- \n
- Statistics<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
- \u00a0Google Analytics is used by 85.7%<\/mark>\u00a0of all the websites whose traffic analysis tool we know. This is 55.6% of all websites (about 28 million) and it\u2019s expected that number will continue to climb in the years to come. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Most websites use Google Analytics to peek at their site visitors, see which pages are the most popular, and check where people are coming from.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But dig beneath the surface, and you\u2019ll find a whole world of valuable insights that will help you measure and optimize your search engine optimization performance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the tough part: Google Analytics is notoriously complex and overwhelming, especially if you don\u2019t know how to break down the information and use it to inform your SEO efforts. And with the launch of the most significant Google Analytics update ever \u2014 Google Analytics 4 \u2014, there\u2019s, even more, to learn and understand on this platform.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n- \n
- NOTE<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
- On July 1, 2023,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Google\u00a0 Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits<\/mark> for Standard (free) users, and on October 1, 2023, for GA360 users. GA4 is designed to replace both Universal Analytics (UA) and GA360\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>[Source: <\/span>Google<\/a>]\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Anyone who logs in to Google Analytics will see a notification that the switch to Google Analytics 4 must be made before the 1st of July, 2023. If you don’t switch, no more data will be collected. The old version of Analytics, also known as Universal Analytics, will expire on that date.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This means if you\u2019ve been holding out on switching to Google Analytics 4, your time is almost up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Though we\u2019ve seen several iterations of Google Analytics over the years, GA4 is fundamentally different from previous versions in the kind of data that gets measured, and how. Long story short:\u00a0everything<\/i>\u00a0is different in GA4.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What can you expect? New report functions, enhanced features, and predictive insights make this new generation of GA more powerful than ever.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nTable of content<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Google Analytics 4: What is Changing?<\/a><\/p>\n
- \n
- Cross-Platform tracking: All-in-One<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- Events-based data model<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- New reporting with new UI<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- Privacy-friendly Data Collection and Analytics<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why Should I Switch To Google Analytics 4?<\/a><\/p>\n
How To Set Up GA4?<\/a><\/p>\n
Best Practices to Make the Most of GA4<\/a><\/p>\n
FAQs about GA4<\/a><\/p>\n
Recap<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Google Analytics 4: What\u2019s Changing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
In short\u2026 quite a lot, actually.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
GA language is changing. There are many changes in data structure and data collection logic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
GA4 is a step in the right direction when it comes to providing businesses with the insights that matter today, leveraging machine learning and AI components built for the nearing cookieless future.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thus, here are the four big changes that I see happening with this tool:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- Cross-Platform tracking: All-in-One<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- Events-based data model<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- New reporting with new UI<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- Privacy-friendly Data Collection and Analytics
\n<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>1. Cross-Platform Tracking: All-in-One<\/b><\/h3>\n
With the old Google Analytics, tracking users across platforms was nearly impossible. The new Google Analytics 4 tracks both web and app data in one property (hence the beta name of Google Analytics App+Web).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cross-platform tracking enables you to see the complete\u00a0customer journey<\/span>, including acquisition, engagement, monetization, and retention. You can use GA4 to track the user experience from start to finish\u2014and from platform to platform.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This is done through unique user IDs<\/span><\/a> assigned during app or website login.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
GA4 is equipped with four different\u00a0identity methods<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to help in creating a unified view of cross-device user journeys:<\/p>\n
- \n
- User \u2013 ID<\/li>\n
- Google signals<\/li>\n
- Device ID<\/li>\n
- Modeling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
All data associated with the same user\u2014or identity\u2014is assigned to the same identity space. These identity spaces are used across all GA4 reporting, allowing brands and advertisers to de-duplicate their users’ list, and gain a richer understanding of their relationship and interaction with your business.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>2. Events-based data model<\/b><\/h3>\n
