Google Analytics 4: Everything you need to know
In July 2023, Google officially retired its much-loved Google Analytics– announcing Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as its successor. Despite some early limitations, when it comes to data analysis, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a game-changer. This article explores everything you need to know about GA4 and why it’s important for your business.
Understanding Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
So, what is Google Analytics 4?
GA4 is Google’s latest version of Google Analytics that can be used both on websites and apps, allowing businesses to easily track their audience across multiple channels. It's designed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of user interactions and behaviours by focusing on user-centric data measurement.
Importantly, GA4 is promoted as a privacy-centric tool, designed to work with or without cookies. Why does this matter? People's acceptance of cookies is declining and privacy is becoming more important to everyone's internet use, so an analytics tool that doesn’t rely on cookies will be a massive benefit for companies' tracking needs in the future.
Why You Should Care About Google Analytics 4
The transition to GA4 isn't just a technical update; it's a strategic move that can reshape your business's growth trajectory. With GA4, you gain access to a wealth of insights that can shape your marketing strategies, enhance user experience, and ultimately boost conversions. From tracking cross-platform interactions to understanding user behaviour, GA4 equips you with the knowledge to make informed decisions.
The Benefits of GA4 for Your Business
One of the big draws of GA4 is that it incorporates a lot of features that were previously exclusive to Google Analytics 360. So, what exactly are these new inclusions?
Bounce rate being replaced by engagement rate
The bounce rate - the percentage of people landing on a page and leaving within 30 minutes - is often misunderstood by marketers, who see high bounce rates as bad when sometimes they are actually good. GA4 is looking to stop this by removing the bounce rate and replacing it with engagement rate.
Engagement rate measures the percentage of visitors who spend more than 10 seconds on a landing page, click on a conversion, or explore multiple pages on your site. This shift provides a more accurate picture of user interaction and helps you track valuable user journeys effectively.
Cross-Channel Insights and Comprehensive Funnel Tracking
If you use an app for your business, this feature will be game-changing for you.
GA4 can be integrated with websites and apps allowing you to track visitors as they go from your app to your website. As well as this, you have advanced analysis through funnel and path tracking.
Streamlined Cross-Domain Tracking
If you run an eCommerce site, you’ll understand the challenges of cross-domain tracking all too well.
GA4 addresses this pain point by simplifying cross-domain tracking, ensuring that purchases made after leaving and returning to your website are correctly attributed to their original channel. This enhancement eliminates confusion and provides a more accurate representation of your customer's journeys.
GDPR Compliance and Cookie-Free Insights
As we’ve already mentioned, privacy and compliance are a key focus for many internet users.
GA4 aligns with GDPR regulations by relying on first-party cookies, ensuring data protection while delivering valuable insights.
But, as the industry shifts away from cookies in the coming years, GA4 is designed to leverage machine learning and other protocols to bridge data gaps and provide accurate analysis, even in a cookieless environment.
Tailored Tracking for Informed Decision-Making
There is a lot of flexibility when it comes to deciding what you’re going to track, what is valuable to you and how to go about tracking them. From tracking people going to the basket and on to checkout or watching a video and then giving you a call.
The possibilities are nearly endless with the help of the new and improved goal tracking and conversions. As a result of this new GA4 feature, you will be able to refine your strategies based on data, making them more effective.
No limit to the traffic you can review
Say goodbye to session limitations.
Previously, Google Analytics reports limited your reporting to 500k sessions (sessions are how many times the website has been visited). This has been scrapped for GA4.
Now, you can review and analyse an unlimited number of sessions, gaining comprehensive insights into user engagement and interactions.
Crafting Your GA4 Strategy
Now you know what Google Analytics 4 is all about, how can you make it work for your business?
To get the most out of GA4, try the following steps:
Update Your Tracking: Set up your GA4 account to start collecting data immediately. If you previously had a Google Analytics account you will still need to set up your new account.
Define Key Events: Identify crucial user interactions and set up event tracking to capture relevant data.
Customise Reports: Tailor GA4 reports to focus on metrics that align with your business goals.
Leverage Predictive Insights: Make use of GA4's predictive metrics to stay ahead of user trends.
Stay Privacy-Compliant: Ensure your data collection practices adhere to privacy regulations and user preferences.
Need a bit more help?
If you would like to:
Learn more about GA4
Get help setting up GA4
Find out how to integrate GA4 to work with your current efforts
Then please get in touch with us. Here at Finch Design Company, we love helping businesses get on their feet with tracking and analytics. Click here to arrange a chat with us!
