Google Analytics is one of the most popular analytics tools in digital marketing and from July 2023 all new users and existing Google Universal Analytics users will be made to use the GA4 platform.

As a website owner, comms professional or digital marketer, it's crucial to be aware of this change, understand how to gather and read your website data and, if you’ve not already done it, migrate over to GA4. While GA4 has been around for a while, many have preferred to continue to use Googles Universal Analytics and have held off making the switch. Maybe a GA4 property was set up by someone on a different team and it hasn’t been looked at since. Whatever the reason, now is the time to get familiar with the platform and make the most of your online marketing data.

 

What are some of the differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics (UA)?

 

• Event-based data

One of the most significant changes in GA4 is the use of event-based data over session-based data. Events are actions that users take on a website, such as clicking a button or viewing a page. This allows for more granular tracking and better understanding of user behaviour.

• Cookieless measurement

Cookies are what track information on a user’s visit to a website. While GA4 still uses cookies, Google are looking toward a cookieless future so have incorporated machine learning into their latest analytics tool. What this means is that GA4 will fill gaps in data using behaviour modelling to still provide valuable insights through blended data.

• Structure and layout changes

One of the first things you will notice is the change of interface and layout. In the account structure, there is now only two sections – account and property, with views being removed. When looking at your data, it will be presented very differently to Universal Analytics. Here you can find reports, explore and advertising.

• Website, mobile and app data all in one place

Another change in GA4 is the integration of analytics from website and mobile apps, providing a more comprehensive view of user engagement across devices to understand user journey.

 

How to migrate to GA4?

When you sign into Google Analytics and haven’t already set up a GA4 account, you will be presented with a pop up to alert you to the deadline and take you through a set up procedure where you can create a new GA4 account based on your existing UA property.

You will need to double check tags on your website and links between your other tools such as Google ads to make sure everything is tracking correctly.

If you're unsure about how to make the transition, we can support you in the process. Maybe you already have a GA4 account and just need a second pair of eyes to make sure that data is processing correctly. Or perhaps your analytics are all linked up with your site and now you need more insight on how to find the data you need to continue reporting accurately.

We can support with:

• Setting up and configuring GA4
• Migrating data from Universal Analytics to GA4
• Implementing events and parameters
• Ongoing optimisation and reporting

Setting up your website analytics will help you get the most out of your data, helping you make better decisions and improve your website's performance. It's important to be aware of the change and if you haven’t been tracking website data or have been reluctant to move from Universal Analytics, now is the time to make the move and be more data driven.