A brief introduction to Google Analytics 4

Gareth Ellis16 Aug 2023

Google Analytics 4 is now available to use.

Technology companies have long used machine intelligence to develop their goods and services. Companies face significant hurdles in gauging client behaviour across many platforms and devices as a result of the measurement landscape of today.

The next-generation analytics tool, Google Analytics4 (GA4), was created to capture web and mobile data to assist businesses in better understanding the user experience and journey of their consumers. It incorporates privacy control features, including cookieless measurements and behavioural and conversion modelling, and uses events rather than session-based data. Direct integrations enable meaningful information from third-party services, while predictive capabilities provide insight without complex modelling.

Standard Universal Analytics properties won't be able to gather any new data after the end of the year (or whenever Google decides to discontinue supporting Universal Analytics). You can see your Universal Analytics report until Google terminates its previous analytics service.

After that time, only Google Analytics 4 properties (not Universal Analytics) will be able to collect new analytics data. Technology companies have used machine intelligence for a long time to develop their goods and services; once this changes formally, it will become commonplace on the internet.

With the benefits Google Analytics 4 offers, you should set up your company for the future.

Analytics software is used by millions of businesses, both large and small, to help them provide better customer service. Existing analytics techniques haven't kept up with changes in customer behaviour and new laws governing personal data. Because analytics enable you to make wise business decisions, improving analytics utilisation should be a significant focus.

Without thorough business intelligence and feedback loops, gaining a solid consumer understanding and drawing conclusions from their data can be challenging.

Would you take a night-time flight in a storm without instruments?

Without meaningful data or feedback, flying blind is not much fun. Not to mention when it is costing you money.

The new Google Analytics 4 features more substantial measurement capabilities than its predecessors, which should help you generate a better ROI from your marketing over the long term. It extensively uses AI and machine learning to fully comprehend your clients. In light of recent modifications to the legal system, GA4 is privacy-focused by design. Therefore, even if industry changes like limitations on cookies and identifiers cause gaps in your data, you can rely on Analytics. This data will provide the advantage you need to stay competitive in the industry.

So what has changed?

Simply said, a lot.

There have been a lot of behind-the-scenes changes, including how the database is set up and obtains its data. Now, users and their activities—not sessions—rule the world.

Each action is processed independently in a sequential processing approach. Historically, we've divided our users' activities into sessions using a session-by-session methodology. Marketers can benefit significantly from shifting the focus from sessions to events, such as tracking cross-platform analytics and having better path-tracking research capabilities.

GA4 is more adaptive and more effective at forecasting user behaviour thanks to its new event-based methodology.

You should immediately switch to GA4.

The question is not whether you should immediately update to GA4; it's more whether you can afford to have your data be left behind as your market competitors gain advantages over you.

In a word, yeah. You can configure GA4 to work in tandem with your current Universal Analytics setup, collecting data without changing your existing configuration. Even though you won't use it immediately, gathering and evaluating your dataset will help future studies be more accurate. In general, improved data collection leads to more knowledgeable marketing tactics.

How to Configure GA4

GA4 requires only a few clicks to set up initially for tracking.
As previously mentioned, you won't lose access to your Universal Analytics view. Simply said, it will keep gathering statistics for you.

Linking a fresh GA4 data stream to your active Universal Analytics is shown below. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are beginning from scratch.

Steps For GA4's Basic Setup

  • Enter your Google Analytics login information.
  • Choose Admin. Bottom left navigation, gear symbol.
  • Verify that the account you want is selected.
  • Verify the property is set as expected.
  • "GA4 Setup Assistant" should be clicked in the Property column.
  • Click the blue "Get Started" link to launch the setup process.
  • Finally, select "Create a property" by clicking the blue icon.

That's pretty much it for the initial setup.

If you use a website builder, such as WordPress, etc., you must add the Analytics tag.

Despite the complexity of Google Analytics, it's beneficial to keep in mind many of the behavioural insights and KPIs that guide search engine success.

In conjunction with Google Analytics, our Razormind Business intelligence technology distils customer behaviour into an easy-to-use dashboard for you. Ultimately, the information you want consists of calls, leads, sales, and value. You may use the campaigns that perform the best and grow them appropriately by combining Google Analytics with the best data and visuals.

Event Monitoring

Following the creation of your new Google Analytics 4 account, the Setup Assistant will immediately turn on Enhanced Measurement.

You don't require unique code for tracking simple events, but if you wish to track complicated events, you might need some custom code.

Complete information is available in Google Analytics 4. You can only manage what you can measure, as the phrase goes. Additionally, the value of data collection depends on the approach used and the information that can be gleaned.

Benefits of reporting under GA4?

Tracking people across various devices and platforms has become more challenging as user-tracking trends grow.

GA4 is a cutting-edge technology for compiling various personal data about an individual in one location. It guarantees that all the different data components are stored together. It will give instrumental feedback for all marketing campaigns, SEO, Google Ads or content analysis.

Finally, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) improved marketers' ability to identify significant trends and anomalies in their data.

You can choose from a lengthy selection of pre-made designs that aim to account for any imaginable circumstance. Starting small and using the summary cards to delve deeper into the needed data is always advised. You may also design a personalised dashboard to provide you with performance information in a look.

Reporting for Google Analytics 4 instant wins

The recommended practices for using its reports are covered in this final section of our guide to using Google Analytics 4. By looking at the summary page, you can see how well your site performs. It is best to utilise this to confirm that everything is operating as planned.

  • The home page report will swiftly answer where new users originate.
  • Which of your campaigns performed the best?
  • Which screens and pages receive the most traffic?

Steps to take next

Analytics are essential, so get them set up as soon as possible. Not only will the outdated universal analytics expire, but acquiring data earlier rather than later will also enable quick decision-making. While rivals have not yet started, you can already have a corpus of data. Even though Google Analytics provides good summary statistics, one issue we constantly run into is tying leads and value to the client's sales and CRM systems.

To effectively attribute phone conversations and leads to sales, we provide our Razormind toolkit to every client. Crystal clear analytics.

Google Analytics doesn't have to be a maze. We are all authorities in our domains. For instance, do not request that one of our team members straighten your spine or extract a tooth! Contact us right away to see how we can assist you in understanding business insights and reclaim your time for what you do best.