We are now several months into the new version of Google Analytics: Google Analytics 4. The new Analytics looks different and has several changes compared to the previous version. In our new blog, we help you get started with GA4 and give you tips to keep in mind when it comes to Google Analytics 4.
What is Google Analytics 4 again?
Google Analytics 4 is the new version of Universal Analytics (UA). As of July 1, 2023, you will be working with GA4 in Google Analytics. And it looks different from the previous version. UA was more focused on sessions and visitors, while GA4 focuses on events: it is an event-driven data model. In short, GA4 should give you even better insight into your website's statistics.
Want to know more about the differences? Read about it in our other blog about GA4.
Once you are proficient with GA4, you will experience various benefits of the tool:
- GA4 is based on machine learning combined with big data. This allows you to make even more accurate predictions and better assess your target audience.
- GA4 uses data streams. You can link different data streams, such as combining data from your website and any app. This gives you an even more complete picture of your target group and its behavior.
- GA4 has been updated with regard to privacy and related options. You can measure without using cookies.
Tips for Google Analytics 4: don't forget
If you are primarily accustomed to Universal Analytics, or find Analytics challenging to comprehend, you may quickly become overwhelmed by all the options within GA4. Therefore, we would like to offer a few tips for Google Analytics 4. This will enable you to utilize this tool optimally for your website.
Conversions are the most important thing for your website or online store: when visitors buy an item, fill out a form, or contact you in some other way, for example. That's why you need to set up those conversions properly in Google Analytics so you can examine them closely. This is one of the most important tips for Google Analytics 4, because it lets you know how many conversions your website has and where they come from. And you can then respond to that information.
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Check out the new statistics
With Google Analytics 4, you will encounter a number of new statistics that will give you even more relevant insights into your website. These include statistics such as session duration, pages per session, and conversion rate based on sessions or users.
For example, the bounce rate (percentage of visits where only one page is viewed) has been replaced by the engagement rate (percentage of engaged sessions). An engaged session is, for example, a visit lasting longer than ten seconds, viewing at least two pages, or completing at least one conversion. The engagement rate therefore takes various interactions into account, making it more valuable.
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Look at your internal traffic
You and any employees are, of course, often to be found on your own website. But you don't want to count those visits, as they give a distorted picture. Fortunately, you can disable internal traffic in Google Analytics 4. You can filter out traffic based on an IP address or a range of IP addresses. You can read exactly how to do this here.
With Universal Analytics, the old version of Analytics, you could browse through custom reports. In GA4, this tab is now called "Explore." Here, you can generate reports with tables and options such as funnels and usage analysis.
Another important tip for GA4: in UA, you had standard reports, but in GA4, you can compile them yourself. This allows you to examine data that is relevant to your website.
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Check out the release notes to stay up to date
Want to stay up to date with the latest updates in Google Analytics 4? Check the release notes every so often. That way, you'll know about new developments right away and can respond to them immediately.
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Link to your Google Ads account
Do you run ads through Google Ads? You can link these to Google Analytics and include this data. Go to "Admin," then "Product links" and "Google Ads links." Here you can create a link to Google Ads. To do this, select the Google account that contains the Google Ads account.
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Set up the link for your online store
If you have a webshop and sell products via your website, linking to Google Analytics 4 is very important. With the Google Analytics plug-in from WooCommerce, for example, you can view your e-commerce data. If you know how visitors behave on your website and how they make their purchases, you can optimize your website accordingly. For example, do visitors often get stuck during checkout? Or when searching for products? Once you know that, you can use that information to improve your website.
Need more tips or help setting up GA4 for your website?