Google Analytics 4: Out with the Old, in with the New

If you have a website chances are you are familiar with Google Analytics, or at the very least you have heard of it. What you may not be aware of are recent changes making Google Analytics a very powerful tool for Search Engine Optimization. (SEO)

Google Analytics 4 4 (GA4) was released in October 2020.

GA4 has become the new leader in analyzing consumer data and behavior. Before Google Analytics 4, there was Universal Analytics (UA). Universal Analytics was a Google application software for website and application data analysis. It gave websites the ability to track, collect, and organize user data that could then be used to by SEO professionals to make informed decisions about what changes to implement on a given website. While UA was useful, it had limits. In comparison to other SEO tools such as SEM Rush and MOZ, UA became outdated. We couldn’t see how a person behaved as they were switching between apps and websites among other things. Now, almost a decade later, Google Analytics 4 arrives with new and improved data analysis capabilities.

Google Analytics 4 displays information that we would otherwise never see. We can now understand the user’s relationship with the website and mobile app. Universal Analytics allowed us to see the page view on the website, or the screen view on the app. However, we were not able to see how a singular user utilized both because they displayed as two users. At that time, we grasped that more people viewed a web page, but not in terms of how it translated to other areas. Google Analytics 4 solves this problem.

Google Analytics 4 and Machine Learning

GA4 has machine learning capabilities. The software automatically brings forth helpful insights. It also helps give you a complete understanding of your customers across multiple devices and platforms. This opens up a new realm of possibilities for marketers.

There are two types of events that will automatically gather data: 

• Automatic Events (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9234069)
• Enhanced Measurement (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9216061)

There are two other types of events that are not automatic, but they are customizable.

• Recommended Events (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9322688?hl=en&ref_topic=9756175) come with Google-predefined names and parameters.
• Custom events – Web (https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/tag-guide#custom_events), App (Android) (https://firebase.google.com/docs/analytics/events?platform=android), and iOS (https://firebase.google.com/docs/analytics/events?platform=ios) — are events that need their own customized parameters and names. You will have the ability to create your own completely. It’s important to check to see if they’re set to automatically collected events.

Automatic Events collect data from both the app and the website. They collect ad clicks, ad exposure, file downloading, and more. 

Enhanced Measurement Events usually happen within the website itself. This allows you to setup what you want to track. You can view page views, user scrolling habits, outbound clicks, video engagement, and more.

Another extremely useful aspect of Google Analytics 4 is that it values consumer privacy. We don’t need to worry about cookie restrictions and identifiers that create gaps in data. Most of GA4’s cookie policies default to anonymizing the user as much as possible. The anonymity allows websites to collect more data without breaching privacy. 

Create a privacy policy for your website to ensure you’re not breaching Google’s contract. They take privacy very seriously!

Start Using Google Analytics 4 Today!

While Google Analytics 4 was released mid-October 2020, and if you are not utilizing this powerful tool in your marketing, you should. 

Marketing is a full time job and your competitors are using every advantage they can find. GA4 is a great way to give you a leg up in your marketing strategy. If your marketing agency is not utilizing machine learning, GA4 and other up to date methods we can help!

Have questions or want to implement this with your own business? Give us a call at (800) 974-1142 so we can get you started!