Universal Google Analytics is being phased out in July 2023, make sure you move to GA4 before then.
Despite many alternatives, Google Analytics is a firm favourite with many businesses and individuals worldwide. It’s capacity to provide reliable data and clear insights into online activity has kept Google Analytics at the top of many marketing strategies.
With so many businesses relying on Google Analytics to understand customer and audience preferences, Google had to move their well known platform along with the demand. Consumer behaviour required a more intelligent analytical platform that would provide a complete understanding of customers across devices and platforms.
The key advantages of Google Analytics 4 are:
- It measures multiple events such as page views, scrolling, clicks on external links, website searches, video engagement and file downloads.
- It enables data collection without cookies, a key factor for adaption in the future.
- GA4 excludes bot traffic and makes the IP anonymous by default.
One of the most popular features is that GA4 gives a customer-centric measurement as an alternative to data fragmented by device or platform. If a potential customer first interacts with a business online but later installs the business app and makes purchases, GA4 recognises this.
By measuring app and web interactions together, Google Analytics now provides a greater insight into behaviour and businesses can react effectively. Conversions from YouTube video views can be shown alongside conversions from Google search, social and email, this helps to understand combined impacts of all marketing efforts.
Google Analytics 4 has machine learning as it’s foundation so it can automatically offer insights into consumer behaviour and give a more intelligent overview. App plus Web reporting gives users of GA4 the opportunity to track both their data streams across iOS or Android apps as well as from their website. Not every customer will interact in the same way with the brand and the business, and the update now accommodates this.
As technology develops and the world gets “smarter” it is important to be ready for whatever is coming next. GA4 will help businesses respond to consumer expectations, changing technology, privacy controls and manage how data is collected, retained and used.
The ultimate goal of the new Google Analytics 4 is to provide a more detailed and coherent insight to improve and inform marketing decisions, strengthening marketing strategies. GA4 gives an even more complete understanding of how customers interact with businesses.
At eppiq we are proud to be Google partners and certified in Google Analytics. If you would like help with any aspect of Digital Marketing please get in touch today.
