With the sunsetting of Universal Analytics, Google Analytics 4 a.k.a GA4 will be the only tool available to track user activity and trends on your website.
So it makes sense to learn everything about it.
While GA4 is not entirely different from Universal Analytics, there is a learning curve involved.
Google Analytics 4 is a powerful tracking tool and goes beyond just tracking website traffic. This new version comes with a range of exciting features and improvements that can provide businesses with even more valuable and accurate insights.
With the integration of AI technology, improved accuracy, and enhanced privacy, among other things, there’s a lot to discover in GA4.
But for today, we’ll start small and get a gist of what’s worth noticing in the new and improved Google Analytics 4.
Let’s jump straight in.
Why is GA4 better?
Although Universal Analytics has been a dependable option for a long time, GA4 provides a more sophisticated and user-focused method for tracking and analyzing data.
By comprehending the significant distinctions between GA4 and Universal Analytics, organizations can make well-informed choices regarding the platform that most effectively fits their requirements and objectives.
And with that in mind, let’s look at the new features and advancements that make GA4 better than Universal Analytics.
A Peek at the New Features and Advancements in Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 introduces several new features and advancements. These include a shift towards user-centric data, enhanced cross-platform tracking, improved event tracking, machine learning insights, deeper integration with Google Ads, and enhanced data controls and privacy. These new features and advancements provide businesses with deeper insights into user behavior and engagement, allowing them to optimize their marketing strategies and improve user engagement.
User-Centric Data
One of the major advancements in Google Analytics 4 is the shift towards user-centric data. In the previous version of Google Analytics, data was primarily focused on sessions and pageviews. However, GA4 now focuses on individual users and their interactions with the website.
The Shift Towards User-Centric Data
This shift towards user-centric data allows businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their users and their behavior throughout the entire customer journey. With user-centric data, businesses can track user engagement across multiple devices and platforms, providing a more comprehensive view of user behavior.
The Benefits of User-Centric Data
User-centric data provides several benefits for businesses. It allows businesses to understand their users better, track user engagement across multiple devices and platforms, and gain a more comprehensive view of user behavior. This can help businesses optimize their marketing strategies, improve user engagement, and drive growth and success.
Enhanced Cross-Platform Tracking
With the rise of mobile devices and multiple platforms, businesses must track user behavior across different devices and platforms. Google Analytics 4 addresses this need by providing enhanced cross-platform tracking.
The Need for Cross-Platform Tracking
As more and more users are using multiple devices and platforms, it has become increasingly important for businesses to track user behavior across these different platforms. This can help businesses understand how users interact with their website or app on different devices, such as desktop, mobile, and tablet, and optimize their marketing strategies accordingly.
How GA4 Enhances Cross-Platform Tracking
GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to analyze user behavior and provide insights into user engagement across different devices and platforms. This allows businesses to understand how users interact with their website or app on different devices, and optimize their marketing strategies accordingly.
Improved Event Tracking
Event tracking is an essential feature in Google Analytics as it allows businesses to track specific user interactions on their website or app. GA4 introduces improved event-tracking capabilities, making it easier for businesses to track and analyze user interactions.
The Importance of Event Tracking
Event tracking is crucial for businesses as it allows them to track specific user interactions on their website or app. This can provide valuable insights into user behavior and engagement, helping businesses optimize their website or app and improve user engagement.
How GA4 Improves Event Tracking
In GA4, events are now categorized into four main types: automatically collected events, enhanced measurement events, recommended events, and custom events. These improved event-tracking capabilities allow businesses to gain a deeper understanding of user behavior and optimize their website or app accordingly.
Machine Learning Insights
Okay, this one is my favorite!
Another significant advancement in GA4 is the integration of machine learning insights. GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to provide businesses with valuable insights into user behavior and engagement. The new and improved GA4 provides you with two types of insights. Namely, Automated and Custom insights.
Automated Insights:- The Analytics Intelligence technology automatically identifies any unusual changes or emerging trends in your data and promptly notifies you on the Insights dashboard within our Analytics platform.
Custom Insights:- You can create customized conditions that will detect any significant changes in your data. Once these conditions are met, you will receive insights on the Insights dashboard, and you can choose to receive email alerts as well. Each property allows you to create up to 50 custom insights.
The Role of Machine Learning in GA4
Machine learning plays a crucial role in GA4. It is used to analyze user behavior and provide valuable insights into user engagement. For example, GA4 can automatically identify and highlight significant trends in user behavior, such as an increase in user engagement or a decrease in conversion rates.
How Businesses Can Benefit from Machine Learning Insights
Machine learning insights can provide several benefits for businesses. They can help businesses identify areas for improvement, optimize their marketing strategies, and take proactive measures to improve user engagement. By leveraging machine learning insights, businesses can make data-driven decisions and improve their overall user engagement.
Deeper Integration with Google Ads
Google Analytics and Google Ads are two powerful tools that businesses often use together to track and optimize their marketing efforts. GA4 provides a deeper integration with Google Ads, allowing businesses to gain more insights into their advertising campaigns.
The Importance of Integrating Google Analytics and Google Ads
Integrating Google Analytics and Google Ads can provide several benefits for businesses. It can provide a more comprehensive view of user engagement, allow businesses to track the performance of specific ads and keywords, and optimize their advertising campaigns based on user behavior.
How GA4 Enhances the Integration with Google Ads
With GA4, businesses can track and analyze user behavior from their Google Ads campaigns directly within the Google Analytics interface. This integration provides a more comprehensive view of user engagement and allows businesses to optimize their advertising campaigns based on user behavior.
Enhanced Data Controls and Privacy
Privacy and data control are becoming increasingly important in today’s digital landscape. GA4 addresses these concerns by providing enhanced data controls and privacy features.
The Importance of Data Controls and Privacy
In today’s digital landscape, privacy and data control are becoming increasingly important. Businesses need to ensure that they are complying with privacy regulations and protecting the security of user data. GA4 addresses these concerns by providing enhanced data controls and privacy features.
How GA4 Enhances Data Controls and Privacy
With GA4, businesses have more control over the data they collect and how it is used. They can define their own data retention policies and choose which data to collect and store. This allows businesses to comply with privacy regulations and ensure the security of user data.
Concluding thoughts
Google Analytics 4 brings a wide range of new features and improvements that can greatly benefit businesses in understanding their audience and optimizing their online presence.
From enhanced data collection and machine learning-powered insights to cross-platform tracking and deeper integration with Google Ads, GA4 provides businesses with valuable tools to make data-driven decisions and improve their marketing strategies.
While migrating from UA to GA4 may require some effort, the benefits of the new features and capabilities make it a worthwhile investment for businesses looking to stay ahead in the digital landscape.
If you want to make this switch easier you can reach out to our Experts anytime.
Now, discussing all the features and advancements of Google Analytics 4 is beyond the scope of this article. That’s why we have only discussed a few. Stay tuned for more insightful articles and get an in-depth understanding of GA4.
If you have any queries or want to suggest something, feel free to comment below.
Also Read: Google Analytics 4: All You Need To Know About The New GA4
