Google Analytics 4: What Business Owners Need to Know
Google Analytics (UA) has been one of the most important tools for businesses to track their website traffic and analyse their customers’ behaviour. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of this popular tool, and it has several new features and benefits that business owners should be aware of.
We are still finding businesses that don’t have any analytics tracking. If you would like help with GA4 set-up, get in contact and we can guide you through the process. This blog will discuss what GA4 is, what makes it different from the previous version, and what business owners need to know about it.
What Is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google’s analytics tool. It was launched in October 2020 and is designed to help businesses understand their customer’s behaviour across multiple devices and platforms. GA4 is a major update to the previous version of Google Analytics, Universal Analytics (UA), which has been the standard version since 2012.
What Makes GA4 Different from UA?
There are several significant differences between GA4 and UA that business owners should be aware of. One of the most significant changes is that GA4 uses a new data model that is based on events rather than sessions and pageviews. This means that GA4 tracks user behaviour based on the actions they take on your website or app rather than just the pages they visit.
Another difference is that GA4 is designed to work with multiple platforms, including mobile apps, web apps, and websites. This means businesses can use GA4 to track user behaviour across their digital properties rather than just their website.
GA4 also has several new features that are not available in UA. For example, GA4 includes more advanced machine-learning capabilities to help businesses identify trends and patterns in their data. It also includes new reports and metrics that are designed to provide more insights into user behaviour, such as engagement and retention metrics.
What Business Owners Need to Know About GA4
If you are a business owner, there are several things that you should know about GA4. First, GA4 is the future of Google Analytics, and we can see it has already replaced UA. This means that if you want to stay up-to-date with the latest analytics tools and features, you will need to switch to GA4.
Please note: If you have a look at your Google Analytics and it has stopped, check if it’s a UA account!
Second, GA4 requires a different implementation than UA. This means that if you are currently using UA, you must set up a new GA4 property and update your tracking code. You will also need to adjust your reporting and analysis processes to take advantage of the new features and capabilities of GA4.
Third, GA4 is designed to provide more insights into user behaviour than UA. This means you can use GA4 to better understand your customer’s needs, preferences, and behaviours. For example, you can use GA4 to track how users engage with your content, how long they spend on your site, and how often they return.
Fourth, GA4 includes more advanced machine-learning capabilities than UA. This means you can use GA4 to identify trends and patterns in your data that you might not have noticed otherwise. For example, GA4 can help you identify which channels are driving the most valuable traffic to your site, which pages are most likely to lead to conversions, and which users are most likely to become loyal customers.
This sounds great but what insights can GA4 come up with that will be useful? At Digital Influence we are very strong in local search, so its not a surprise we have insights such as:
If I saw this on my dashboard, what would it mean? Well, there’s a real strength in Local search and organic search in general. After delving further into these insights, you could look to invest more in this area of marketing to protect and improve your position. If this isn’t aligned with your goals, for example, you want to see more conversions with paid channels then it’s an indication to look at improvements.
Final Thoughts
Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google’s popular analytics tool, and it has several new features and benefits that business owners should be aware of. GA4 is designed to help businesses understand their customer’s behaviour across multiple devices and platforms and provides more advanced machine-learning capabilities than the previous version.
It’s important to note that GA4 requires a different implementation than UA, so you must set up a new GA4 property and adjust your reporting accordingly.
Get ahead of the competition. We’ll help you reach your target audience and drive more leads to your business. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business grow through effective digital marketing strategies.
