: If you used a plugin to add GA4, deactivate and uninstall that plugin, or remove the tracking code from wherever it was added.
For Shopify/Webflow/other platforms: Remove the GA4 script from the same location where you added it.
Consent banner: If GA4 was the only tool on your site requiring cookie consent, and Clicky is your replacement, you may be able to remove your cookie consent banner. Clicky doesn’t set cookies or collect personal data, so it doesn’t require consent to run. The caveat: if you’re running any other tools that set cookies (ad pixels, live chat, etc.), you still need consent management for those. Check with your legal team before removing the banner entirely.
Your GA4 data stays accessible in your Google Analytics account even after removing the tracking code.
What to Expect After the Switch
More visitors in your reports. Clicky will likely show you 15–25% more visitors than GA4 was reporting on the same site. This isn’t Clicky inflating numbers. It’s Clicky seeing visitors that GA4’s ad-blocker-susceptible script was missing. The Clicky number is closer to your actual traffic.
Real-time data that’s actually real-time. You’ll open the dashboard and see who’s on your site right now. Not yesterday’s visitors. Not the last 30 minutes with limited data. Who’s there, what they’re reading, where they came from. This takes some adjustment if you’re used to GA4’s delayed reporting.
One-screen overview. All your core metrics: visitors, pageviews, bounce rate, time on site, top pages, traffic sources, geographic data, device breakdown. One screen. No report layers.
Faster pages. Removing GA4’s ~45KB tracking script (and your consent banner overhead if applicable) will slightly improve your page load speed. Not dramatic, but measurable.
No more consent banner headaches (if Clicky is now your only tracking tool).
Common Issues and Fixes
No data showing up after installation. Check that the tracking code is in the <head> section, not the <body>. Clear your browser cache and try visiting again. Give it 2–3 minutes. If you’re using a caching plugin on WordPress, clear the plugin’s cache and verify the script is appearing in your page source.
Data looks very different from GA4. Expected. Clicky captures more visitors because its script isn’t blocked by ad blockers. Clicky may also count sessions slightly differently. Use the parallel period to understand your specific site’s pattern. Don’t treat the difference as an error.
Bot traffic showing up in Clicky. Clicky has built-in bot filtering. If you’re seeing suspicious traffic spikes from unlikely sources, check the Spy view in your dashboard, which shows individual sessions. You can also check your site’s spam filter settings in Clicky’s site preferences.
WordPress plugin not working. Make sure you’re entering your Site ID (a number like 12345678), not your username or site name. Check that no performance or security plugin is blocking external scripts from loading. Verify the script is appearing in your page source by viewing source on your homepage.
E-commerce tracking not working. Clicky integrates with WooCommerce through the WordPress plugin settings. Enable WooCommerce tracking in the plugin’s settings, then verify goal completion is being recorded.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the migration take?
Under 10 minutes for most sites: a few minutes to sign up and get your tracking code, a few minutes to install it, and another minute to verify it’s working. Plan 2–4 weeks of running both tools in parallel before fully switching over.
Will I lose my Google Analytics data?
No. Your GA4 historical data stays in your Google Analytics account. Removing the tracking code only stops new data collection. You can log into GA4 anytime to reference historical reports.
Does Clicky work with WooCommerce?
Yes. The Clicky WordPress plugin includes WooCommerce integration for e-commerce tracking. Enable it in the plugin settings.
Can I track multiple websites with one Clicky account?
Yes. Your Clicky account can manage multiple sites. Each site gets its own Site ID and tracking code. The free tier covers one site; paid plans include multiple sites depending on the plan.
What if I want to switch back to GA4?
Re-add the GA4 tracking code wherever you removed it. No data is lost on either side. You can run both indefinitely if you need to.
Related: