Today we are going to talk about Google Analytics 4 and tell you why this is such a significant update for marketers.
But before we continue on this guide to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), let us understand what is Google Analytics 4 or GA4 exactly.
What Exactly Is Google Analytics 4?
If you are into digital marketing the new probably heard about Google Analytics or Universal Analytics. Google Analytics 4 is just the latest version of Google Analytics. It has been in the works for 3 years.
It is the finest iteration of analytics services that will give you extremely granular control over user behaviour and data.
This is the first time when you will be able to analyse not just traffic but also important data sets and metrics of your customers. This only means that this analytics tracking will allow you to do better user behaviour analysis.
It will ensure better data collection for digital marketing and mostly focuses on event-based customer behaviour like page clicks, page views, system events etc. GA4 will finally enable customised tracking with better interactions rather than just pageviews.
From data measurement to conversion tracking as well as event tracking, GA4 gives you the ability to not depend on cookies. This is something that will definitely be loved by site visitors because people are just frustrated with cookies.
Should You Move on To Google Analytics 4?
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Google Analytics 4 is not just an excellent option but the best option and there are several reasons why you should move to Google Analytics 4. Let us look at some of the important reasons why you should make the change.
It is Future Proof
Google has officially moved on to Google Analytics 4 as of July 2023 and it is one of the most important reasons why you must do it too.
This is because Google Analytics 4 is excellent for data insights and if you want the finest traffic sources analysis then this is the way to go.
Data Comparison
The best thing about Google Analytics 4 is that you can migrate your old data from Universal Analytics into the new model.
This will help you compare your old data with the new data visualisation that is available through the Google Analytics 4 Dashboard. This is game-changing because you can observe real-time changes in website performance and you can make changes accordingly.
Artificial Intelligence All the Way
Google Analytics 4 is different from Universal Analytics simply because this analytics service utilises AI throughout its tracking code implementation.
This means that audience segmentation and audience tracking is not just going to be a pile of data but it is going to make sense. From user engagement metrics to goal setting and tracking, Google Analytics 4 is going to transform how marketing is done digitally.
How Do You Set Up Google Analytics 4 For Your Website or App?
This GA4 guide would be incomplete without telling you how to set up Google Analytics 4 for your website or app. So, here it is.
The first thing you need to do is to simply go to the Google Analytics 4website and then sign into your Analytics account and go to the Admin Tab.
Once you are in the Admin Tab, you need to select the correct account and search for the Property column.
You will find your existing Universal Analytics property that you have been using. Click on it and simply select GA4 Setup Assistant and click on Get Started.
Just follow the steps and enable the data collection option if your website uses gtag.js and then click on Create Property. You are pretty much done. But if you cannot enable data collection then you need to manually add the tags.
You should check to find out if the website or app Data Stream is alright and working.
If not then you need to create the Data Stream which is important for data collection. You need to go back to the Admin Tab and click on the new GA4 Property then then Data Stream.
You will find options for Android app, iOS app and Web.
Then you simply select Web and just input your website’s URL in the case of a website and you are done.
This is the same process if you want to add an app because all you need to do is to repeat the same steps and just click on the Data Streams button and then select your preferred app OS type and app. Then just input the App ID and App Secret and you are done.
Once you add the Data Stream you can check out all the data in the Reports Tab so that you can plan future performance optimisations and funnel analysis accordingly.
You do not need to worry if you use a Firebase account because all you need to do is to open your Firebase console and just go to your Analytics and then the Dashboard.
You will find the option to start the upgrade which will probably be at the top or highlighted in a way. You simply need to follow the instructions and you are done.
It is so simple to migrate from the Universal Analytics service to the latest and greatest in the world of analytics. And if you still need to know about Google Analytics 4 then this hyperlink will help.
How Do You Know If Google Analytics 4 Is Functioning Properly
There are a few ways to know if Google Analytics 4 is actually functioning properly and we will go through them one by one so that you understand them easily.
Google Analytics 4 Debug View
This will enable you to get real-time data in the Reports so that you can check out the data in a more broken down and simplified way.
This is a sure way to understand if your Google Analytics 4 property is indeed running. But you must keep in mind that the Google Tag Manager should be installed.
If you want to check out a Debug View then all you need to do is to go to Admin and you are going to get Debug View in the menu and simply click it.