The metrics of GA4 are drastically different in the ways they are defined and collected. Category, label, action, and value are gone \u2014 instead, custom event tracking collects user-defined parameters with each custom event.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now, instead of focusing on session data, everything is built around users and the events they complete. Every measurable interaction will now be considered an event.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An events-based data model processes each user interaction as a standalone event, which means more in-depth reports and insights. It is making the question less about\u00a0what happened<\/i>\u00a0in a session, and more about the\u00a0behavior of a user<\/i>, and the translation of data points into human actions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since it\u2019s more focused on the entire guest lifecycle, rather than just the pages they visit along the way, GA4 is more flexible and better able to predict user behavior.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s all underpinned by AI machine learning to provide more detailed insights. This should help you to anticipate a guest\u2019s actions in the future and focus your marketing attention on some of the higher-value segments of your audience.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Moving the focus from sessions to events provides major benefits to marketers such as cross-platform analysis – a unified view between the app and the web, mentioned above.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are basic events that GA4 will automatically collect<\/span><\/a>, other events it might\u00a0recommend<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that you collect based on your website type, and the freedom to\u00a0customize event collection<\/span><\/a>\u00a0however you like.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You can set an event yourself, but Google Analytics 4 also measures a number of events by default:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Scrolls<\/li>\n
- Pageviews<\/li>\n
- Video engagement<\/li>\n
- Outgoing clicks<\/li>\n
- Search queries on the site<\/li>\n
- File downloads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
Even if you do not alter the default settings, you will already gain good insight into the behavior of your visitors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
NOTE:<\/strong> There is a limit on the total number of parameters a GA property can collect, so choose carefully.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>3. New Reporting with <\/b>New User Interface<\/b><\/h3>\n
Not only does GA4 measure and define data differently than UA, but it also looks different.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The way reporting is organised and displayed is changing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The first change you are likely to notice is the entirely new dashboard with some features looking different or having a different navigation path.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
GA4 new layout is centered around the guest lifecycle, with shorter reports and summarised data making it easier to identify key trends. For example, gone are tables upon tables of difficult-to-interpret data, replaced by scorecards and simplified overviews.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"google](\"https:\/\/neilpatel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/google-analtyics-4-main-dashboard-view-700x395.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In GA4, it is more streamlined and many of the reports you are used to are gone or have been moved. The navigation bar to the right includes buttons for home, reports, explore, advertising, configure, and library.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the bottom, under Insights, you\u2019ll see predictive insights based on Google\u2019s AI.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Pages and screens report<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The pages and screen report look different in GA4 from those in Universal Analytics. It is no longer called the Landing Pages report but Pages and screens report.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-ekmfg.nitrocdn.com\/ZAqDvXXGWxAESVzkHqLlJnUBoZWebFXj\/assets\/static\/optimized\/rev-f55e5d3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Screenshot-2022-06-13-at-1.36.58-PM-1024x393.png\")
<\/picture>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pages and screens report in GA4 measure the performance of a web page based on the number of views it gets. Pages reports can give you insights into many aspects of your landing page.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"User](\"https:\/\/cdn.shortpixel.ai\/spai\/w_1508+q_lossy+ret_img+to_webp\/https:\/\/tinuiti.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/second-example-of-google-analytics-4.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Moreover, the navigation path is different for pages and screens reported in GA4.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In Universal Analytics, you would navigate to\u00a0Behavior > Site Content > All Pages<\/b> to view your landing pages report. In this report, you can analyze metrics like pageviews, unique pageviews, average time on page, bounce rate, and more.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In Google Analytics 4 you will follow the path\u00a0Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens<\/b> to access your pages report. On this screen, you will see two graphs giving you some insights into your top-performing pages. Underneath that, you will find a table report with metrics like views, users, views per user, average engagement time, and more.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The best way to use this report is by exploring various features, metrics, and dimensions to help track and analyze your page performance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Less standard reports<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Another important difference is that there are fewer standard reports in Google Analytics 4. So you must set up your own reports to get a proper overview. That takes more time than with Universal Analytics, where everything was more or less set up ready-made.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Real-time reports in GA4<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Real-time reports are a great feature to see the activities on a website as soon as they happen (in the last 30 minutes). This can enable marketers or content creators to make marketing campaigns\u2019 changes or improvements immediately, further optimizing them to improve engagement and conversions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
