July 2023 marks the death of Google’s Universal Analytics (UA) — or at least the ability to extract new information from it. On the surface, this may seem like bad news, especially for marketers who poured their blood, sweat and tears into learning the ins and outs of Google UA. However, with the cessation of UA comes the emergence of a new, more powerful analytical tool: Google Analytics 4, commonly referred to as GA4.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end — but only to make room for better things. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and marketers can’t wait any longer. Now is the time to learn more about GA4 migration and everything it has to offer.
This article digs deeper into some of the differences and benefits of Google Analytics 4.
What Is Google Analytics 4?
GA4 is Google’s latest analytical tool that measures and analyzes traffic to your website and apps. While Google’s UA tool focused on tracking each session with page views being a key data point, GA4 tracks events, such as ad clicks, video plays and first-time user visits.
It focuses more on the overall user experience with your website and apps. This enhanced tracking tool provides information about the users who land on your site or use your app and how these users interact and engage with it.
Benefits of GA4
Right from the start, you’ll notice a big difference between Google’s UA and GA4. It has a whole new dashboard that may take some getting used to but provides a more comprehensive look at your tracking results. While GA4 offers a robust set of reports, they’re slightly different from those offered through UA. It may take some time to review these reports to find the right ones for your company.
Most importantly, GA4 will remain free for website and app owners. Additionally, GA4 offers some great benefits that just weren’t available with the UA tool.
Enhance Customization
Google Analytics 4 allows you to customize the type of information you track as well as the reports you create and makes customization more user-friendly. This allows even those with limited digital skills to gather and analyze the data that makes the most sense for them.
Track Data Across Platforms
As mentioned above, GA4 allows you to track events on both your website and app. This benefit means you can track interactions throughout the entire buyer’s journey if a customer uses both your website and app. With this information, you can track every touchpoint you have with the customer, from their first engagement to a successful conversion.
Run Targeted Ad Campaigns With Greater Efficiency
With a better understanding of how your users are working through the buyer’s journey, you can enhance your ad campaigns and other marketing strategies. The data collected through Google Analytics 4 allows you to create targeted ads for each stage of the buyer’s journey. This benefit can increase your conversion rate, boost sales and positively impact your bottom line.
Gather Predictive Behavior Insights
Thanks to the power of AI, Google Analytics 4 can provide insights to help you better forecast your company’s needs and predict user online behaviors.
For example, combining AI technology with the data insights pertaining to first-time users can help you predict how future first-time users are likely to interact with your website and app. With this information, you can create a user-friendly experience to guide these new customers through the purchasing journey.
How Does Google Analytics 4 Work?
GA4 works using a configuration tracker website owners place on their sites. This tracker collects data as users visit the website or app and continues to track their actions, behaviors and engagement points.
This data is then converted into reports based on your specific criteria. With the help of ML and AI technology, this data can also be reviewed and analyzed to provide greater insights as well as forecast your future needs and predict customers’ future behaviors.
It’s important to continuously check your GA4 settings and features to ensure you create customized solutions that provide the data, information and insights you need to improve your marketing strategies and boost sales.
Is There A Tutorial Or Demo I Can Watch?
The answer is yes. Cardinal Path, one of the industry leaders that specializes in Google Analytics management and resale, has posted a tutorial training session on LinkedIn Learning called Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training. This 2 hour demonstration is very thorough, offering all the basics you need to know on how utilize the new GA4 solution. While at first glance, the new system appears overwhelming, this session will help you find everything you utilized in Universal Analytics in its new location. The session also covers nuances of how data is processed differently, especially with Default Channel Grouping views.
