The time has come; Google Analytics has formally stopped receiving knowledge and, as of 1st of July, has been changed by its a lot unloved successor GA4.
Newest utilization knowledge means that GA was utilized by roughly 56% of all web sites worldwide. It was, by far, the most well-liked and extensively used analytics software program. We suspect {that a} vital variety of web sites not utilizing it have been internet spammers who most well-liked to not join their web sites to a Google property.
However all good issues should come to an finish and, because the world has modified in so some ways, it’s additionally time for Google to vary the way it data person knowledge with stricter privateness and knowledge safety regulation in place right now.
Information Safety and Privateness Controls
GA4 has been constructed to have the ability to proceed to report person knowledge in a world with out cookies. Whereas GA recorded person knowledge primarily based on classes, GA4 does it utilizing occasions. This can be a very vital distinction and presumably one of many principal the explanation why there isn’t a solution to import knowledge from GA into GA4. The info is totally completely different.
If you happen to’ve had an opportunity to match your web site’s metrics in GA and GA4, you’ll have observed that the numbers don’t fairly match. In actual fact, typically we’re seeing fairly a big discrepancy between the 2.
As they’re measuring visitors in a different way, the numbers are by no means going to align. It’s vital to notice too that there are limitations in attempting to report utilization knowledge with out cookies and it implies that typically, if not various the time, GA4 will likely be filling within the gaps utilizing AI to find out what the information ought to be. Mainly, it means it’s going to have a great guess as to what knowledge is lacking.
Due to this fact, visitors figures are by no means going to be completely correct with GA4 as there is a component of guess work concerned in predicting the visitors ranges – albeit fairly clever guess work.
The Person Interface
However it’s not simply the information that’s completely different, the complete person interface has modified too, and that’s been presumably one of many greatest challenges that everybody is at present dealing with.
The best way the information is offered, the way in which you filter the information, the way in which you arrange conversions – it’s all modified and it’s very completely different to GA. And it takes some getting used to.
Google has created some helpful coaching guides that are useful to get began with utilizing GA4. It’s undoubtedly a great place to begin.
Going Ahead
We arrange GA4 for our purchasers over a 12 months in the past, that means that when evaluating 12 months on 12 months metrics, and evaluating to earlier intervals, we are able to use GA4 by itself now. Purchasers which have joined us over the past 12 months, and didn’t but have GA4 arrange, we may have set it up for them however they could not have sufficient historic knowledge in place to do 12 months on 12 months comparisons utilizing GA4.
If you want some assist in understanding extra about GA4, the way it works and tips on how to generate the stories that you just’re used to utilizing with GA, then let your Account Supervisor or search engine marketing Supervisor know and so they’ll be very happy to information you thru it.
We might not be very keen on GA4 for the time being, however with time we’ll all be extra accustomed to it, and we’ll surprise what all of the fuss was about. Hopefully!
