If you’ve logged into your Google Analytics in recent months, there’s a 1000% chance that you’ve seen the can’t-miss countdown pop-up and banner reminders to migrate your existing Universal Analytics (UA) to Google’s latest iteration Google Analytics 4 (GA4). If you’re wondering what the fuss is about, read on as we dive into the benefits and features of the GA4 property.
Benefits of Upgrading to GA4
For years, Universal Analytics (UA) has been the go-to version, providing valuable data on user behavior and website metrics. However, starting July 1, 2023, Google is providing a new iteration called Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to offer website owners enhanced features and a more comprehensive approach to data analysis.
At a glance the new features include:
Enhanced Cross-Platform Tracking
One of the significant advantages of GA4 is its ability to track user interactions across multiple platforms, including websites, mobile apps, and offline channels. By consolidating data from various touchpoints, GA4 provides a holistic view of user behavior, enabling businesses to gain deeper insights into their customers' journey.
Improved User-Centric Analysis
GA4 shifts its focus towards individual users rather than relying solely on sessions and pageviews. It introduces a new event-driven data model that centers around user interactions. This approach allows for more precise analysis of user engagement, enabling businesses to understand specific actions taken by users, such as clicks, scrolls, and form submissions.
Machine Learning-Powered Insights
GA4 incorporates advanced machine learning capabilities to offer automated insights and predictive analytics. With the help of AI algorithms, GA4 can identify trends, patterns, and anomalies in your data, making it easier to uncover valuable insights and take data-driven actions.
Future-Proofing Your Analytics
Google has made it clear that GA4 is the future of their analytics platform. While Universal Analytics will continue to be supported for some time, ongoing feature updates and improvements will be focused on GA4. By fully adopting early, you ensure that your analytics infrastructure is future-proofed and ready for any forthcoming advancements.
Features of GA4
Enhanced Measurement
Enhanced Measurement is a feature that provides additional data insights without requiring additional code implementation. It enables tracking of important events like file downloads, outbound clicks, and video engagements. Enabling Enhanced Measurement ensures that you capture essential user interactions without the need for custom event tracking.
Data Streams
In GA4, data streams replace the concept of properties in Universal Analytics. A data stream represents a data source, such as a website or a mobile app. It is crucial to set up data streams for all your platforms and channels to gather comprehensive data in a single property.
Custom Dimensions and Metrics
Custom dimensions and metrics allow you to define and track specific data points that are relevant to your business. Identify the key metrics and dimensions you want to track, such as user roles, product categories, or campaign sources, and configure them in GA4. These customizations provide granular insights tailored to your unique needs.
Event Tracking
Events in GA4 capture user interactions with your website or app. Ensure that you implement event tracking for important actions such as button clicks, form submissions, or video plays. Utilize the flexible event parameters in GA4 to capture detailed information about these interactions, enhancing the depth of your analysis.
Conversion Tracking
Conversion tracking is essential for measuring and optimizing your marketing efforts. In GA4, you can set up conversion events to track specific actions that signify a successful outcome, such as completing a purchase or submitting a lead form. By tracking conversions, you gain valuable insights into your marketing performance and can make informed decisions to drive better results.