More Control<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
GA4 allows you to customize the dashboard, enabling you to see the reports that matter most to your business. You can also\u00a0create custom segments<\/span><\/a> based on trigger events which are essentially a subset of events that occurred on your website or application. This enables you to accurately track customer interactions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>4. Privacy-friendly Data Collection and Analysis<\/b><\/h3>\n
Google Analytics 4 is more privacy-friendly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
With GA4, Google is also trying to focus on\u00a0the concerns around customer privacy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As\u00a03rd-party data collection is criticized by privacy advocates, Google is prepared to shift towards using anonymized first-party data, along with consented tracking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
GA4 is being introduced to tackle the growing importance of GDPR and user privacy online, reduce our reliance on cookie data and fill any potential gaps in data using advanced machine learning (ML).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By unifying properties, and collection scopes, and announcing significant server-side capabilities<\/span><\/a>, Google is shifting away from client-side dependencies and is an advanced tool that provides unparalleled insights.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
All while making data analysis simpler too. Used effectively it will help you capture business-critical first-party data, which is even more valuable now that third-party data is becoming increasingly scarce.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For example, no more IP addresses of users are gathered and processed. You can also determine whether Google Analytics 4 data may be used for online marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
- \n
- Privacy settings<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With the introduction of Google Analytics 4, Google is also trying to address the concerns around online privacy. For example, no more IP addresses of users are gathered and processed. You can also determine whether Google Analytics 4 data may be used for online marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- Predictive Insights<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With GA4\u2019s powered\u00a0predictive metrics<\/span><\/a>, you can make data-driven decisions on a large scale.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What does this look like? For most businesses, predictive analytics can significantly impact retargeting campaigns. AI metrics include:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- purchase probability<\/li>\n
- churn probability<\/li>\n
- revenue prediction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
With the above metrics, you can create audiences based on their predicted behaviors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These audiences can then be targeted using\u00a0Google Ads<\/span><\/a>\u00a0campaigns or even on social media. These metrics can also improve website performance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
NOTE: <\/b><\/span>GA4 offers even greater integration with Google Ads<\/b> too, allowing you to build, maintain and share audiences that can help direct your paid search activity. The opportunities are near limitless.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Why Should I Switch To Google Analytics 4?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
This is the big question \u2013 do you need to switch to Google Analytics 4 right now?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Short answer:\u00a0yes<\/b>. And… as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Set up a GA4 property to run in parallel with Universal Analytics. Even if you don\u2019t plan on using it right away, collecting data and strengthening your machine learning (ML) models will make future analyses more meaningful.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Better data collection = better-informed marketing strategies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Google\u00a0stops processing new hits from the 1st of July 2023<\/b>. After the switchover to GA4, your Universal Analytics property will stop recording data but remain available to access for \u201cat least 6 months\u201d according to Google. The smart move would be to export all your Universal Analytics data during July 2023 so that you retain a copy of everything you\u2019ve learned over the years. Set a reminder now!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Once UA is gone, your data will be too\u00a0<\/b>\u2014 meaning you won\u2019t have access to any historical data to measure against in the future.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The only exception to the above is for those using Google Analytics 360. You\u2019ll have until October 1st, 2023, to collect and analyse Universal Analytics data. Lucky things.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We strongly recommend exporting and maintaining hard copies of historical data for your records. Data will not be transferable from UA\/GA360 to GA4 properties due to how differently their data models and definitions function and operate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve not already set up a GA4 property for your website, do it today even if you don\u2019t plan on fully utilising GA4 until 2023.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Why? For two reasons:<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- You\u2019ll be gathering valuable historical data which will give you a future point of comparison<\/li>\n
