The tool for tracking Google user sessions and online behavior has advanced greatly since it was first introduced in 2005. Since several months ago, Google Analytics 4 has been delivering a completely updated interface and has more flexibility than ever before for AI and respect for private data.
This updated version of Analytics has two goals:
• Enable more effective tracking (especially with the help of data produced by AI, but not only…)
• Make it simpler and more “GDPR compliant” for site editors to manage user data.
In spite of the occasional resistance to changing a working tool, Ad Premier is actually fairly persuaded by this one.Google Analytics 4 is now the standard option for newly generated properties on Analytics, even though we weren’t persuaded. You won’t be able to stop it if you begin in 2021.
The old Universal version users, on the other hand, can continue to live on their current property. However, we still advise you to test the latest version concurrently.
Here are some of Analytics 4’s notable new features, and with good reason.
A new reporting framework that emphasizes the client life cycle redesigned, easier-to-use dashboard; the bounce rate’s elimination; Codeless tracking’s minor revolution Improved interactions between Google Analytics and Google Ads; the inclusion of predicted statistics generated by Google’s AI; capabilities related to GDPR compliance; Conclusion
Commonly Asked Questions
o What changes have been made between Google Analytics 3 and Google Analytics 4?
o How can I set up Google Analytics 4 to monitor specific events?
o How do conversion reports in Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics differ from one another?
A new reporting model focused on the customer life cycle
We neglect the way that Universal Analytics measures sessions and page visits. Users and events are the main subjects of Analytics 4’s data collection, which is divided into the many stages of the customer journey:
- Acquisition
- Commitment
- Monetization
- Loyalty
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The Analytics 4 reporting interface enables you to create a marketing strategy that places more emphasis on Customer Lifetime Value because reports are now concentrated on the journey of the many customers drawn to your web environment by your acquisition channels. And you are aware of the significance of this signal in maximizing ROAS. If you weren’t aware, we previously discussed it on our blog.
This new tracking model allows you to more accurately analyze the sequence of actions of unique users on your site (even if they use multiple devices) and, ultimately, to make sense of their acquisition cost. It also allows you to better attribute conversions to your various channels.
A new, more intuitive dashboard
Whoever says new data collecting model also says new dashboard, and it is Google Analytics 4’s most obvious advance. It’s also the one that when we first learned about it, scared us the most. With a fully revamped UI, it was inevitable that we would become disoriented.
But in the end, this new dashboard is simpler to understand and more applicable in daily use. There’s no need to produce reports every time you wish to extract a new KPI! KPIs may be changed at will with the new dynamic dashboard, making it easier to obtain crucial information.
The disappearance of the bounce rate
Google assessed that the bounce rate was not one of the key performance indicators (KPIs)…
That’s only partially accurate. However, it has been incorporated into a new engagement indicator, so the bounce rate is still available in a different form,
Google’s motive stems from the issue that, despite its widespread use, the bounce rate could not always enable users to be distinguished from those who had left a page to do something else but had neglected to close it. cited page This interference with the data collection should no longer be an issue with the new engagement rate statistic. And this is because of a fresh feature, which allows for example to detect the scroll: the “codeless “tracking
The small revolution of codeless tracking
On Google Analytics, “codeless tracking” is the term used to describe on-site behavior tracking without the need to incorporate any special code. However, this function has undergone extensive optimization work in platform version 4.
In the future, we may be able to track activities like watching a movie or scrolling down a page quite precisely. Furthermore, we now have access to real-time codeless data, whereas with Universal Analytics, we frequently had to wait a day to acquire comparable data.
The introduction of predictive statistics produced by Google’s AI
Machine learning was already being used by Google Analytics Universal to provide users with tailored recommendations. However, Google Analytics 4 pushes the usage of AI far further because it uses massive data and current trends to produce incredibly valuable forecasts.
These forecasts can, for instance, help discover a product that excels, foresee the management of its stocks, or pinpoint audiences that have a bigger potential than other audiences.
Additionally, we are aware that Google has warned that third-party cookies may soon be removed from its browser. However, this more sophisticated application of AI, coupled with data cross-referencing from the large user base of the various services offered by the Alphabet group, is undoubtedly a way to introduce the tracking of tomorrow in terms of web events and gain an advantage over other metrics providers.
The facilities in relation to GDPR compliance
Speaking of personal information, the new version of Analytics has a Consent Mode that is not without curiosity, especially because it permits the anonymization of IP addresses to isolate the data from user identity.
On this blog, we’ve previously provided you our suggestions for making the best use of Google Consent Mode. It must be acknowledged that it makes life easier for businesses with its automated management of different permission alternatives and user requests for data erasure. Obviously, assuming you employ it properly.
Improved interactions between Google Analytics and Google Ads
You now gain access to automatic updates of these audiences if you create retargeting audiences for Google Ads using the information gathered by your Google Analytics account on your website (or even on YouTube as of Google Analytics 4!).
Obviously, a user from one of these retargeting audiences is automatically removed from the audience in question in your Ads campaign when he initiates the conversion you were striving for.
Conclusion
Even if Google Analytics 4 still has a few features that can be refined, it is already clear that this new platform has a lot of potential. It has all the makings of a strong friend for your cause due to its considerable new uses of AI, greater complementarity with Google Ads, new “customer centric” attitude, and seriousness in the handling of your .digital marketing strategy.
However, because of these modifications, it can no longer be used with the previous version of Analytics. We advise you to start creating a property there as soon as possible to begin gathering data using the new methodology.