The best thing about this is that it will display your events in a simple and broken-down format so that you can do a more detailed check.
Realtime Magic
If you want to find out if Google Analytics 4 is receiving data, then you can also check it out in the Reports section.
You simply have to go to Reports and click on Realtime. This will provide you with an amazing view of all your traffic sources on a world map.
If you want even more control then you can click on View User Snapshot to get a data snapshot on individual users.
Browser Development Tools
If you want a very manual indication but the best indication that Google Analytics 4 is actually receiving reports from the website then all you need to do is to go to Developer Tools on your browser.
You need to find Network and find out whether there are any outgoing requests. All you need to do is input your measurement ID and you can then see if the website is sending reports to Google Analytics 4.
What To Do in Google Analytics 4?
The Query Bar
One of the best things you can do in Google Analytics 4 is to go to the search bar because this search bar is inherently much more smarter and will enable you to ask any kind of question you like.
This need not search necessarily in the form of code because you can simply ask ‘How many visitors this year?’ and you will get the answer to your query.
The Revolutionary Dashboard
One of the most useful things in Google Analytics 4 is the Dashboard which will provide you data at a glance and consists of real-time data as well as every report data.
You can find different sections such as real-time stats as well as AI-based insights. You will also be able to control every aspect of Google Analytics 4 and check out how your website is performing.
The Dashboard is such a broad topic that we intend on creating a whole new blog so that we can tell you every detail about the new Google Analytics 4 dashboard.
Events
if you want the best customised control then you need to create events because events are the best form of tracking the activity of your visitors.
Events will give you the opportunity to choose individual data streams and even compare original events to new events and do so much more that it is very powerful in the hands of a capable editor.
Suggested Audiences
This is probably the most exciting part of Google Analytics 4 because GA4 will actually provide you with one of the most important suggestions. New Audience suggestions.
This is important if you want to expand your business because expanding your business means reaching new audiences and that is why you are going to get suggestions for new audiences. You can find this under Build A New Audience.
Get The Best Reports with Google Analytics 4
The best thing about Google Analytics 4 is that you can get a multitude of analysis options which means you are going to get Funnel Analysis which will help you observe user behaviour every step of the way.
This will allow you to make changes wherever necessary so that customers have a good experience.
Then there is the Path Analysis which is also aimed towards making sure that users are not stuck at any particular step and that their movement throughout the website is fluent.
These are just tools because you will have to implement them in order to see any real effect.
If you want to analyse a lot of visitors as a group then there is the Cohort Analysis and if you want to analyse visitor spending on the website then you can utilise the User Lifetime Report to do it. There are other minute control options like the Segment Overlap etc.
Google Analytics 4 will enable you to get engagement reports as well as conversion reports. You will also get reports about retention as well as attribution and acquisition reports and so much more. It is nuanced control that is powerful.
Here Are A Few Common FAQs On Google Analytics 4
How do I know if my Google Analytics is GA4?
There are different ways to find out if you are indeed using Google Analytics 4. One of the simplest ways is to check out the reports because the new reports are going to be quite different from the Universal Analytics reports you use to get.
A much more simple but better indication is that if your Property IDs are starting with G- then you are using Google Analytics 4. And if it is starting with UA- then you are still using the older Analytics.
How do I view Google Analytics 4 reports?
Google Analytics 4 has made it so easy to look at reports that you simply have to sign into your analytics account and just go to the Dashboard.
Then you must navigate to the Reports Tab and there you have it you are going to get all your reports and simply click on the specific report you are trying to view.
Where is the GA4 code in Google Analytics?
In order to find the code all your need to do is navigate to the Admin Tab and then look for the Property column. Then you must go to Data Streams and then view the Web tab.
When you can see the Google Tag, you can find your Google Analytics Code in the Google Tag section.
How do I enable GA4 in Google Analytics?
The entire blog is about Google Analytics 4 including how you can enable Google Analytics 4. But if you have to tell it in short it would just be that you must visit the Google Analytics 4 website and sign in to your existing Google Analytics account.
Then you simply need to navigate to the Admin option and make sure to select your existing Universal Analytics property and use the GA4 Setup Assistant to do the rest and create a new Google Analytics 4 property.
It might seem a little complicated and we would request you to go through the entire blog and you can find all your answers in great detail.
We hope this blog has been valuable for you to understand everything you need to know about Google Analytics 4.
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