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As a business owner, you understand how important data-driven insights are for your marketing efforts and overall business growth. One tool that has been a staple in the industry for tracking website analytics is Google Analytics. Google has released Google Analytics 4 (GA4), designed to help businesses get deeper insights into their customer behaviours across various platforms.
Deadline for the move from Universal Analytics (UA) to GA4?
GA4 was officially launched in October 2020. Since then, Google has gradually encouraged users to transition to this new property. While GA4 offers numerous advantages, it does have a notable limitation: the inability to migrate existing data from UA. As of July 1st, 2023, UA will no longer collect new data from user interactions, and any data accumulated in UA will not be accessible within GA4 properties.
Added to that, UA data will only be accessible for another six months. It's essential to keep this in mind when planning your transition to ensure a seamless continuation of data tracking and analysis.
How GA4 works
GA4 tracks user behaviour across various platforms, including mobile apps, web browsers, and even offline interactions. This is possible through the use of a new tracking code known as the Global Site Tag (gtag.js).
Additionally, GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to analyse user behaviour and offer predictive insights to businesses. It also provides a more granular view of user behaviour through event tracking, allowing businesses to track user actions on their website or app.
Difference between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4
So what are the differences between UA and GA4, and what benefits does GA4 offer? UA is primarily focused on web-based tracking, while GA4 is more comprehensive, tracking user behaviour across various platforms including apps. It also offers more accurate tracking of users across various devices and platforms, making it easier to understand the customer journey.
GA4 is more focused on engaged metrics and has introduced a new metric, “active users," which is now the primary metric in GA4.
A key difference between UA and the newer GA4 is how they treat users; with GA4, the data model is exclusively event-based. GA4 is also less reliant on cookies.
What do Audience Builder and Explorations offer marketers?
GA4 comes with a range of new features, including Audience Builder and Explorations. Audience Builder is a tool that allows businesses to create custom audiences based on specific user behaviours. For example, you can create an audience of users who have viewed a particular product or spent a certain amount of time on your website.
Explorations is a new reporting feature that allows businesses to analyse their data more deeply. It provides a more granular view of user behaviour and allows businesses to create custom reports to answer specific questions about their customers. Explorations is the most important feature of GA4 and is where you should spend time creating custom reports and analysing data.
Why should YOU care about GA4?
As a business owner, you rely on data to make informed decisions about your marketing efforts and overall business strategy. GA4 is free to use, just like its predecessor, UA, and the significant benefits of GA4 for your business are clear.
Comprehensive cross-platform tracking: GA4 tracks user behaviour across mobile apps, web browsers, and offline interactions, giving you a holistic understanding of customer interactions.
Enhanced event tracking: GA4's robust event tracking capabilities allow you to track specific user actions, focus on active users and provide valuable insights into customer engagement.
Advanced machine learning: GA4 leverages machine learning algorithms to analyse user behaviour, providing predictive insights and empowering you to make data-backed decisions.
By embracing GA4, you'll have a powerful tool at your disposal to understand your customers better, optimise your marketing strategies, and drive business success.
With just one month left, you need to make the switch to GA4 and unlock the advantages it brings to your marketing efforts and overall business growth. Contact our team at Together Digital and we can help you make the switch!
