Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Navigating a New Era

As a marketer or website owner, you may have heard the buzz about Google Analytics or GA4, and that Google has phased out its Universal Analytics (UA) platform. For a decade, UA dominated the analytics space as the tool of choice, but, as of July 1, 2023, it is gone for good. Over the years, analytics tools have undergone many changes and iterations, so just how different is GA4, and why is it such a big deal? Learn more about it and what it means for your business, and answer the quick poll below!

What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Introduced in 2020, Google Analytics 4 is the fourth iteration of Google Analytics and a significant upgrade to the Universal Analytics platform. Designed to be future-proof, GA4 uses machine learning to provide depth and flexibility in the approach to tracking and analyzing user behavior. This results in improved data accuracy and greater insights, which empower businesses to make decisions based on more thorough data.

Ways GA4 varies from UA

The way GA4 handles data collection and organization sets it miles apart from UA. While UA focuses on tracking sessions and page views within a website, GA4 takes a more user-centric approach. It uses an event-driven model, allowing businesses to track specific user interactions such as clicks, video plays, and form submissions. This shift in focus helps to paint a clearer picture of user behavior and engagement across various touchpoints.

Another big difference is that GA4 is designed to measure various platforms in one analytics solution. In contrast, UA primarily focuses on web analytics. GA4 seamlessly integrates data from websites, apps, and other digital platforms, providing a holistic view of user interactions. This feature makes GA4 especially beneficial for businesses with a strong mobile presence or those employing several digital channels.

Game-changing Features

Google Analytics 4 is transforming the way businesses utilize analytics. Here are some highlighted features:

• AI-powered insights: GA4 uses machine learning to provide insights and recommendations based on your data, identifying trends, anomalies, and opportunities. It can even predict purchase probability down to the individual user. These insights can help optimize marketing campaigns, upgrade user experience, and boost conversions.
• Event-based model: GA4 uses an event-based model that allows you to track any user interaction as an event, with custom parameters and values. This gives you more flexibility and control over what data you collect and how you analyze it.
• Cross-platform measurement: As mentioned previously, GA4 lets you measure both websites and apps in the same property, using the same set of events and parameters. This means you can get a unified view of your users across different devices and platforms, as well as compare their behavior and performance more easily.
• Enhanced measurement: In GA4 some common events and parameters are tracked automatically without any additional code. These events include page views, scrolls, clicks, video views, file downloads, etc. This saves time and effort in setting up analytics and ensures consistent data collection across your website or app.
• Improved privacy and compliance: Protecting user privacy, GA4 follows the rules of data laws, like GDPR and CCPA. It has options like consent mode, data deletion requests, IP anonymization, and so on. It also uses special methods to keep user data safe while showing overall reports.

What happens to old UA data?

So, what happens to properties that used Universal Analytics? Google has stated that users will still be able to export their old UA data for at least six months after July 1, 2023. This limited-time access ensures business continuity with the ability to analyze historical data as website owners transition to the GA4 platform.

Conclusion

Google Analytics 4 pushes boundaries in analytics capabilities, offering businesses a more rounded and adaptable solution to propel data-based decisions. GA4 is poised to become the new standard with its user-centric innovations, enhanced features, and cross-platform integration. Considering these developments, marketers and website owners should upgrade their digital marketing skillsets by getting familiar with GA4.

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Still uncertain about GA4? We’re here to help. For all things digital, you may get in touch with us at rc.connect@nagarro.com.

Digital-marketing, Ga4, Google-analytics-4, Marketing, Web-development