Why Google Analytics 4 is a Breath of Fresh Air
In March 2022, Google Analytics stunned the marketing industry by announcing that Universal Analytics (UA) would stop processing hits in July 2023 to make way for the future of analytics tracking–Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
To be clear, GA4 is not an “updated” analytics tool. It’s an entirely new way of tracking analytics including a new interface. GA4 allows marketers to scale for the future, perform in a cookieless world and embrace a privacy-conscious digital environment.
While the deadline to switch to GA4 surprised many considering the tool was launched in 2020, GA4 is the measurement tool digital marketers have been waiting for, and now is the time to adapt to the future of analytics.
Here are 3 reasons why Google Analytics 4 is a breath of fresh air for marketers.
1. The Details are in the Data
GA4 reimagines data collection structure and logic.
UA relied on a session-based model for 15 years. UA groups user interactions within a given time frame typically from a desktop device and tracking user activities with cookies.
GA4, on the other hand, uses an event-based model to be more flexible and better able to predict user behavior. You know, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Yes, you read that right. GA4 features transformative machine learning insights and predictive modeling about user behavior and conversions, creates new audiences of users likely to purchase or churn and automatically surfaces critical insights to improve marketing.
For example, the new insights and predictions can automatically alert marketers to data trends such as surging demand for a product they sell. This helps marketers anticipate actions their customers might take in the future and focus on higher-value audiences.
2. Tracking in a Cookieless World
Google Analytics works by setting cookies on a user’s browser when visiting your website. Cookies allow a website to remember information about a visitor such as if a user visited the site before or how a user interacted with the site.
Cookies are widely used on the web. However, cookies also pose a privacy risk because they share data with third parties.
As privacy expectations change, users increasingly want to opt out of sharing their data, creating major gaps in tracking.
Google Analytics had to adapt to remain useful to website owners. And they did with GA4.
It operates across platforms without relying exclusively on cookies.
Google wrote in a recent blog:
“Google Analytics 4 is designed with privacy at its core to provide a better experience for both our customers and their users. Importantly, Google Analytics 4 will also no longer store IP addresses. These solutions and controls are especially necessary for today’s international data privacy landscape, where users are increasingly expecting more privacy protections and control over their data.”
While privacy may be the driver, these GA4 changes provide complete and comprehensive data and additional granular controls for data collection and usage unlike what we’ve experienced so far.
3. Granular Data Controls
Users often switch devices or profiles as they interact with your website. GA4 tracks users across websites, devices and apps to provide a singular database for analysis. It also de-duplicates users across data from different devices.
Ultimately, these features allow marketers to measure a single user journey across devices based on the best available user identifiers like the user ID, device ID or Google signals.
To track the most important conversions on your site, GA4 requires marketers to activate Google Tag Manager for custom event tagging and provides deeper integration to Google Ads.
This new granular data control also incorporates data-driven attribution to analyze the full impact of your marketing across the customer journey. It assigns attribution credit to more than just the last click using your Analytics data, and helps you understand how your marketing activities collectively influence your conversions. You can export that analysis to combine with other data sets, too.
And if you like creating custom reports, GA4 is exactly what you need. With greater ownership of our data comes the flexibility of custom reporting templates.
Because the data model has changed and the platform is more privacy-conscious, replicating some of the tasks you performed in Universal Analytics may not be possible.
Key Takeaways
- Now is the time to start the switch to GA4.
- Google Analytics 4 completely transforms how data is collected, manipulated and reported.
- Privacy is at the core of Google Analytics 4, allowing marketers to comply with regulations and reducing gaps in data.
- You have full control over how you track the user journey and showcase ROI for your digital marketing efforts.
As markers prepare for Google Analytics 4, there’s still a lot to learn, but now is the time to start the switch.
This blog is one in a three-part series about what businesses need to know about Google Analytics 4. If you have questions about these changes or want to connect about what this means for your business, reach out. Let’s discuss how to get your website upgraded.