Overview:
There are moments in agency life when we experience change that leaves everyone, including our clients, saying “Wow, this is new, so what does it mean for us?”. I would like to welcome you to another one of those times. What is this new change you may ask? Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
Whether you’ve heard about it or not, GA4 is coming fast therefore we want to answer your questions faster. In the area below I have created a Q/A style section to help answer some of the most asked questions about our new friend GA4. The fun twist in these answers is that I am not someone who has expertise in the digital field, I’m just a humble Project Coordinator. With the help of our digital team and my own research I would like to answer these questions about GA4 in a way that is helpful, easy to understand, and most importantly using words and terms that you won’t have to Google because I already did!
GA4’s Most Asked Questions
Q: What is GA4?
A: GA4 is a Google Analytics software that can show you how user data from your sites or apps is collected and organized. Like the tools before it, it gives you details on the traffic (or amount of people visiting) to your website and apps as well as how your website and digital marketing are performing. GA4 has the same goal as previous tools, but with different and updated features!
Q: What was being used before GA4? What are the differences?
A: Universal Analytics (UA) was the Google Analytics tool that was used to capture data before GA4. The difference between UA and GA4 is how they track data:
- UA is a session-based model (meaning it tracks the period of time a user is active on your site or app).
- GA4 is an event-based model (meaning it allows you to measure how a user interacts with your site or app. For example, loading a page, clicking a link, completing a purchase, etc.).
Q: What are the pros of GA4?
A: There are multiple pros of converting to GA4, but I’ve listed a few below:
- Easy to implement.
- Has Enhanced Measurement: This is a new feature that UA didn’t have. This feature tracks page views for single-page apps. That means the Facebook or email section that you have on your site will be tracked.
- Easy to Build Funnels: Funnels can help you measure data you’re tracking. For instance you can create a funnel that turns time into measurements to help you understand how long it might take a user to navigate certain parts of your site.
- Monetization: As Disruptive Advertising puts it, “GA4 also uses a metric called “Monetization” which takes all streams of revenue into account, like Google Ads, subscriptions, and your eCommerce platforms. This kind of customer-centric engagement more accurately reflects the lifecycle of purchases across devices and platforms so you can see where the most or most meaningful engagement occurs.”
Q: When will the official switch to GA4 happen?
A: The official switch from UA to GA4 will happen on July 1st, 2023.
Q: Will the switch to GA4 mess up my previously saved data?
A: No! Data from UA can and will be downloaded to GA4 before UA stops processing data. UA will stop processing data at the end of December 2023, and UA will still be available to access historical data about 6 months after it stops processing.
Those who have been heavily looking into the switch from UA to GA4 have also come up with “migration checklists” to ensure that all the data previously used for UA can be duplicated for GA4.
What’s Next?
These questions and answers are not the end all be all. I’m hoping they can be a small guide into what is about to come from this new digital tool. While there is still much to learn about GA4, a lot of our learning will come after the switch in July has been made.
It will be an ever-growing experience that our highly skilled digital team will continue to grow in and adjust with as we serve our clients and our company with each new change that comes our way.
Resources/Links that helped me better understand GA4 and the language:
https://www.bigcommerce.com/ecommerce-answers/what-universal-analytics/
GA4 vs. UA
https://www.rootandbranchgroup.com/what-is-ga4-google-analytics-faqs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMYkBbU2otM
