Google Analytics 4 - What You Need To Know

Ah, good old Google Analytics. The tool that can be complicated initially to understand but when you do, it can unlock a whole world of data that can help shape marketing and business decisions. Google Analytics (or GA) is the most widely-used analytics software for websites and applications, giving high-level, dashboard-type data for the casual user, along with more in-depth data that helps users view a more overall picture.  It does all this, whilst allowing the stat ‘nerds’ the chance to dig even deeper to find out why, and how web pages, or applications are succeeding...or not.

Since 2012, marketers have been accustomed to the incarnation of GA known as Universal Analytics but time and technology has moved on - it's time for GA to do the same. So in October of this year, they released the hotly-anticipated Google Analytics 4, shortened for ease just to GA4.

The main change between the ‘original’ analytics and GA4 is that they have reimagined everything, aiming to make it more intuitive for marketers and business owners to understand what people are doing on their websites.  To quote them directly: “It has machine learning at its core to automatically surface helpful insights and gives you a complete understanding of your customers across devices and platforms”.

There is a greater emphasis on trackable and reportable elements like Events, which can be defined as anything from a customer checking out on an e-commerce website through to them simply scrolling on a particular page – both of which can give different insights and actions based on the site. Whereas before, there was a greater emphasis on things like page views, bounce rate etc (which are still important and still reportable), the emphasis is being moved more towards what people are (or not) doing on a site, as opposed to how many times people are going to a page.

It also boasts a greater integration with Google Ads, among several other changes both visually and ‘under the bonnet’ so to speak.

So what does this mean for you for now? Well, now is the time to check your website:

• Do you have Analytics installed on your website? Is it tracking/reporting properly?
• Are you getting the information back you want from it? Do you know how many people are clicking on your phone number or email addresses?
• Do you have trouble understanding what your Analytics is reporting and need help to decipher it?
• Do you want to take advantage of upgrading to GA4, but aren't confident in how?

Our Digital Marketing team have been hard at work understanding the new platform and utilising it for their clients, so why not get in touch with them and let them help you? Give them a call on 01903 866143 or email them.