Benefits of Google Analytics 4 Vs Universal Analytics
If you’re running an online business, then you need to be using Google Analytics. It’s the most effective tool out there for tracking your website’s performance and understanding your audience. But now that Google is transitioning from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, what does this means for you? Will it be beneficial on your end?
The short answer is: yes, Google Analytics 4 will offer more benefits than Universal Analytics.
Here’s a quick overview of the advantages GA4 has to offer:
More accurate data collection
Google Analytics 4 uses a technique called “machine learning” to collect data more accurately. This means that it can better track things like how users interact with your site, what kind of device they’re using, and where they’re located. As a result, you’ll be able to get a more accurate picture of your audience and their behaviour.
Better insights through new analysis features
Google Analytics 4 offers new features that will help you gain insights into your website’s performance. For example, the “Path Analysis” feature lets you see the most common paths that users take on your site. This can help understand how people use your site and identify areas for improvement.
Improved integration with other Google products
Google Analytics 4 has been designed to work more seamlessly with other Google products, like Search Console and Ads. This will make it easier to get a holistic view of your website’s performance and make data-driven decisions about where to invest your time and resources.
Overall, Google Analytics 4 is a more powerful and effective tool than Universal Analytics. If you’re running an online business, it’s definitely worth making the switch.
Key Benefits of Google Analytics 4 for Your Business
With new things to look forward to in Google Analytics 4, we give you a glimpse of the top things to look forward to:
#1. Explorations
In GA360, this set of capabilities (known as Advanced Analysis) was only accessible to paying users. But with GA4, it has become a built-in feature set.
Explorations allow you to create robust bespoke reports, explore your data, and get the answers you’re searching for.
There are many visualization/analysis techniques to choose from, and if you take data seriously, you’ll spend a lot of time on this feature.
Why is this important? With Explorations, you’re no longer limited to flat tables and pre-defined reports. You can now analyze data in any way you want and get insights that are not possible with other tools.
#2. Native User ID tracking
One of the most common requests we’ve heard from our customers is the ability to track user IDs in Google Analytics. And GA4 has finally made it possible. With GA4, you can now track user IDs out of the box, without having to rely on third-party plugins.
This is a huge deal because it means that you can now get a more complete picture of how users interact with your site. You can track things like how often they visit, what pages they view, and what actions they take.
User ID tracking is especially important for businesses that have multiple touchpoints (e.g. website, mobile app, brick-and-mortar store). With GA4, you can now see the full journey that a user takes before converting.
#3. Better integration with other Google products
Google Analytics 4 has been designed to work more seamlessly with other Google products, like Search Console and Ads. This will make it easier to get a holistic view of your website’s performance and make data-driven decisions about where to invest your time and resources.
#4 Adhoc Funnels
One of the most powerful features of Universal Analytics was Adhoc Analysis. It allowed you to create custom funnels and see how users were moving through your site. The problem was that it was very limited in scope. For example, you could only track 10 steps in a funnel and you couldn’t save or share your funnel with others.
With GA4, ad hoc analysis has been taken to the next level. You can now track an unlimited number of steps in a funnel and save/share your funnel with others. Plus, the new “explore” feature makes it easier to find trends and outliers in your data. Overall, ad hoc analysis is much more powerful in GA4 than it was in Universal Analytics.
#5 Improved cross-device tracking
Another common request we’ve heard from our customers is the ability to track users across devices. And GA4 has finally made it possible. With GA4, you can now see how users interact with your site across different devices (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile). This is a huge deal because it means that you can now get a more complete picture of how users interact with your site.
You can track things like how often they visit, what pages they view, and what actions they take. User ID tracking is especially important for businesses that have multiple touchpoints (e.g. website, mobile app, brick-and-mortar store). With GA4,
#6 Big Query Integration
Google Analytics 4 also offers a new way to export your data into BigQuery. With GA4, you can now select which tables you want to export and how often you want the data to be exported.
This is a huge deal because it means that you can now get your data into BigQuery faster and easier than ever before. Plus, you can now export your data in real-time, which was not possible with Universal Analytics.
Overall, the BigQuery integration is much more powerful in GA4 than it was in Universal Analytics.
