Google Analytics 4

The world of marketing comes with a huge catalogue of tools which we use to support our work, whether these be analytical, reporting or even grammatical. From tried and tested favourites to new finds and the odd Chrome extension to make our day easier, the life of a marketer would be much harder without our trusty toolbox. One such tool that no marketer can escape is Google Analytics.?

Google Analytics for dummies

Google Analytics is a platform frequently used by the boxChilli SEO team. It gathers data from websites which highlight key stats that we use to improve SEO practices on the sites we manage. Google Analytics is used to monitor traffic to websites, session statistics and browser and device information. This is all essential when it comes to analysing what our target audience wants and how we can give it to them.

The Google Analytics system is used to review and monitor all of the sites we work on. Reports are continually updated to give real-time data for our clients, and much as we hate to admit it, we'd be lost without it.

GA4

Google Analytics 4 is the biggest update and subsequent change that we've ever seen on the platform and brings with it a change in the way we work. With a lot of new features to learn and some significant changes, marketers across the globe are naturally feeling anxious about this substantial update.

The biggest change for GA4 is the difference in data structure. The previous version of Google Analytics is built on session data, but in the recent update will change to focus on users and events. GA4 also uses cookieless measurements and behavioural and conversion modelling.

GA4 issues

Along with any new update, there will always be some teething issues along the way. GA4 and UA process data differently. In layman's terms, it's like using the same building blocks and ending up with different designs because they stack the blocks differently. Because UA uses sessions and page views and GA4 uses events and parameters, the data will never match.

"On July 1, 2023, standard Universal Analytics properties will no longer process data. You'll be able to see your Universal Analytics reports for a period of time after July 1, 2023. However, new data will only flow into Google Analytics 4 properties."

Benefits of GA4

GA4 will be a significant change for all users, but moving forward the new update should benefit marketers everywhere, once the initial set-up has been completed.?

GA4 will allow you to track data from apps, instead of using a third-party app. This means less hassle for marketers when building reports which can be created from one place.

It will now be easier to visualise the buyers’ journey around the website. As this is such a key feature when it comes to optimising a website, in theory, it should make the process easier and more successful.??

Reporting can be a huge task, and we all want something to make life easier! GA4 will make it more straightforward when creating custom reports for your websites by choosing segments to work with.

As well as all the technical changes from Google, the update does give marketers a chance to review their set-up for each client, to create a more cohesive strategy going forward.

The last word

The world of digital marketing is ever-changing and updating to fit with the speed at which the real world evolves. Keeping on top of GA4 is just one of the things which marketers are adapting to for 2023. We know that for many companies, having the time to do this on top of your core business responsibilities can be a challenge. boxChilli offer 360 marketing support, and our experts are consistently at the top of new trends and expansion in the digital world.?Give our team a call today to find out more.