GA4 is on its way & it’ll be here before you know it!

With only 5 months to go until Google officially bids farewell to Universal Google Analytics and officially transitions into GA4, it’s time we got our ducks in a row and got this thing set up once and for all…and we’re here to help you too!

The R52 team wanted to delve into the not-so-new but ever-developing analytical platform, underline its impact to you and your business, and stress the importance of preparing for the change sooner rather than later.

Despite its launch in 2019, GA4 is still a relatively new concept to many. Moreover, the switchover from Universal Analytics to GA4 hasn’t been wholly warmly welcomed. It’s a constantly changing environment, with Google themselves having said that it is evolving all the time with new features and innovations being added to the platform on a regular basis, so don’t fret if it takes you some time to get used to it. Once set up, there will be plenty of time before July 2023 for you to get to grips with the new interface.

Let’s see what it’s all about…

What is GA4?

Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google Analytics. It was developed to help marketers to effectively analyse important user and website metrics. With GA4, the whole customer journey is illustrated, leveraging AI (the ‘it’ thing for marketing in 2023) to provide detailed insights into how users interact with websites and apps.

There is also a heavy emphasis on privacy and security, with the introduction of privacy-first tracking, giving more control to website owners.

Together with AI-driven predictive analytics and cross-channel data measurement, GA4 is likely to provide unparalleled insights to help you up your marketing game!

GA4 vs Universal Analytics: what’s the difference?

With enhanced features, new report functionality and predictive insights, GA4 is proving to be the most powerful analytical tool Google has produced yet. Standing in stark contrast to that of Universal Analytics, here are some of the main differences…

Cross-device tracking

GA4 enables you to report on both website and app activity. It uses Google Signals to understand when a user is switching between using different devices.

A new dashboard to get to grips with

GA4 has an entirely new streamlined dashboard, removing or moving many of the reports UA hosted. There is also a simplified navigation to the left-hand side of the dashboard. As mentioned earlier, GA4 also provides valuable predictive insights thanks to Google’s AI.

Everything is an event

Unlike Universal Analytics, everything GA4 tracks is measured as an event. Conversions have to be marked accordingly, after having been marked first as an event. In short, this means that when it comes to reporting, everything is broken down into more thorough reports and insights.

With GA4, there are 4 types of events: sessions; enhanced measurements; recommended events; and custom events. There are also new engagement metrics with GA4: engaged sessions; engagement rate; engagement time. We won’t go into this all now, but they’re there.

In the long-term it means that reporting and understanding the data will greatly benefit marketing efforts. The data also allows you to really get to know your customers and their user journey and experience. Speaking of reporting, whilst Universal Analytics seemed to have been built as a collection of reports with over 30 different types to navigate, GA4 has fewer standard reports, and relies on building custom explorations, or exporting data out of the platform.

Move to positive metrics

Say goodbye to bounce rates and hello to a more positive way of reporting event-driven metrics! There has been an intentional move towards reporting metrics to enhance user and on-page experience.

Should I use GA4?

You’ll soon have no other option but to, so our answer would be yes, and the sooner, the better!

In short, you need to act now. Creating your GA4 account now will allow you to build the necessary historical data in GA4. Historical data will not be migrated from Universal Analytics.

I don’t have the time to set Google Analytics 4 up, can you do it for me?

Yes! We’re here to help make the move from UA to GA4 as smoothly as possible for customers old and new. We appreciate that it is a whole new platform and will involve some time to set up, with the requirement of some technical knowledge and expertise. However, the benefits that GA4 offers are worth the effort!

The time to prepare for this change is now, and the R52 team of digital marketing and web development experts are here to help.

If you would like us to help you make the move from UA to GA4, then please give our team a call on 01282 911910, or get in touch here for a chat.