How to prepare for Google Analytics 4

The new Google Analytics service is coming to town and it’s time to get ready! This new Analytics will eventually replace the good old Universal Analytics as we know it. Although you can use your current Analytics service for another year, we strongly encourage you to start using Google Analytics 4 right away. prepare for it.

More than two and a half years ago, Google first mentioned Google Analytics 4. The reasons for creating this new type of analytics are the changes and complexities that data collection and analysis now bring. People’s online travel is becoming more complex (and spread across multiple platforms or devices). In addition, privacy is becoming increasingly important in data collection. Therefore, they present this new version of Google Analytics.

Why should I run Google Analytics 4 now?

You will be able to use Universal Analytics until July 1, 2023. From that day on, it will no longer process any data. However, this does not mean that you have to wait until that date to create your new brand Google Analytics 4. We strongly advise you to create it now, as this will allow you to start collecting information about your new property. Otherwise, you will miss this extremely important historical data when you have to switch in July 2023.

It’s good to know that this new brand can happily co-exist with your current Analytics brand. Starting to use Google Analytics 4 does not mean that you will no longer be able to use Universal Analytics. This feature will continue to work and collect data up to the data we mentioned above. But eventually you’ll have to switch, so let’s delve into what this new version of Analytics, formerly known as “Application + Web,” contains.

What to expect from Google Analytics 4

“Meet the next generation of Google Analytics,” Google says of this latest version. On theirs help center page list some advantages over Universal Analytics:

• It is resilient for the future and focuses on privacy
• It uses machine learning to gain insight into customers ’travels on a variety of platforms and devices
• It has improved integration with the Google Advertising Platform to optimize your campaign performance

An insight into the fuller path of the client

Learn the customer’s path from A to Z, even if customers use multiple platforms and devices. This is especially interesting if you have both a website and an app. The client path will no longer be shared by different platforms used or organized in different sessions. This will help you better understand how the customer is communicating with and / or moving through your site and / or application.

Necessary emphasis on user privacy

Sharing a lot of personal information online has become more common over the years. To protect people’s data and help them understand how their data is used, countries around the world have passed data protection laws. For EU countries, for example, this is the GDPR. This new feature of Analytics is equipped with state-level privacy controls to help you gather valuable data while making sure you comply with these privacy policies.

In addition, Google Analytics 4 allows you to further customize who has access to which data. This ensures that different teams or external partners can access the data they need. Without having to give you any access that is not in line with your company policy.

Predictive capabilities when it comes to user behavior

Thanks to its machine learning models, Google can use your data to predict future actions that your audience may take. Google Analytics 4 is available with two predictive metrics which make it possible. The first is the probability of purchase, which predicts the probability that users who have visited your app or website will buy something in the next seven days. The other is the outflow probability, which predicts how likely it is that recently active users will not visit your app or site for the next seven days. These predictive metrics can help you reach the right people with the right message and through the right channel.

Improved interaction with other Google services

This new feature comes with improved integration with other Google services. Services like Google Ads, Search Ads 360, and Display & Video 360. You may be wondering what you can do about it. Well, it actually makes it easier to use your Analytics data to optimize your campaigns. This enhanced interaction allows you to make informed decisions that can increase your traffic and sales based on real insights.

Improve your marketing efforts with data-driven allocation

This new feature uses data-based attribution to give you an idea of ​​the impact of individual marketing activities. Data-based allocation depends on the contribution of each interaction to the results of the conversion. This model therefore calculates the impact of your marketing activities and helps you determine which paths you can improve. In fact, it determines which points of contact are most likely to drive conversions. You can also export this data to Google Ads to optimize your campaigns.

How to prepare…

This cannot be bypassed, eventually Universal Analytics will replace Google Analytics 4. Google actually encourages people to set up this new feature as soon as possible (in addition to your current one). So how can you prepare? We’ll discuss how to set it up when you’re already using Analytics. But also how to set it up before you use Analytics.

When you are already using Analytics

The first step is to create a Google Analytics brand 4 for your site. You can do this from your Google Analytics account. Setting this new feature does not mean that you will lose access to the current analytics setting. This setting will remain the same and functional. The new brand will collect your information in addition to your existing brand and you will have access to both.

To help you set up your new brand, Google has actually introduced the GA4 Setup Assistant wizard. You will need to have an editor role in your Google Analytics account to use this wizard. The steps on how to get to this wizard are detailed on the Google page on how add the Google Analytics 4 brand (to a site that already has Analytics).

Once you create your new feature, you can do a few more things to make sure you make the most of it. As we’ve said before, this new version is focused on giving you a better insight into a customer’s complex path and improving your marketing efforts. Google page on how switch to Google Analytics 4 offers a great overview of what you can do to set up Google Analytics 4 properly. To learn more, you can Skillshop course to discover what’s new in Google Analytics.

When you are new to Analytics

If you haven’t used Analytics yet and you think this is a good time to get started, you’ll need to start setting up your account. You can do this by visiting google.com/analytics and click “Get started today.” Once logged in, you can open the Admin (gear in the lower left corner) and click the blue ‘Create Account’ button in the upper left corner. You’ll need to set up an account name and decide what information you’ll want to share with other Google services.

After that, click “Next” and add the brand to your new account. Google explains how to do this on your site at Analytics setting for website and / or application. Once you’ve set up a new account and brand, you can begin to familiarize yourself with Analytics and delve deeper into the data to gain more insight into your site’s visitors and behavior. Of course, it can be too strong at first. But you can find a lot of information and training in it Google Training and Support Section. Or take a look at ours blog posts in Google Analytics to learn more and get started.

Summarize

Although you can still use your Universal Analytics brand until July 1, 2023, it pays to add the GA4 brand to your account. It helps you get used to this new way of analyzing your data and comes with new features that give you a better insight into your audience and the success of your marketing campaigns. Adding this new brand of Analytics will not change anything in your current Analytics setting, you will be able to use and view both brands until July 2023. After that, your old brand will not process new data and you will need to switch to Google Analytics 4. Therefore Get started now and get the most out of this new version of Google Analytics!