From Universal to GA4 - What We Need To Know

GA4: The Future of Google Analytics and What You Need to Know

By Michael Lane

Benefits of Google Analytics

Custom Reports & Dashboards

Track Online Traffic

Conversion Tracking

Understand User Behavior

Find Your Target Audience

Improve Online Advertising

eCommerce Performance

Improve SEO & Content

Offline to Online Tracking

The GA Timeline

2003

2014

2005

2017

2011

2019

2020

Google Analytics 1: Google acquires the company urchin which was founded in 1998

GMP: Google launches the gtag.js allowing data to Google Ads or Marketing platforms

Measure Everything: Google Analytics becomes Universal Analytics

UTM Parameter: Urchin introduces UTM parameters (urchin tracking model)

App Analytics: Google acquires the app-analytics provider Firebase which was founded in 2011

Everything New: Google launches Google Analytics App+Web property in beta

New Standard: Google releases GA4 as the new standard for properties in GA

Universal Analytics

Shortcomings of UA:

• Lack of cross-platform tracking: Tool did not track user behavior across devices or platforms.
• Inability to track anonymous users: Tool could not track anonymous users, limited usefulness for new customers.
• Lack of longitudinal tracking: Tool could not track user behavior over time, difficult to identify trends.
• Limited customizability of reports: Reports not customizable, difficult to get needed information.
• Difficult to use reports: Reports difficult to use and understand, difficult to draw insights.
• Reports not helpful for understanding user behavior: Reports did not provide enough information to understand user interaction.

Session Based Model The data model of Universal Analytics is based on sessions. A session is a group of pageviews that occur within a certain time period. The default time period for a session is 30 minutes, but you can customize this setting.

Key UA Metrics:

• Sessions
• Pageviews
• Users
• Bounce rate
• Average session duration
• Conversion rate

Measurable Changes

Unviersal Analytics When Google Analytics was first developed, websites were primarily collections of static pages read on desktop or laptop computers. Thus, Universal Analytics was built around recording pageviews on a single computer.

Google Analytics 4:The modern internet is more complex, with static pages giving way to video, forms, member content, file downloads, outbound links, and e-commerce. GA4 is built to natively capture these on-site events.

Key Differences

Google Analytics 4: A New Era of Measurement

Data Model GA4 uses an event-based data model, which allows for more flexibility and customization compared to UA's session-based model.

Tracking GA4 introduces new tracking methods, such as enhanced measurement and data streams, which provide more granular insights into user behavior.

GA4 - Privacy Implications

• Uses machine learning to fill in the gaps if users don’t consent to cookies
• IP addresses are anonymized and do not get stored by Google (implications on geography)
• All EU data is collected in the EU to satisfy GDPR requirements.
• Shortens data retention window Google Signals can be enabled on a per-region basis.

Reports GA4 includes new reports, such as the engagement and retention reports, which focus on user behavior over time rather than just individual sessions.

GA4 vs UA: Data Models

UA's Session-Based Model UA (Universal Analytics) uses a session-based model to track user behavior on a website or app. This means that all user interactions within a certain time frame (default is 30 minutes) are grouped together as a single session.

GA4's Event-Based Model GA4 (Google Analytics 4) uses an event-based model to track user behavior. This means that each user interaction is treated as a separate event, and can be customized and tracked individually.

Granularity

Flexibility

Ease of use

GA4's event-based model provides more granular data and insights into user behavior, as each interaction is treated as a separate event.

UA's session-based model may be easier to use for beginners, as it requires less customization and setup.

GA4's event-based model allows for more flexibility and customization compared to UA's session-based model.

Key Differences: Interface

Key Differences: Users

Key Differences: Pageviews

Key Differences: Sessions

Key Differences: Bounce Rate

Key Differences: Conversions

Transitioning to GA4's Event-Based Model

Best Practices for Transitioning

• Start by identifying the key events that you want to track, such as button clicks, form submissions, or video plays.
• Ensure that your website or app is set up to send these events to GA4 using the appropriate code or SDKs.
• Set up custom conversions and audiences based on these events to better track and target your users.
• Utilize GA4's enhanced measurement features, such as cross-device tracking and machine learning insights, to gain a deeper understanding of user behavior.

Why Transition from UA to GA4? GA4's event-based model offers more flexibility and customization compared to UA's session-based model. By transitioning, businesses can gain a more granular understanding of user behavior and better tailor their marketing efforts.

Transitioning to Event-Based

Sample New Events:

• App Install
• App Delete
• App Update
• App Subscribe
• App Unsubscribe
• In-app Purchase
• Outbound Link Clicks
• File Download
• First Visit
• Form Submit
• Scroll (90%)
• Video Start
• Video Progress
• Video Complete
• Site Search

Challenges and Limitations of GA4's Event-Based Data Model

Data Overload One of the biggest challenges with GA4's event-based data model is the potential for data overload. With so much data being collected on individual events, it can be difficult to sift through and make sense of it all. To overcome this challenge, it's important to establish clear goals and KPIs for your data analysis. This will help you focus on the most important metrics and avoid getting bogged down in unnecessary data.

