In October 2021, Google announced the transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. The standard Universal Analytics assets will stop operating new hits on July 1, 2023. Until then, Universal Analytics will work the same way.
This new version of Google Analytics is based on machine learning and will provide insights that were not possible with the previous versions.
This article lets you know what Google Analytics 4 is, how to create your GA4 account, its highlights, and more.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest and most advanced version of Google Analytics (GA), a web analytics tool provided by Google. GA4 is a complete rewrite of the original Google Analytics codebase and includes several new features and changes. The most notable change is switching from a traditional pageview-based model to a more event-based one. This change will allow GA4 to track user engagement and conversions more accurately.
GA4 is also designed to be more user-friendly and easier to use than previous versions of Google Analytics. The basic features of Universal Analytics, such as goals/conversions and Google Ads links, will also be there in the new Google Analytics 4 account.
Besides that, Google Analytics 4 includes a bunch of new features, such as cross-platform reporting and enhanced eCommerce reporting. With these new features, businesses will now have discernment of their customers and insights into how they interact with their products or services.
How to create a Google Analytics 4 property?
To create a Google Analytics 4 property, you’ll need to create a new account or use an existing one.
· Go to Google Analytics. Tap on the Admin option available at the bottom left corner of your screen.
· Then, ensure that the account you want to set up the property for has been selected.
· You’ll spot a property column with many options. Select the Universal Analytics property that’s currently responsible for storing your data.
· The same column must feature a Google Analytics 4 Setup Assistant. Click on that.
· Click on get started to move ahead.
· A new pop-up screen will appear under the name create a new Google Analytics 4 property. It may feature either of the two options; Create and continue (click on it), or Create Property (In this, your current Universal Analytics will be connected to GA4).
· Now, fill in the basic information and proceed according to your situation.
If you don’t create a Google Analytics account, the Setup Assistant will do it for you before the beginning of 2023. If you are facing issues migrating from universal analytics to GA4, you may consider hiring a Professional SEO services agency to help you with data migration.
How Google Analytics 4 will help your business?
The new Google Analytics 4 is crafted in such a way as to help businesses reach their goals more efficiently. It includes boosting sales, customer engagement, overseeing data, generating leads, etc.
Here are the highlights of how GA4 could prove to be beneficial for your business:
Get better with analysis across all touchpoints.
Google Analytics 4 will help you understand your customers across all touchpoints, including websites, apps, and other devices, through an objective-oriented measurement tool. By tracking customer behavior and other metrics such as SEO and PPC data, you can gain an understanding of how customers interact with your business, what they’re interested in, and how they convert.
This information can help you make better and data-driven decisions about marketing, product development, and other business areas. If you’re not already using it, now is the time to start learning how your prospects are moving down the funnel.
Boost your ROI
One of the most useful new features is the ability to see how your campaigns perform in real time. It means you can make changes to your campaigns on the fly and see how those changes affect the results of your marketing activities.
Another helpful new feature is the ability to track conversions across multiple devices. It enables you to see how your campaigns are performing on distinct devices and make any necessary changes accordingly.
Moreover, you’ll be able to use this analysis to further integrate it with your Google Ads and marketing platforms to revamp your existing campaigns.
Track engagement and conversion rate
Google Analytics 4 will develop a new “engagement reports” feature, which provides insights into how users interact with your site. This information can be used to improve your site design and user experience, ultimately leading to more conversions.
Aside from it, GA4 includes several other features that can help you track your marketing campaigns and understand your customers better, all of which can help you create a spike in your conversion rate.
Furthermore, the privacy level has also improved, which will eventually help you reduce the cookies and metadata.
Create a data-driven culture
The latest version of Google’s popular analytics tool includes several new features that will help you get more value from your data.
One of the most useful new features is the ability to see how your visitors interact with your site in real time. It will allow you to identify any problems that they may be having and fix them quickly.
Another useful feature is overseeing what keywords people use to find your site. It will help you optimize your site for the most popular keywords.
Google Analytics 4 also includes a new reporting interface that makes it easier to understand your data. It will help you to make better decisions about how to grow your business.
Overall, Google analytics 4 will help you to get more value from your data and grow your business.
Tracking has gotten better.
The most exciting part about the new Google Analytics 4 is the customization feature, where businesses can fully customize the structure of their Google Analytics 4 properties to meet your database management requirements. It will enable the stakeholders to acquire the necessary data according to their policies.
Considering the hike in demand, Google Analytics 4 will also offer increased limits. Each property will be offered up to 125 custom dimensions, 400 audiences, and 50 conversion types.
Moreover, the safety measures have also improved with GA4, as you’ll get legal service agreements (SLAs) for most core features, including data collection, processing, reporting, and attribution.
Overall, Google Analytics 4 provides a more powerful and flexible toolset for measuring website performance. With its new features and improvements,
What’s next?
After July 1, 2023, the standard Universal Analytics will be completely revamped to Google Analytics 4. However, your previously scrapped data will still be available for up to 6 months.
If you want to create a database and back up the necessary data before Universal Analytics stops entertaining new hits, create your GA4 property as soon as possible!
Author
Pentra SEO Agency
