There are more changes afoot in Google Analytics 4, and they’re the kinds of changes we all need to be across.

It’s not unusual for Google to make updates to its products and services. Understanding how customers behave across our online platforms is essential. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) plays a significant role in providing this insight. It’s crucial to pay attention to GA4 updates as they directly impact us, our businesses, and our digital marketing strategies.

What is Google Analytics 4?

‘Introducing the next generation of Analytics, Google Analytics 4,’ states Google’s announcement. It goes on to detail that GA4 updates are designed for the future of measurement, collecting both website and app data to paint a fuller picture of the customer journey, relying on event-based data over session-based, using cookieless measurement, offering behavioural and conversion modelling, enabling predictive capabilities to offer guidance without the need for complex models, and direct integrations between media platforms.

That’s a mouthful – and there are some BIG GA4 updates embedded in this list of Google Analytics 4 features.

With Google sunsetting Universal Analytics in July 2023 and launching us directly into Google Analytics 4, it’s been a big year for marketers and analyst experts as we adapt to the new platform. As GA4 has taken a significant departure from the traditional analytics used within its predecessor, this move is one that’s more holistic, painting a clearer and enhanced picture of user activity across websites and applications alike.

While Universal Analytics hasn’t yet disappeared, we’ve been embracing the switch to GA4, making the most of the advanced features that enable a more robust understanding of cross-platform user behaviour. At RealClicks, we’re focused on real, genuine results based on real data – and GA4 has enabled us to access even more of it when it comes to building game-changing digital strategies for our clients.

What are the key features of GA4?

So, amongst the tech talk, what are the key features of GA4 that need attention? We’ve deciphered these implementations so even the most tech-avoidant amongst us can keep up with these changes!

A new dashboard: With more options for easy navigation, GA4 has a revamped and re-energised dashboard on offer. It’s more user-friendly, intuitive, and offers customisation that can be a great benefit for individual user needs.
Event-based measurements: Rather than a session-based tracking model, GA4 has moved to an event-driven tracking model. The result? A more granular understanding of how users behave across multiple sessions, creating invaluable data that can be of significant support when it comes to building data-driven marketing campaigns and strategies.
Predictive Insights: With GA4, we have the power of proactive metrics to help predict purchase probability, predicted revenue, and churn probability. These metrics offer all kinds of advantages when it comes to anticipating the future behaviour of our users, as well as emerging trends, rather than relying on past behaviours to build assumptions.
Increased customisation: Enjoy control over the reports you want to see right away and the ability to connect GA4’s dashboard with Google Looker to create custom data visualisations. Custom segments can also be created based on trigger events, which can make it easier than ever to track specific interactions that are fuelling your goals.
Cross-platform tracking: GA4 has provided more accommodations than ever before when it comes to building a complete view of user interactions across various platforms and devices. Lead generation, nurturing, and conversion don’t happen just on a website – and now, that activity can be tracked across the spaces where your brand is active, leading to more cohesion in strategy and execution.
Privacy controls: As privacy regulations continue to evolve around the world, Google’s GA4 has a renewed focus on data retention policies and on features that help to manage user data as responsibly as possible.

How can you transition to GA4?

If you’re working with RealClicks, we can make your transition to GA4 a piece of cake. There’s no need to worry about the back-end when you’ve got our expert team of digital marketers on your side.

We’ve spent the last few months working hard to learn the new interface and features of GA4, equipping ourselves with a rich understanding of this new analytics environment. We’ve also been working with our clients to transition them from Universal Analytics, doing the heavy lifting to reconfigure data collection methods to work in alignment with GA4’s event-based model.

This has also led to revisions to our analytics strategies, ensuring the way we track, analyse, and utilise data is putting the best of GA4’s capabilities to work. We’re also leveraging GA4’s machine learning capabilities to draw on its predictive insights, bringing those game-changing abilities to how we build our marketing strategies and support targeted customer engagement.

Conclusion

With RealClicks at your service, there’s no need to break a sweat when a major release rolls out. We’ve loved diving into the deep end to test out all of GA4’s capabilities. Now, we’re bringing the best of what this analytics environment has to offer to our customers – and the results continue to speak for themselves!

Not sure how to put GA4 to work for your business’s bottom line? Contact RealClicks today to discover how our digital marketing expertise can deliver real results that move the needle.