The GA4 Myth

Without sugarcoating, the reception of GA4 has been nothing short of a rollercoaster since the UA turndown announcement. Opinions on why GA4 came into existence vary widely, covering aspects like the data model inadequacies, ageing infrastructure, scaling, and legacy choices—a myriad of factors that contribute to a lengthy list.

In all fairness, these opinions may contain elements of truth, but outside the Google inner circle, discerning the precise reasons remains elusive. It's likely a convergence of factors that decisively tilted the scales in favor of a reboot.

Yet, beyond the 'why,' the consequences of the GA4 migration seem to be more misunderstood than the causes themselves.?

Unexpected item in bagging area?

Let’s not mince words. The GA4 migration isn't about merely comparing UA and GA4 data. The "Migration guide for beginners" sets the tone:

“Follow the steps in this guide to migrate to GA4. You'll create a new GA4 property and migrate your goals to GA4.”

It's a robust guide, strategically emphasising the migration of goals from UA to GA4 and the activation of Google Signals.

There are resources that help you answer questions about Ua vs GA data. They ultimately reinforce the narrative that the data models are quite different. Don’t get distracted from the GMP/GA4 integration.

Why the unyielding focus on Signals and Goals in the documentation? Event migration, tagging, data differences—all present but intentionally a few clicks away. Valuable, yet meticulously curated not to divert attention from the core focus:

Migration to GA4 is a change management exercise.

The change isn’t what you'd anticipate—it's not about navigating myriad event-level menu clicks, deciphering a noisy product analytics clickstream, or delving into experimentation and survey data.

Consider what matters most to the vendor—the marketing performance data. Always has been. GA4 stands as a data collection linchpin for GMP.

As you embark on the GA4 journey, question number one might be:

“Can you continue to feed budget or increase spend on GMP using GA4?”

GA4 is a data collection component for GMP.

In simple terms, the migration seeks to inform what effect GA4 has on your advertising performance - if any.? This is a positive development, aligning with the ethos of privacy-first and customer-centricity. Anticipating regulatory shifts like the DMA, we’ve just seen Consent Mode updated (GA4 only). This is shaping how data is collected and activated in the Google ecosystem. There’s a clear set of requirements that are addressed in the GA4 migration:

• Privacy first
• Regulatory compliant
• Lighter client side
• Cleaner
• First party
• Consented
• Modelled

Unlocking the essence

The key takeaway centres on comprehending the true objectives and implications of migrating to GA4. It’s not been an easy path for many to follow, but with the end goal now better understood and the preferred direction mapped out, integrating GA4 into your data collection roadmap becomes imperative.

This isn't merely a transition—it's a transformative journey, requiring keen attention to the evolving landscape of data collection practices and privacy regulations in the digital marketing realm. The impact is not just about the change itself, but the empowerment that comes with navigating it strategically and staying ahead in a dynamic digital environment.