It’s been a few months now since the launch of the new version of Google Analytics: Google Analytics 4. The new Analytics looks different and includes several changes compared to the previous version. In our new blog post, we’ll help you get started with GA4 and share some 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). Starting July 1, 2023, you’ll be working with GA4 in Google Analytics. And it looks different from the previous version. For example, UA focused more on sessions and visitors, whereas GA4 focuses on events: it’s an event-driven data model. In short, GA4 is designed to give you even better insight into your website’s statistics.
Want to learn more about the differences? Check out our other blog post on GA4.
If you're comfortable using GA4, you'll enjoy several 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 understand your target audience.
- GA4 uses data streams. You can link different data streams, such as combining data from your website and any apps you may have. This gives you an even more complete picture of your target audience and their behavior.
- GA4 has been updated with new privacy features and options. You can now track data without using cookies.
Tips for Google Analytics 4: Don't Forget
If you're mainly used to Universal Analytics, or find Analytics difficult to understand in general, it's easy to get lost in all the options within GA4. That's why we'd like to share a few tips for Google Analytics 4. This way, you can make the most of this tool for your website.
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Set up your conversions
Conversions are the most important thing for your website or online store: for example, when visitors buy a product, fill out a form, or contact you in some other way. That’s why you need to set up those conversions properly in Google Analytics so you can analyze them. 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 use that information to make adjustments.
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Check out the new statistics
With Google Analytics 4, you’ll find a number of new metrics that provide even more relevant insights into your website. These include metrics such as session duration, pages per session, and conversion rates based on sessions or users.
For example, the bounce rate (the percentage of visits where only one page was viewed) has been replaced by the engagement rate (the percentage of engaged sessions). An engaged session is, for example, a visit lasting longer than ten seconds, involving at least two pages, or resulting in at least one completed conversion. The engagement rate therefore takes various interactions into account and is thus more valuable.
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Take a look at your internal traffic
Of course, you and any employees often visit your own website. But you don’t want to include those visits in your statistics, as they skew the results. Fortunately, you can exclude that 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 that here.
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Dive into the details with reports
In Universal Analytics, the previous version of Analytics, you could browse through custom reports. In GA4, that tab is now called “Explore.” Here, you can generate reports that include tables and options such as funnels and user analysis.
Here’s another important tip for GA4: In UA, you had standard reports; in GA4, you can create your own. This allows you to analyze the data that matters most to your website.
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Check out the release notes to stay up to date
Would you like to stay up to date on the latest updates in Google Analytics 4? Be sure to check the release notes every so often. That way, you’ll know right away about new developments and can respond to them immediately.
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Link your Google Ads account
Do you run ads through Google Ads? You can link it to Google Analytics to include this data. Go to "Admin," then "Product Links," and "Google Ads Links." Here, you can create a link to Google Ads. To do so, select the Google account associated with your Google Ads account.
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Set up the integration for your online store
If you run an online store and sell products through your website, integrating with Google Analytics 4 is crucial. For example, the WooCommerce Google Analytics plugin gives you insight into your e-commerce data. Once you understand how visitors behave on your website and how they complete their purchases, you can optimize your site accordingly. For example, do visitors often get stuck during checkout? Or perhaps when searching for products? Once you know that, you can use that information to get to work and improve your website.
