What You Need to Know About GA4 and the Benefits It Offers

If you’re just getting started with Google Analytics, then you might have heard about Universal Analytics (also known as UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Universal Analytics is the previous version of Google Analytics, and GA4 replaced it at the start of July 2023. However, you might still be wondering why Google make the switch and what are the benefits of the new version. Well, you’re in the right place! Here’s a snapshot of what you need to know about GA4:

What Is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google Analytics, a web analytics tool provided by Google. It was first announced in October 2019 and was originally called ‘App + Web’ properties. Google Analytics 4 isn’t an upgrade; it’s a completely new digital analytics platform. It includes several new features and enhancements over its predecessor.

Another major change is the addition of support for event-based data collection. This new data model is designed to provide flexibility in how data is collected and reported in Google Analytics. A range of events are automatically collected by Google Analytics 4. However, you can also send custom events and adjust the names of events and parameters (which allows you to collect additional information with events). This means you can use events to track how users interact with your website and collect more granular details about your audience.

Another change for enterprise-level users of Google’s analytics platform is the addition of support for BigQuery exporting. This feature allows users to export their Google Analytics data directly into BigQuery, Google’s cloud data warehouse service. This will allow for more powerful data analysis, as BigQuery supports advanced SQL queries.

Google Analytics 4 also includes several other smaller changes and enhancements, such as improved support for cross-domain tracking and the automatic tracking of important user actions on websites. Overall, Google Analytics 4 is a significant upgrade from the previous version and offers several powerful new features and enhancements.

How Can Google Analytics 4 Benefit My Business?

Since the previous version of Google Analytics, Universal Analytics, stopped processing data at the start of July 2023 (or soon after), you need to switch to GA4 to leverage Google’s digital analytics platform. Apart from continuing to collect data, GA4 offers a range of benefits. Here are our top three picks:

1. Improved Data Collection

GA4 offers improved data collection capabilities, including the ability to collect data from multiple devices and platforms and from offline sources. This lets businesses get a complete picture of their customers and behavior.

2. Improved Data Analysis

GA4 offers improved data analysis capabilities, including creating custom reports and dashboards. This allows businesses to understand their customers and behavior better and make better decisions about their marketing and business strategies.

3. Improved Report Customization

GA4 offers improved report customization capabilities, including the ability to adjust reports included in the main menu and the option of creating more sophisticated custom reports. This allows businesses to better tailor their digital analytics to their specific needs and their team members.

Conclusion

Overall, GA4 offers significant benefits for businesses with improved data collection, analysis, and reporting. It’s also the only option if you want to leverage the power of Google’s digital analytics platform to understand your website’s audience. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to make the switch and enjoy the advantages of GA4!

Loves Data helps businesses get the most out of their data by training marketing professionals about the ins and out of Google Analytics and Google Ads. If you’re ready to learn more about the latest version of Google Analytics, take a moment to check out our GA4 course today!