#6 Enhanced Ecommerce tracking
If you’re an eCommerce business, then you’ll be happy to know that GA4 offers enhanced ecommerce tracking out of the box. With GA4, you can now track things like product views, add-to-carts, and purchases.
This is a huge deal because it means that you can now get a more complete picture of how users interact with your site. You can track things like how often they visit, what pages they view, and what actions they take.
#7 Audience Triggers
Yes, you can create audiences in Google Analytics 4 and later show advertisements to them (with Google Advertisements). However, there’s a nifty improvement in GA4 about this: audience triggers.
Another powerful feature in GA4 is audience triggers. With audience triggers, you can now send messages to users based on their behaviour. For example, you can send a message to a user when they abandon their cart or when they reach a certain milestone in your funnel.
This is a huge deal because it means that you can now engage with users in real-time and increase the likelihood of conversion. Overall, audience triggers are much more powerful in GA4 than they were in Universal Analytics.
#8 Data-Driven Attribution
One of the most exciting features in GA4 is data-driven attribution. With data-driven attribution, you can now see which channels are driving the most conversions.
The default attribution model in Google Analytics 4 is known as data-driven. This sort of attribution doles out credit for the conversion based on data from each conversion event. It’s distinct from the other models since it calculates each click interaction’s actual contribution using your account’s data.
This is another example of where more complicated algorithms are employed, and they determine which traffic sources should get a specific amount of credit for the conversion. This implies that the outcomes on one GA4 property will differ significantly from those on another.
#9 Flexible Data Model
Google Analytics 4 is more flexible and a bit easier to use. Everything here is now an event. And, in addition to events, you may send parameters/properties. The event’s parameters might include more information about the occurrence, the situation, and the user.
But with more options, comes a greater level of responsibility. To acquire correct data, you must first plan ahead and carefully consider naming norms. You may wind up with a smouldering pile of waste if you don’t take precautions.
#10 Simplified Cross Domain Tracking
Cross-domain tracking used to be a hassle to set up. But with GA4, it’s now much easier. All you need to do is create a new property and then add the domains that you want to track. GA4 will automatically handle the rest.
#11 Privacy Controls
Our industry’s landscape is shifting, and with it, Google Analytics 4 is trying to adjust. By default, IP anonymization has been implemented in GA4. What this means is that your user’s IP addresses will now be automatically masked.
In addition, GA4 has a few new features that allow you to control how data is collected and used. For example, you can now set ga(‘set’, ‘dataSource’, ‘sheerid’); to opt-out of certain types of data collection. Overall, the privacy controls in GA4 are much more powerful than they were in Universal Analytics.
#12 Simplified and Powerful Conversion Settings
The process of setting up conversions in GA4 has become much easier. Simply track an occurrence and designate it as a conversion. That’s it! You don’t need to set up any additional goal tracking or anything like that.
In addition, the conversion settings in GA4 are now much more powerful. For example, you can now specify how long you want the conversion window to be and what type of interactions should count as a conversion.
Overall, the conversion settings in GA4 are much more powerful than they were in Universal Analytics. Google Analytics 4 is packed with new features that make it a powerful tool for marketing data analysis.
#13 Report Customization and Library
You may modify the left navigation and standard reports to better suit your company’s demands. With report customization and library, it is feasible.
You can pin the most essential reports for other users, schedule emailed reports, and build new custom reports. The options are endless with report customization and library in GA4.
#14 Change in Attribution Models
In Universal Analytics, almost all reports were based on the last non-direct click attribution method and could not be modified. However, in Google Analytics 4, you can modify it and it will apply to most of the reports.
The exciting thing is that this change will affect both prior and future data in GA4. It does not alter the data itself. It simply modifies how the data is derived/attributed.
This is a huge deal because it means that you can now optimize your marketing spend more effectively.
Overall, data-driven attribution is much more powerful in GA4 than it was in Universal Analytics. Google Analytics 4 is packed with new features that make it a powerful tool for marketing data analysis. If you’re not already using GA4, then you should be!
Don’t know where to start? Contact us today and we’ll help you get set up with GA4.