In October 2020, Google started to roll out a new version of its analytics software called Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This version was available to run alongside the existing version, Universal Analytics (UA). As with any new software, this was in BETA and has changed considerably since it launched.
On 16th March Google announced that it was Sunsetting UA from July 2023. This means, from July 2023, UA analytics will no longer track any new data. At the end of 2023, all data on UA will be removed. So, it’s best to start moving across now so we can still access historic data alongside new GA4 data.
GA4 is a different beast from the existing UA interface. As of now you are, initially, only given basic reports. There is now more emphasis on creating your own unique reports to deliver targeted insights. A key focus of the new analytics is engagement across the web and app. For non-app owners, it will still work perfectly for users when only tracking data from a website.
Some of the new built-in features include tracking:
- Scrolling
- Engagement
- Outbound links
- Button clicks
- User actions
We’ll be able to jump in and explore user journeys at the path level or funnel level. Basically, this means we can see the expected journey a user takes to convert (the marketing funnel) while also identifying other paths users take to complete key actions.
The new GA4 gives more powerful information about engaged users. However, there is more involved in setting it up to make it work for you. Working out what data is valuable to your business will be step one. After identifying this, we’ll be able to explore data segments and gather interesting audience insights.
Combined with Google Tag Manager (GTM) implementation, GA4 will be a really useful tool to help improve your websites and will also give us some insights as to what Google is looking for in a website.
Benefits of GA4
Google boasts GA4 as a much more flexible and scalable version of Google Analytics. The new setup will lead to faster calculations so GA4 users will be able to see custom data. Another aspect of GA4 is machine learning. Meaning, the platform will learn and grow as it’s used. Having automated software will improve and simplify analytics as people use the platform.
Another benefit to GA4 is breaking the User ID limitations. GA was limited to Device ID making it hard to separate users across devices and sessions. GA4 will be a combination of a User ID (someone logged into your website) Google Signals (a user logged into Google) and then a device ID. This will streamline the single-user journey for some great individual insights. Google Signals will draw events across different sessions as one user moves across the web.
A benefit of these changes will be less reliance on cookies which has been a talking point as per Apple’s recent rule change. This was where users can opt-out of being tracked across apps and websites.
We’re excited to get stuck into GA4 and start exploring how the new changes will improve the Google Analytics experience. Not to mention to see how valuable these changes will be to a business!
