Key Takeaways:
Understand what Google Analytics 4 is.
Learn five of its strengths that differentiate it from Universal Analytics.
With the advent of Google Analytics 4, a powerful analytics platform, small business owners now have access to invaluable insights that can revolutionize their online strategies. In this blog, we’ll dive into what Google Analytics 4 is all about and explore five key strengths that set it apart from Universal Analytics.
What Google Analytics Does
Google Analytics is free reporting offered by Google to track your website traffic. It’s a helpful tool to leverage to find out about your website’s visitors and their browsing habits. You can also use it to uncover how people arrived on your website, how long they stayed on it for, and what geographic areas your website visitors live in.
GA4 is an event-based platform. It focuses on users’ individual actions taken when on a website or using an app, rather than groups of actions they take during a set period.
5 Ways that GA4 Supersedes Universal Analytics
Still not sure why Google had to sunset UA in favor of GA4? Here are five distinctions that set the new platform apart from its predecessor.
- An Event-Based Data Model
UA was a session-based data model whereas GA4 is an event-based data model. In other words, GA4 focuses on users’ individual actions taken when on a website or using an app, rather than groups of actions they take during a set period. - Improved Privacy
While UA relied on third-party data, with the data being collected and stored on Google’s servers, GA4 is based on first-party data. In other words, the platform stores a client ID in a first-party cookie named _ga so you can more clearly see individual users that visit your site more when sifting through your GA4 data. - A More Intuitive Design
One major complaint that users had about Universal Analytics was that it was confusing to navigate. GA4 has a simpler design that makes it easier to use for the average business leader that may or may not be tech-savvy. - Next-Level Customization
Another thing to love about GA4 is its level of customization. This means that you can now tailor your reports, events, and insights. So, you can set up your business’s GA4 account so that it has the layout you want and shows you the data that you’re most interested in as you push your brand toward your unique goals. - It’s Smarter Than UA
GA4 goes beyond Universal Analytics in that it depends on a machine-learning based model. Simply put, it uses artificial intelligence to automatically recognize patterns and trends in your metrics. This, in turn, can help you make more informed choices to drive your brand forward.
Another thing to love about GA4 is its level of customization. This means that you can now tailor your reports, events, and insights.
A Brief Note About Two GA4 Features
If you’re new to using GA4, there are two particular features worth noting as you increase your know-how of the tool. Event Tracking lets you track a specific user’s interaction or activity. These can include metrics such as link clicks, downloads, form submissions, and video plays.
Another feature, Parameters, gives you more details about an event a user initiated. For instance, you can click on an event to find out customers’ User IDs, their locations, the pages they’re active on, and which products have higher engagement rates.
GA4 and Beyond
Need help setting up GA4 for your business? Want some personalized training to help you get the most out of this potent platform? Contact us at Technology Therapy® Group to find out which Google Analytics package is right for your business.
