Back in November 2005, Google introduced Google Analytics, revolutionizing the way organizations managed search engine optimization and search engine marketing through digital channels. Today, marketers worldwide swear by Google Analytics for extracting meaningful insights and marketing patterns.
The last decade has seen newer and better versions of Google Analytics. Each version offered brand-new features and tools to help marketers garner better market insights and create well-mapped-out plans for customer-brand engagement. As Google plans to wrap up Universal Analytics (UA) by July 2023, it has recently rolled out the next-gen Google Analytics, christened Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
While there has been some digital chatter about web analysts being unenthusiastic about the end of an era with Google Analytics 3 sunset, the new version holds much promise for new-age marketers. GA4 will offer several customizable features and tools to take SEO and SEM to the next level. Undoubtedly, it’ll take a good amount of time for marketers and brand owners to embrace and work with Google Analytics 4.
Hence, we’ve created this comprehensive guide on Google Analytics 4 to help you break the ice with GA 4 and understand the GA4 setup.
What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a web analytics service offering data tracking and analysis for search engine optimization and measuring your online performance metrics. Essentially, it includes a host of statistical and analytical tools to analyze and interpret data for more intelligent business decisions.
Now, let’s move on to what web analysts are asking! Is Google Analytics 4 just an upgraded version of Google Analytics 3? Not really.
Google Analytics 4 is starkly different from its predecessors. While Universal Analytics focuses on tracking online data from cookies and independent sessions, GA4 takes a privacy-first approach. Essentially, it will reduce the dependency on web cookies to track and collect data. It is compatible with several platforms and leverages an event-based data model for accurate online measurement.
Why is Google Analytics 4 more beneficial than its predecessors?
GA4 is designed in sync with the present and future analytics needs. It extends easy tracking and analysis of multiple user experiences and can adapt to new/upcoming digital technologies and future developments in digital campaigning.
Besides a customizable interface, GA 4 offers better, more detailed custom reports in real-time. In a nutshell, GA4’s new data model allows analysts to collect everything they wish to track user traits, traffic, etc., as events, allowing data-driven actionable insights. Using GA4’s new DeBug View, analysts can view and collect real-time data and test their implementation.
Google Analytics
Previously, web analysts using Universal Analytics had to set up custom tracking. However, Google Analytics 4 eliminates this, thanks to its Enhanced Measurement that automatically tracks website user behavior. Consequently, the reliance on cookies is very low. Data reporting becomes much easier because GA4 provides granular data, making it easier for analysts to generate real-time reports per their requirements.
We’ll take you through a comprehensive list of benefits once we give you an overview of GA4’s features.
Google Analytics 4 – Features
Below is a rundown of the most crucial features of Google Analytics 4:
- Merging of the app and web data for enhanced reporting: The new version of Google Analytics will allow the merging of web and app data for improved, comprehensive reporting. So if users arrive from multiple platforms, you can consolidate them into one place for a more consolidated data overview leading to better marketing strategies.
- Flexible event-based model: The new system can track every user’s unique behavior on a website. Instead of measuring at a broader session level, GA4 dives deeply into data metrics. It will be able to track metrics like page views, scrolls, clicks, file downloads, video engagement, etc., allowing analysts to measure any event on their website.
- New engagement metrics: With a new flexible event-based model, GA 4 will also include advanced engagement metrics, including engagement rate, engagement time, and engaging sessions. These metrics will pinpoint what content works best for which digital medium.
- Cross-platform analytics: With features like Exploration, Funnel, and Path Analysis, analysts can generate meaningful insights from existing business data. Web analysts can simply drag and drop a data set to measure a property. They can see at which stage of the sales funnel their customers are and decode the reasons for slow or no conversions. This feature will allow analysts to view the complete customer journey at various stages, from acquisition and engagement to monetization and retention.
- AI-based insights: Predictive analytics is vital for making data-driven business decisions. GA4’s predictive metrics, including those measuring purchase & churn probability and revenue prediction, can help analysts categorize audiences based on their online behavior. Thus, they can create specific target personas and attract and engage them with highly personalized marketing strategies.
- New data segment for performance max and smart shopping campaigns: Google Analytics 4 incorporates a new data segment to report performance max and smart shopping campaigns. You can access this data segment through a channel listing called cross-network. The new channel group is listed in reports alongside other sources like Organic Search, Paid Search, Paid Social, and Display, among others. Using the data, marketers can determine how much traffic to attribute to performance max and smart shopping campaigns. It will further allow data analysts to predict user behavior and improve the purchase life cycle accurately.
Google Analytics 4 – Benefits
The new features of Google Analytics 4 promise to deliver numerous business benefits –
- Better visibility across all user touch points: GA4 offers marketers and campaign managers a 360-degree view of their campaigns’ performance. Brands can leverage GA4’s features to understand the entire customer journey, not just independent sessions. Naturally, marketers can gather deeper insights and predict user behavior more accurately.
