Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, currently as a platform inside the Google Marketing Platform brand.
Up until now, the latest version of Google Analytics was Universal Analytics.
Google recently announced the brand new upgraded version of Universal Google Analytics or “UA”. The new Google Analytics is already available for use and is called “Google Analytics 4” or “GA4”.
So what will change?
Integrations
Some integrations that were previously pay-to-use in UA, will now be available for free in GA4! Some of these integrations are:
Feature Updates & New Features
Attribution Modeling has changed to Flexible Attribution Modeling working with a Data-Driven Model. Using machine learning algorithms to evaluate both converting and non-converting paths, flexible data-driven modeling learns how different touchpoints impact conversion outcomes. The model incorporates factors such as time from conversion, device type, number of ad interactions, the order of ad exposure, and the type of creative assets. Using a counterfactual approach, the model contrasts what happened with what could have occurred to determine which touchpoints are most likely to drive conversions. The model attributes conversion credit to these touchpoints based on this likelihood.
Conversion Modeling contributes to estimate online conversions that can’t be observed directly. Google’s models look for trends between conversions that were directly observed and those that weren’t.
KPI’s Predictions. You can also now make predictions for your target KPI’s via the Conversion Modeling by separately applying Google’s Algorithm to reflect your unique business and customer behavior.
Consent Mode. Behavioral modeling for Consent Mode aims at filling this data gap by modeling the behavior of users who decline analytics cookies based on the behavior of similar users who accept analytics cookies. The training data used for modeling is based on the consented user data from the property where modeling is activated.
Customer Match. Behavioral modeling estimates data based on user and session metrics, such as daily active users and conversion rate, that may be unobservable when identifiers like cookies or user IDs are not fully available. Without modeling, you have a less complete understanding of user behavior on your site based only on the observed data you have available.
When to start?
You should start the migration process from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible because no historical data can be transferred from Universal to Analytics 4. The sooner you start, the more historical data you will have over time. The best practice is to set up Analytics 4, and run it simultaneously with Universal Analytics until it’s time for the full migration.
You can also start building your Big Query data set as soon as possible so that you will have time to cleanse and format your data to get them ready for use. A useful tip here is that you should not copy paste your data from Universal Analytics to GA4. See this as an opportunity to realign measurement with business strategy. Google Analytics 4 will measure less and in a different way.
Below you can find a timeline of how a smooth migration from Universal Analytics to GA4 could be:
Source: Charles Farina, Head of Innovation, Adswerve , Doug Hall, Senior Director of Analytics EMEA
A quick overview of the do’s and don’ts when migrating from Universal Analytics to GA4.
Source: Charles Farina, Head of Innovation, Adswerve , Doug Hall, Senior Director of Analytics EMEA
To fully take advantage of Google Analytics 4, you should make the effort to implement:
Enhanced Conversions is a feature that can improve the accuracy of your conversion measurement and unlock more powerful bidding. It supplements your existing conversion tags by sending hashed first-party conversion data from your website to Google in a privacy-safe way. The feature uses a secure one-way hashing algorithm called SHA256 on your first-party customer data, such as email addresses, before sending to Google.
Server Side Data Collection occurs when a central system functions to collect all data, in our case the website’s server, then that system relays data to third-party vendors like Google Analytics. This action simplifies the collection and delivery process by sending one data stream to a cloud-based repository, and then the data is sent to your vendors.
Concluding, Google Analytics 4 is a great chance to start your measurement from the beginning and align it with your KPI’s. In over a year it will be mandatory and Universal Analytics will be discontinued, but you should build it as soon as possible so you don’t lose valuable data and time.
Many new features and feature upgrades are taking place that will make your business’s measurement efforts easier and more accurate. Everything points to a more efficient measurement and more accurate data given to the campaigns, resulting in better results.
Sources: tealium.com , support.google.com , Charles Farina, Head of Innovation, Adswerve , Doug Hall, Senior Director of Analytics EMEA, Media.Monks , performancemarketingconference.gr, boussias.com
CEE Digital Alliance original article provided by our partner, Omnicliq.
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