Challenges and Limitations of GA4's Event-Based Data Model

Lack of Context Another limitation of GA4's event-based data model is the potential for a lack of context. Because events are tracked individually, it can be difficult to understand how they relate to each other and to the user journey as a whole. To overcome this challenge, it's important to use custom dimensions and metrics to add additional context to your data. This will help you understand how individual events fit into the larger user journey and provide a more holistic view of user behavior.

Guide To Explorations

Video On Explorations

Challenges and Limitations of GA4's Event-Based Data Model

Data Quality A potential challenge with GA4's event-based data model is ensuring data quality. Because events are tracked individually, it can be difficult to ensure that all relevant events are being tracked accurately and consistently. To overcome this challenge, it's important to establish clear naming conventions and data governance policies. This will help ensure that all relevant events are being tracked consistently and accurately, and will make it easier to identify and correct any data quality issues that arise.

Best Practices for Implementing GA4's Event-Based Data Model

Define Your Event Structure

Take the time to plan out your events and parameters before implementing them in GA4. This will ensure that your data is organized and easy to analyze.

Use Custom Events

Custom events allow you to track specific actions and capture data that is not included in GA4's default events. Default Events

• Universal to all websites and apps.
• Cannot be disabled, but can be altered.
• Examples: Page views, Language.

Enhanced Events

• Can be configured to automatically collect specific data.
• Customization is also possible.
• Examples: Depth of scroll tracking, File download tracking.

Recommended Events

• Useful for various websites.
• Requires manual configuration.
• Examples: Login, Add_to_cart, Level_up.

Custom Events

• Can be created if none of the above options meet your needs.

Set Up User Properties

User properties allow you to segment your data based on user characteristics, such as age or location. Use them to gain deeper insights into your audience.

Use Debugging Tools

Debugging tools can help you identify issues with your implementation and ensure that your data is accurate. Use them regularly to catch any problems early.

Monitor Your Data Quality

Regularly check your data to ensure that it is accurate and complete. Use GA4's data quality tools to identify and fix any issues.

Universal Analytics (data kept forever)

GA4 (many data types capped at 14 months)

Tracking User Behavior with GA4 Data Streams

Advantages of GA4 Data Streams GA4 introduces enhanced measurement and data streams, which provide more granular insights into user behavior. Some advantages of using data streams for tracking user interactions include:

Deeper insights:

Cross-device tracking:

Real-time tracking:

Data streams provide more granular data, allowing you to better understand user behavior and make more informed decisions about your product.

With data streams, you can track user behavior across multiple devices, providing a more complete picture of user engagement with your product.

Data streams allow you to track user behavior in real-time, providing up-to-the-minute insights into how users are interacting with your product.

GA4 Reports for Digital Marketing Optimization

Engagement Report The Engagement Report in GA4 provides insights into how users interact with your website or app over time. It shows metrics such as active users, sessions per user, and events per session, allowing you to identify trends and patterns in user behavior.

Best Practices

• Identify your most engaged users and understand their behavior. Use this information to create targeted marketing campaigns or improve the user experience for these users.
• Track key user actions, such as clicks or page views, to understand which features or content are most popular with your users.
• Compare engagement metrics across different user groups, such as new vs. returning users, to identify areas for improvement.

GA4 Reports for Digital Marketing Optimization

Retention Report The Retention Report in GA4 helps you understand how many users return to your website or app after their initial visit. It provides data on user retention rates, as well as the behaviors of retained users compared to those who do not return.

Best Practices

• Identify which user segments have the highest retention rates and understand what drives their loyalty. Use this information to create targeted marketing campaigns or improve the user experience for these users.
• Track user behavior over time to identify trends in retention rates. Use this information to make data-driven decisions about product updates or feature releases.
• Compare retention rates across different user groups, such as new vs. returning users, to identify areas for improvement.

GA4 Reports for Digital Marketing Optimization

Conversion Report The Conversion Report in GA4 tracks the actions users take on your website or app that lead to a desired outcome, such as a purchase or sign-up. It provides data on conversion rates, as well as the behaviors of users who convert compared to those who do not.

GA4 Reports for Digital Marketing Optimization

Advertising Report

• Advertising snapshot: This report provides a quick overview of your most important advertising metrics, such as impressions, clicks, and conversions.
• Performance: This report shows you how your Google Ads campaigns are performing across different channels and devices.
• Attribution: This report helps you understand which channels and campaigns are responsible for driving conversions.

Best Practices

• Link your Google Ads account to GA4. GA4 will see your Google Ads data and help you understand your campaigns' impact.
• Use the filtering options to drill down into your data. The Advertising dashboard's filtering options let you see data for specific campaigns, channels, or devices.
• Compare your data over time. The Advertising dashboard lets you see how your performance has changed over time, which can help you identify trends and make informed decisions about your campaigns.

Fin.

Thank you all.