As one of the most widely used and essential reporting platforms in the world, Google Analytics is a must know platform for all things digital marketing. With its first major update within the last 7 years rolling out, it can be a quite daunting change for those comfortable with its current iteration. But put your mind to ease, as we've broken down 5 key takeaways from the latest Analytics update.
5 Things to Know About GA4
- Combined Web & Mobile - You will now be able to view all analytical information, both from mobile and desktop, combined at the same time. This is a huge change - it now allows you to get a better understanding of the complete customer journey as they interact with your website and marketing materials.
- Customized Event Editing - Editing events just got a lot easier. You will now be able to edit and fine tune the events being tracked for your GA4 properties without having to adjust the code originally implemented. This means that once changes have been made, the tracking will adjust in real time without needing to go through your development team to place new tracking codes.
- Cross Domain - GA4 will bring new insights to your understanding of the customer journey process with cross domain measurement capabilities. When different domains are tagged with the same measurement ID, you will be able to track cross domain interaction within your GA4 platform. This can be a game changer for those wanting to get a better understanding of where a majority of their site traffic originates from.
- Machine Learning - The updated Google Analytics platform now runs with increased machine learning capabilities. This machine learning component will help your team get a better understanding of the reports provided, as well as an increased insight into user interaction. The best part - increased marketing performance without any additional effort needed from your team.
- Historical Data - One potential drawback from the GA4 update is the likelihood of not being able to import historical data form your current Analytics properties. This is caused by the previous Analytics iteration and current GA4 being completely separate reporting platforms. Although GA4 will not be in full swing for a few months, it would be beneficial to set up your GA4 properties as soon as possible to begin collecting data.
Although change is always difficult, it's inevitable. The latest Google Analytics update is rolling out and overall, looks to be a large improvement on the previous version. With combined device reporting capabilities, event editing, cross domain reporting and machine learning, Google has taken another step to help you get a complete picture with your reporting. With the one drawback being the inability to import historical data, the best time to start learning more about GA4 is now! Please feel free to contact our digital marketing experts with any questions you may have.