- Centralized reports for a single and comprehensive source of learning: The new GA4 offers a centralized reporting system. It allows data analysts to unify data reports across the web and digital applications and consolidate the data in a centralized report. Comprehensive data reports will allow for a quicker reaction time if user behavior deviates. They can also improve campaign mapping for future marketing campaigns.
- Improved attribution models for conversion campaigns: Google Analytics 4 includes conversion attributions across all user touch points. So, data analysts and marketers can derive actionable insights to modify existing campaigns and design future campaigns in sync with the new findings. This attribution model branches into four channel categories: Cross-channel rules-based model, Ads-preferred rules-based model, Data-driven attribution model, and Reporting attribution model.
- Enhanced behavioral segmentation: Instead of focussing on demographic segmentation, GA4 prioritizes tracking all behavioral data segments. Thus, the insights derived from such segmentation are richer, letting marketers build a deeper connection with their target market. They can engage the right people through customized strategies, even converting leads into potential buyers. Also, because Google Analytics 4 has a privacy-first approach, it will help businesses comply with privacy regulations.
- ML-based approach for predicting user behavior: Google Analytics 4 leverages AI and machine learning to generate insights on three key metrics around user behavior – purchase probability, churn probability, and predicted revenue. Its predictive learning capabilities will provide information on user activity concerning potential visits, purchases, and possible revenue that the marketer can generate from a single user. Brands can use this information to optimize and steer their communication strategies to customers highly likely to make a purchase.
- Customized reporting across key business objectives: While Universal Analytics can only offer around 20 static events like page views, the number of transactions, etc., GA4 can track 30 fully customizable events. Google Analytics 4 will reduce the number of default reports generated. Marketers can generate personalized reports for their business, incorporating key objectives like user lifetime, acquisition, eCommerce, cohort exploration, etc.
- Expanded integrations with other Google products: The new GA4 update expands integration with other Google products, including Ads 360. Marketers can enjoy cross-channel reporting with reports on the model comparison, conversion paths, etc. Additionally, marketers can also access user, session, and conversion metrics across different dimensions of sources, campaigns, and channels.
Along with Ads 360, here is a complete list of GA4 integrations:
- Google Ads
- BigQuery Export
- Display & Video 360
- Google Merchant Centre
- Firebase
- Google Ads Manager
- Google Optimise
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud
- Search Console
- Analytics Search Ads 360
Google Analytics 4 – Limitations
Analytical experts have spoken of changes in GA 4 that could be a roadblock for businesses. Let’s understand these limitations.
- Changes in certain reporting metrics: Google will discard some metrics available with Universal Analytics, replacing them with other specific metrics and data segments under Google Analytics 4. Marketers accustomed to generating certain report types must redesign their reporting strategies accordingly.
- You cannot migrate old data to GA4: Data migration from Universal Analytics to GA4 will be challenging, and global experts are calling for an easier migration process. For now, marketers must keep switching between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 or look for alternatives to migrate their data. To know more about GA4 migration, you can visit the Developer Migration Center.
- Specific UA properties will end: Google plans to stop collecting data from Universal Analytics starting July 2023. It will delete UA properties six months after that date. Since Google Analytics 4 is live and accessible now, data specialists are encouraging brands to make the switch and embrace the GA4 setup as soon as possible.
Preparing for Google Analytics 4
Obviously, switching to the upgraded version of Google Analytics is inevitable. Google is offering an onboarding period of one year to let analysts set up and get comfortable with Google Analytics 4. Analysts must use the GA4 Setup Assistant to create a new GA4 property to get started with their setup. So, it’s relatively simple.
However, analysts must note that historical data won’t be available in Google Analytics 4 – they will have to maintain access to Universal Analytics to analyze older data in the interim.
Additionally, any customized goals or filters must be set up in GA4 because analysts can only copy the basic filters while migrating from Universal Analytics. Google Analytics 4 automatically implements new measurement functions when you set up the system.
Timeline for making the switch to Google Analytics 4
If you still haven’t made the switch to GA4, you should know that the deadline for making this switch was July 1st, 2022. That means you are already past that deadline.
Thankfully, you need not panic just yet. You must create a GA4 property promptly and attach the GA4 tag to your website to enjoy continued tracking and analytical reporting from Google. Remember, starting July 1st, 2023, you will not be able to access UA data. So, you have roughly a year to get acquainted with GA 4.
The big question is, should analysts switch to Google Analytics 4?
Considering that the switch is inevitable, better make it sooner than later. The faster you make the switch, the more time you’ll have to understand the nitty-gritty of GA4 to use it optimally. Thus, it’s wise for marketers and web analysts to get acquainted with GA 4 and run both GA4 and Universal Analytics systems simultaneously. This will make the transition process much more seamless.
If you’re interested in migrating to GA4, read this Google Analytics 4 setup guide to get started.
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