Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Benefits and Recommendations
As of July 1, 2023, Google Analytics 4 has replaced the previous Google Universal Analytics.
In this article, we explain the benefits of Google Analytics 4 and why making the switch is still valuable, even now.
Switch to GA4
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Switch to GA4 〰️
As of July 1, 2024: All Universal Analytics services will be deactivated. ⚠️
As of July 1, 2024, Google will shut down all Universal Analytics services and completely replace them with Google Analytics 4. From this date, all old Universal Analytics data and features will no longer be accessible.
Make sure you have switched to Google Analytics 4. Download or export your old data from Universal Analytics now, as it will otherwise be permanently deleted.
Data and settings used in Universal Analytics will no longer be available. For example, new conversions (key events) will no longer be measured, which could impact the performance of your advertising campaigns.
As of July 1, 2023: Universal Analytics ceased data collection and processing.
As of October 1, 2023: 360 Universal Analytics ceased data collection and processing. The data already processed will remain available for at least six months after this deadline.
For at least six months after each respective deadline mentioned above, your old data will still be viewable and can be downloaded as a backup. After this period, the old Google Analytics will be completely removed.
Time is Running Out: Why Switching to Google Analytics 4 is Crucial
Since Google Analytics 4 is built on a completely new model, it's not a simple update like traditional software. You need to set up Google Analytics 4 entirely from scratch.
The sooner you switch to the new Google Analytics, the more historical data will be visible in your account long-term. This allows you to compare data across months and years.
You can start building new datasets now, even before Universal Analytics completely stops processing data.
Here you can find support for the transition.
6 Benefits of the New GA4
1. Understand Customer Behavior Across the User Journey
Previous measurement models focused on individual platforms or were organized into single sessions. Now, these measurements are event-based and provide a complete overview of all activities. This gives you a comprehensive impression of the progression of the Customer Lifecycle (the steps a person takes to become a customer and brand ambassador), across all websites and apps, and of your customers' purchasing behavior.
Google Analytics 4 is designed to keep pace with a changing operating system.
2. Increase Your Return on Investment (ROI) Through Data-Driven Attribution
With Google Analytics 4, thanks to data-based evaluation, you can analyze the impact of your marketing across the entire Customer Journey. This means not only the last click is decisive for attribution, but all analytical data.
These help you understand how your marketing activities influence conversions. The data can be exported to Google Ads and the Google Marketing Platform. This allows campaigns to be specifically optimized and the Customer Experience further improved.
3. Benefit from Valuable Data
Google Analytics 4 provides valuable insights from your first-party data, based on a robust measurement foundation. Machine learning then delivers results for predicting user behavior and conversions. The analytics tool creates new audiences that are highly likely to purchase or churn. It automatically provides important insights that help optimize marketing and align it even better.
4. Optimize Your Online Campaigns Across All Channels
By combining web and app data, Google Analytics 4 offers enhanced integration capabilities for other Google products. This allows results to be transferred to Google Ads, enabling even more targeted campaign placement.
These features make it easy to use insights from Google Analytics 4, such as predictive audiences, to optimize your ad campaigns. This provides a valuable opportunity to, for example, specifically boost your sales in a short time and reach potential customers.
5. Collect and Manage Data in Accordance with Legal Data Protection
Data protection is a priority for Google Analytics 4. The tool therefore offers extensive and detailed control functions for data collection and usage. This allows for easy adaptation to changing user needs and requirements.
With country-adjustable privacy controls, you can manage and minimize the collection of user-level data – such as cookies and metadata – while still retaining important measurement functions. Users gain more control over how their data is used. Data protection regulations, both national and international, can be easily implemented.
6. Meet Your Company's Data Protection Requirements
The structure of Google Analytics 4 properties can be flexibly and easily adapted to the requirements of a company's data management. This ensures that partners such as advertising agencies can access your data in accordance with company guidelines.
Google Analytics 4: Feature Overview
Google Analytics 4 offers the most comprehensive solution for businesses to align campaigns even more closely with user needs and expectations. The analytics tool offers the flexibility to measure various types of data and link them across channels.
While the old Google Analytics model is still heavily focused on desktop web and cookie data, Google Analytics 4 offers cross-platform solutions.
This provides online marketing with a tool for more comprehensive and detailed control over data collection and usage.
The tool aims to help achieve business goals, such as increasing sales, acquiring new customers, and linking online and offline customer engagement.
The latest standard for analytics tools does not rely solely on cookies and an event-based data model. Instead, it uses cross-platform and user-centric measurements, making Google Analytics 4 a future-proof solution.
It also offers better privacy protection, as IP addresses are no longer stored.
Today's data protection requires comprehensive user data protection (find more information on GDPR here). The new measurement tool addresses these requirements.
Set up Google Analytics 4
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Conclusion
The sooner you switch to the new Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the more data you can use in the long term.
Since June 30, 2023, no new data has been recorded in the old Google Universal Analytics (UA). While historical data will remain available for export until approximately the end of 2023, after that, the data will be completely gone.
GA4 offers the following advantages:
You can better understand the customer journey and draw conclusions from it, as Google Analytics 4 uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for this purpose.
Thanks to enhanced machine learning, tracking is possible even when cookies are not available.
You can also track data across multiple devices, thanks to cross-platform and user-centric measurements.
It allows for a better understanding of which marketing activities influence conversions.