Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest iteration of Google’s web analytics platform, offering several advantages over its predecessor, Universal Analytics (GA3).
So what does GA4 have to offer?
Here are the top 10 benefits of GA4 that make it a must-have for any business looking to stay ahead in the digital landscape:
1. Integration of Web and App: GA4 allows you to track user behaviour across both your website and mobile app, providing a more comprehensive view of your audience’s interactions with your brand.
2. Flexible Measurement Model: GA4 uses an event-based measurement model, allowing for more customization in tracking user interactions on your website or app. You may have already heard/read that ‘everything is an event’, this makes custom reporting more flexible, enabling you to ask different questions of your data.
3. Automated Tracking: Enhanced Measurement in GA4 automatically tracks certain user interactions, such as page views and video engagement, without the need for additional setup. Of course you can also customise your setup & track almost anything you can thing of – but first, before asking your developers to track ‘everything’, consider what actions you’ll take if & when you have that data. If it’s not going to be used, maybe you need it.
4. Reporting UI Customization: GA4 allows for extensive customization of reports, providing a more tailored analytics experience based on your specific needs. There are 2 main types here: Reports & Explorations. And while they can be customised, doing so requires a lot of clicks & isn’t very intuitive – prepare for a learning curve here.
5. Ease of Defining Conversions: Marking an event as a conversion in GA4 is as simple as toggling a switch, streamlining the process of tracking important user actions. As long as you are already tracking that event.
6. Audience Triggers: GA4’s audience triggers enable you to take action based on changes in audience membership, such as triggering remarketing campaigns or customising website content. Importing these audiences to Google Ads is also simple.
7. Debugging: GA4’s DebugView feature allows for quicker and more efficient debugging of data and tracking issues. This works well in tandem with Google Tag Manager.
8. BigQuery Integration: GA4’s integration with BigQuery enables more extensive data analysis, combining GA data with other data sources and creating custom visualisations. We at WebSavvy firmly believe that tools like Big Query only become a lot more important in the near-term. Given the pace of change in AI & Machine Learning, having your data in a tool like Big Query will probably help you make use of these technologies too.
9. Explorations: GA4’s Explorations feature allows for in-depth analysis of your data, offering a range of advanced analysis methods to answer specific business questions. The interface is NOT intuitive however – again be prepared to put in the time to learn this very different UI.
10. Predictive Metrics and Audiences: GA4 uses machine learning to generate predictive metrics and audiences, helping you identify potential high-value users and optimise your marketing efforts. Although not available for small accounts, these audiences can be very profitable for remarketing efforts in Google Ads.
In conclusion, GA4 offers significant improvements over Universal Analytics, making it a valuable tool for any business looking to gain deeper insights into their audience’s behaviour and preferences. By migrating to GA4, you’ll be better equipped to make data-driven decisions and stay competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Not sure where to start with GA4? WebSavvy can help.
We’ve created a GA4 Your Business online course filled with practical and hands-on lessons to work through. By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to use GA4 to improve results from your website, and be able to apply your new knowledge to drive growth and success in your business.
Need help with your GA4 set up? We can help with that too – check out our GA4 Set Up Service.
If you’ve got any questions about GA4, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