- You\u2019ll be strengthening the machine learning models working away behind the scenes, making future analysis more meaningful<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t panic though. Setting up a GA4 property doesn\u2019t mean you lose access to your Universal Analytics property and all the data you\u2019ve gathered so far \u2013 you can continue to make use of Universal Analytics in parallel until the switchover in July 2023.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Handily, Google has provided some guidance on how to set up GA4 within their support documentation<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0If you need some help, let us know<\/span>. We\u2019re implementing Google Analytics 4 for all our clients.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
December 1, 2022<\/b><\/p>\n
You can set up the direct integration between your website and Google Analytics 4 yourself from December 1, 2022. All you have to do is convert your Google Universal Analytics account to Google Analytics 4, more info on the\u00a0Google support page<\/span><\/a>. You will then receive a code, and you can link this code to your\u00a0website<\/span>\u00a0or webshop from 1 December.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You can also do this yourself by logging into your Google Analytics account and following the steps.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>How to Set Up GA4?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Because GA4 is an entirely new product, you can\u2019t simply hit an \u2018update\u2019 button on your existing Universal Analytics or GA360 property; a new property needs to be created for GA4, and your site will need the appropriate tagging to begin collecting data.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are two separate setup processes. They are outlined below.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
1. Alongside an Existing Property<\/b><\/h3>\n
If you currently have a Universal Analytics property for your website, then set up of a Google Analytics 4 property can be\u00a0completed with the GA4 Setup Assistant<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Important Note:\u00a0<\/b>The GA4 setup assistant works automatically with gtag.js. If you use a website builder such as WordPress, Wix, etc., you will need to\u00a0add the Analytics tag yourself<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you are unable to \u201cEnable data collection using your existing tags,\u201d it\u2019s for one of three reasons:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- Your website builder\/CMS doesn\u2019t yet support the gtag.js tag.<\/li>\n
- You use Google Tag Manager.<\/li>\n
- Your website is tagged with analytics.js.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/p>\n
In all three cases, you\u2019ll need to\u00a0add the tag yourself<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
2. Google Analytics for Firebase<\/b><\/h3>\n
To\u00a0upgrade your Firebase account to Google Analytics 4<\/span><\/a>, follow these steps:<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- Log in to the Firebase console.<\/li>\n
- Go to Analytics > Dashboard on the left panel.<\/li>\n
- Click \u201cBegin upgrade\u201d in the banner at the top of the page.<\/li>\n
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/p>\n
Once upgraded, you can find app analytics in both the Firebase console and Google Analytics.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you already have the Firebase SDK on your site,\u00a0make sure you have the latest version<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and link the app. If your app doesn\u2019t yet have the Firebase SDK,\u00a0get started in Google Analytics<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Web Properties. <\/b>A separate tracking code needs to be added to properties. This can be done within existing Google Tag Manager integrations, with no immediate need for code development on sites that are already successfully running Tag Manager. Sites without Tag Manager will need to upgrade their site from analytics.js to gtag.js.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Get in touch now<\/b><\/a><\/span> to see how Magecloud can help you migrate to GA4.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Best Practices to Make the Most of GA4<\/b><\/h2>\n
Data is forward-facing from the date of installation, so the sooner you add GA4, the more historical data you\u2019ll have. Adding GA4 to your site now \u2014 even if you don\u2019t yet have the time to learn the layout, or decide how you\u2019ll use the insights \u2014 is so important because it will start capturing data immediately. GA4 will keep running in the background so that when you are ready to explore its capabilities, you\u2019ll have some statistically significant information to work with.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
- \n
- We at MageCloud offer a free 30-minute website perfomance audit\/consultation. <\/i><\/b>The audit will reveal the issues on your eCommerce store and what you can do about them.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Predictive Insights<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Privacy settings<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- Events-based data model<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- Events-based data model<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
- On July 1, 2023,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Google\u00a0 Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits<\/mark> for Standard (free) users, and on October 1, 2023, for GA360 users. GA4 is designed to replace both Universal Analytics (UA) and GA360\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>[Source: <\/span>Google<\/a>]\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
- \u00a0Google Analytics is used by 85.7%<\/mark>\u00a0of all the websites whose traffic analysis tool we know. This is 55.6% of all websites (about 28 million) and it\u2019s expected that number will continue to climb in the years to come. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n