Intro to Google Analytics 4

John Wanamaker once said that ‘half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half’. 

With digital advertising that isn’t the case, with the likes of Adobe and Google Analytics you are able to see how people got to your website, what they did when they got there and if they did the thing you wanted them to, like fill out a form or make a purchase. 

If you don’t have Google Analytics in your website then we definitely recommend that you add it in order to track this kind of information. According to BuiltWith there are over 35 million websites using Google Analytics, making it one of the most popular tools to use. Best of all, it's free!

Google Analytics was launched in 2005 but it is going through some changes. Consumer behaviour and trust around data privacy has meant that Google needed to make some changes and updates to the way their analytics tools collected data, as a result, they released Google Analytics 4 in October 2020. 

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is the next iteration of Universal Analytics. Universal Analytics is due to be sunset in July 2023. Universal Analytics works off third-party cookies and they are already blocked by Safari and Firefox and Chrome is due to follow suit in 2024. This has been delayed from 2022 and 2023, so there is the possibility of this being delayed again...

Google Analytics 4 doesn’t need third-party cookies. It’s also built using machine learning in order to give you greater insights into your audience, customer cycle and potential customers. 

How to upgrade to Google Analytics 4?

Upgrading to Google Analytics 4 will depend on if you have Google Analytics created already or not. 

If not, you will need to create a new property. Google recommends that you create a Universal Analytics property to run alongside the new Google Analytics 4. The option to do this is quite hidden in a drop-down with a tick box so can be missed. Don’t worry if you do, it is possible to set up a Universal Analytics property after. 

Once you have created your property it can then be deployed in the website code or through a tool like Google Tag Manager. 

If you already have Universal Analytics in the website and it is deployed through the HTML code of the website, then Google Analytics 4 can be set up and run through that existing code. 

If you have Universal Analytics in the website and it is deployed through a plug-in or Google Tag Manager, you will need to set up the stream in its own right. Our recommendation would be to use Google Tag Manager. 

There are many advantages to using Google Tag Manager including copying over existing events from Universal Analytics. 

Should I use Google Analytics 4?

Yes, as above, Universal Analytics is being sunset in 2023 (if Google doesn’t move the date again). Google Analytics 4 is the only one that will work after that date. 

The historical data in Universal Analytics will only be available for 6 months after it is turned off. We recommend exporting historical reports to still have access to past data. 

In order to help with year on year data comparisons, we recommend turning on Google Analytics A4 now and running it alongside Universal Analytics. 

Make sure your Google Ads, Search Console and any other integrations are connected to your Google Analytics 4 property to start feeding data into it. 

By running Universal Analytics alongside Google Analytics 4 now you can get used to the layout, where to find the data you are looking for and master some of the differences between them. 

How do I know if I am using Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 data stream isn’t automatically turned on for you. If you or your agency hasn’t done this for you then it is safe to say you are not using it. 

An easy way to check if you are using Google Analytics 4 is to go into your Google Analytics account and then your apps and properties. Under the property name is a number, if you only have one that starts with UA - followed by an 8 digit number then a - with a number, then you don’t have a Google Analytics 4 property. 

Google Analytics 4 data streams have a 10 digit stream ID. 

If you do have a Google Analytics 4 property in your account then a sure fire way to check it is deployed correctly is to open the property and see if there is data being collected or go onto your website and check the ‘real-time’ report. 

Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics.

There are some fundamental differences between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics, we have already mentioned how data is collected but a lot of the updates are around events. Universal Analytics counts hits as page views and sessions but Google Analytics 4 uses events and parameters. 

Universal Analytics uses events with event category, event label and event action, Google Analytics 4 doesn’t collect event information in this way. 

Google Analytics 4 uses enhanced measurement to collect some events automatically that are not automatically collected in Universal Analytics, these include scroll depth, outbound clicks, site search, click, video engagement, file download.

Google Analytics 4 is also able to track users across devices and platforms. So, if someone came to your website on mobile, but then came back and made a purchase on desktop, it can track this whole journey. 

Google Analytics 4 is using machine learning to provide you with insights to make more informed decisions and to create and use valuable audiences within your advertising. 

Is Google Analytics 4 Better?

Google Analytics 4 is on course to be more powerful and better than Universal Analytics (according to Google). It has the ability to provide more relevant information, track users across devices and platforms which allows it to better help with attribution of your marketing efforts. 

There are some reports that are/were available in Universal Analytics that aren’t available in Google Analytics 4, so running both at the same time is best. 

Is Google Analytics 4 free?

Yes, it is completely free to use, which comes with its own pros and cons, but for the most part, this is an excellent free tool. 

There is a paid version of Google Analytics and if you subscribe to 360 you won’t be double charged for your Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 properties. 

How to create goals in Google Analytics 4.

Another fundamental difference in Universal Analytics vs Google Analytics 4 is the creation of conversions. 

In Universal Analytics you can create a goal based on an event, a destination, pages per session, or duration on site. With Google Analytics 4 any events that are created can be turned into a conversion in the configuration settings.  

With Google Analytics 4 being able to use machine learning for insights, it's important to give as many signals as possible around your most important events.  We recommend turning macro events (like form fills or telephone calls) into conversions. Another benefit of this is allowing you to easily track responses to your advertising, remember what John Wanamaker said…

I can’t see bounce rate in Google Analytics 4?

Bounce rate has not been included in Google Analytics 4. Instead, GA4 reports on engaged sessions. An engaged session is someone who has spent 10 seconds or more on the site, (you can amend this in the settings to more), viewed two or more pages or completed a conversion event. 

One of the flaws of Universal Analytics’ is that it can only record time on site if someone visits more than one page, as it records the time between pages. 

This means someone could come to a single page and spend a significant amount of time there, but it would be recorded as zero session time and a bounce. This can lead to the conclusion that the visitors to this page are not engaged but in reality, they could have loved the content, got what they needed and just left again. Which is what you might do here! 

There are still some issues with Google Analytics 4 and the reporting isn’t as slick as Universal Analytics but it is inevitable that it will become the default for Google Analytics. The sooner you set up Google Analytics 4, the sooner you can get used to the update and come 2023, you will have data to make comparisons to. 

If you need any help or assistance with your Google Analytics 4 set up contact us.