Opinion
Google Analytics 4: A summary of what brands and marketers need to know
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will replace Universal Analytics from July 1, 2023 - all things being equal, this isn’t very far away. Chessy Collins gives her tips on how businesses can prepare.
The world is abuzz with articles about the new version of one of our favourite analytics tools. In brief, Google is set to take the next step in enhancing data and analytics, with Google Analytics 4 soon to replace Universal Analytics entirely. It was initially released in Beta form in 2019, and is a completely new version of the platform, representing a more advanced and event-driven data model.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will replace Universal Analytics from July 1, 2023 – all things being equal, this isn’t very far away. While Universal Analytics reports will remain accessible for a while after this date, new data will only flow into Google Analytics 4 properties, and the recommendation is to set up GA4 for at least a year’s worth of tracking to be in place before the changeover.
Let’s take a step back and look at what Google Analytics 4 means for businesses.
Google Analytics 4 represents a shift away from a cookie-dependent generation of online measurement anchored in the desktop web, to a period that puts user privacy at the forefront. It is modern tracking designed to close some of the gaps posed by today’s biggest data challenges and negate the problems created by the shifting digital landscape. Here’s why:
1. It is built with the future in mind.
GA4 is a lot more streamlined than its predecessor. The platform is designed for tracking multiple experiences and can adapt to new technology and future advancements.
2. It represents more robust tracking.
Over the past few years, more people are choosing to opt-out of trackable experiences because of the shift towards a privacy-first world. In line with this, GA4 has been created to place less reliance on tracking via cookies.
3. GA4 uses enhanced AI for deeper insights.
GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to monitor the process of conversion, and provide predictive insights on the future behaviour of your customer.
What about benefits?
1. Better visibility across user touchpoints.
Brands will now have the opportunity to access a more holistic view of their digital performance. GA4 provides a more complete view of the customer journey, rather than separating data by platform or into independent sessions.
GA4 also allows for the unification of data across web and applications, pulling information (such as sales figures) into a centralised report. This is good news for merchants who blend web and app experiences across their customer journey, as they will now be able to access a comprehensive single source of truth.
2. New and improved attribution.
The GA4 rollout will make data-driven attribution the new normal. Google’s attribution algorithm will distribute conversion credit across user touchpoints, providing improved insight into which marketing activities drive conversions.
The GA4 attribution model is grouped into:
○ Cross-channel rules-based model
○ Ads-preferred rules-based model
○ Data-driven attribution model
○ Reporting attribution model
3. Prioritising behavioural segmentation.
GA4 prioritises tracking behavioural data over demographic segmentation. This change will give brands and marketers access to more intelligent insight into website users and a better understanding of their customer journey.
With the move towards a privacy-first web, this shift will help businesses remain in line with compliance requirements.
4. Predictive analytics.
GA4 will use machine learning to surface deep insights into predicted user behaviour across three key metrics:
○ Purchase profitability – the probability that users who have been active in the last 28 days and will make a purchase in the next 7 days
○ Churn profitability – the probability that users who have visited your website in the last 7 days will not be active in the next week
○ Predicted revenue – revenue expected from all purchase events in the next 28 days from active website users over the past 28 days
To harness the power of predictive insights, GA4 has some data prerequisites. Brands need to have at least 1000 users who have triggered the event, and 1000 users who have not.
5. Custom reporting.
Compared to the 20 static events from UA (such as page views, transactions, etc.), with GA4, brands can track 30 events that can be fully customised. These form just one of the four event categories available on GA4:
○ Automatically collected event
○ Enhanced measurement events
○ Recommended events
○ Custom events
GA4’s reduction of default reports and uptake of custom events allows brands to customise reporting across key business objectives. There are also several reports available out of the box, meaning brands don’t need to jump straight into full customisation, these include user lifetime, acquisition, Ecommerce, cohort exploration and more.
6. Expanded integrations.
GA4 enables expanded integrations with other Google products, including Search Ads 360. This will power more robust cross-channel reporting, including attribution for search ads in Model Comparison Reports and Conversion Path Reports. Additionally, brands can access user, session and conversion metrics across different dimensions of source/medium, campaign and channel.
Here’s a full list of current GA4 integrations:
○ Google Ads
○ BigQuery Export
○ Display & Video 360
○ Google Merchant Centre
○ Firebase
○ Google Ad Manager
○ Google Optimise
○ Salesforce Marketing Cloud
○ Search Console
○ Analytics Search Ads 360
It can’t be all sunshine and roses, so let’s discuss GA4’s limitations because as with any new development, it does have a few.
1. Some reportable metrics may change.
A few of the metrics available in UA will not have equivalents in the new GA4, but by default, brands should be able to configure something very similar. As a result, this will mean there are some areas of reports that cannot be accurately reported year-on-year and will need to be adapted accordingly.
2. No data migration.
Unfortunately, there is no simple way to migrate data from Universal Analytics to GA4. Experts are hopeful that Google will introduce a process for data migration, however, brands and marketers will need to find their own solutions at this time. Currently, the suggestion is that brands begin looking at alternatives (such as Google’s cloud data warehouse ‘BigQuery’).4
3. UA properties will be deleted.
Google plans to stop collecting UA data from the 1st of July 2023 and subsequently delete UA properties six months after that sunset date.
GA4 is live and accessible now, which is why specialists are encouraging all brands to be fully set up and running promptly as Google is within a year of sunsetting UA. As mentioned earlier, this will enable brands to capture as much comparative data as possible ahead of its disappearance.
The key information brands need to know as they prepare to migrate to GA4
1. How do I set up GA4 tracking?
Install the GA4 tracking code as soon as possible.
2. When will the current tracking of standard UA properties stop?
This will happen on the 1st of July 2023 and the processing of UA 360 properties will end three months later, in October 2023.
3. How long will UA data be available?
After the 1st of July 2023 all-new tracking will be done under GA4 properties, although users will have access to previously processed UA data for at least six months. Google is yet to announce exactly when, but at some point beyond this, UA data will no longer be available to report on.
4. When should I switch to GA4?
Specialists are recommending that all brands make the switch to GA4 as soon as possible, to build the necessary historical data before UA stops processing new hits. Waiting until closer to the UA sunset date to make the switch to GA4 is a considerable risk. It will mean there’s no historical data available within the new GA4 property, which poses problems when it comes to conducting year-on-year analysis and creating audiences, for example.
While it seems overwhelming (as with anything new), there are reports of early adopters successfully setting up GA4 quite easily, which is great news!
Chessy Collins – digital marketing team leader, Reload Media
