Google Analytics: Everything to Know About GA-4

Google Analytics 4, or GA4, is the latest version of Google Analytics available. GA4 represents a significant departure from previous versions of Google Analytics by using different data structures and data collection logic. This article reviews the new features and differences that users of Google Analytics 4 can expect and how your internet marketing service can assist you in reaping the benefits of this new analytical tool.

GA4 replaces the former property type, Universal Analytics (UA), which will be sunset in July 2024. Because UA is terminating, many users have already switched to GA-4. Switching to GA4 allows you to build up your historical data and familiarize yourself with the new platform before UA is gone for good. Unfortunately, you cannot import data from UA to GA4 since they use different data models.

The primary differences users can expect with GA4 include the following:

• It is a new kind of property designed for the future of measurement. As such, it:
  
  • Collects website and app data to understand the customer journey better.
  • Uses event-based data rather than session-based data.
  • Includes privacy controls, such as cookieless measurement and behavioral and conversion modeling, which makes it easier to follow users along their journey.
• Google Explorations offers advanced techniques to help you reveal deeper insights about your customers’ preferences.
• The Analysis Hub gives you access to advanced data misplay methods, including:
  
  • Funnel analysis to visualize shoppers’ steps to complete an event and how they manage every step in the process.
  • Path analysis that displays the event stream as a series of events users trigger. This feature can reveal a loop where users appear to be getting stuck.
  • Cohort analysis to group users with a common characteristic.
  • Segment overlap allows for user cross-sections to be created based on multiple conditions.
• It includes machine learning and natural language processing functions, which allow users to estimate the probability of converting customers. Users can also develop audiences for Google Ads based on the probability and receive notifications on conversion trends. These features help predict customer behavior so business owners can make smart, data-driven investments that result in higher returns on investment (ROI).
• Cross-platform analytics make it easier to analyze customer transitions between platforms. In the past, it’s been incredibly difficult to analyze a customer’s movement across different platforms, such as from a website to an app. But GA4 uses an event-based approach to analytics to collect data across multiple platforms, which improves data quality and provides users with one report that crosses all visitor paths.
• It features integration with Google Tools, including YouTube advertising campaigns. This change allows users to track conversions and measure a campaign’s effect on specific audiences. The more comprehensive integration with Google Ads lets users run campaigns that cater to specific audiences, no matter their device.
• BigQuery Export is not free for all GA4 users, whereas it has historically only been available to paid users of UA. GA4 also has resource settings that let users activate data collection in BigQuery cloud storage. BigQuery can be used to pull data and insights at a granular level to provide answers to questions you may have about customers. Your internet marketing service can effectively utilize this tool to target your digital marketing strategy.
• GA4 also provides additional standard metrics that are automatically tracked, including:
  
  • Scrolling below 90% of the page
  • Site search
  • Outbound link clicks
  • File downloads
  • Interactions with embedded YouTube players
• It has improved other metrics, including engaged sessions and engagement time. Engaged sessions spend ten seconds or more on the site or app, have viewed two or more screens or pages, or had a conversion event. GA4 also tracks engagement time when your website is in the browser’s active tab, making it more accurate than UA.
• GA4 uses machine learning for more accurate predictions. This feature can be used to build audiences, such as likely 7-day purchasers and predicted 28-day top spenders. You can easily customize your audiences and leverage the power of machine learning.
• The audience triggers function lets you prompt events when users match the definition of an audience and become members. This benefit can allow you to create more complex events and conversions. And it is all customizable to allow you to define your audience triggers.

Google UA has been a powerful tool for business owners in recent years. GA4 goes far beyond the capabilities of UA as it was designed to account for the future. The features of GA4 provide you with new ways to analyze behavior and gain insights into customer behavior. In short, GA4 is one of the most powerful analytics and marketing tools. It helps you understand website traffic and how users behave on your site, ultimately leading to better marketing strategies that can result in more conversions and higher customer satisfaction. But understanding how to use it effectively can be challenging. With an internet marketing service, you can tap into expertise to help you navigate GA4.

eGlobal Web Solutions specializes in marketing your business via the digital marketplace. We use search engine optimization, social and review promotion, and Email marketing for all types of businesses, from local to global. We utilize various digital marketing techniques to increase your internet presence, optimize your traffic and generate new business.