Understanding the Google Analytics 4 Rollout

As many marketers will already know, the age of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is upon us. 

It came as somewhat of a surprise in March of 2022 when Google announced it would be permanently sunsetting the current version of its Analytics platform in place of GA4 In July 2023. 

Early opinions on GA4 have been mixed, with some users struggling to warm to the new interface and others lamenting the loss of several core features.  

This announcement has therefore been significant for businesses that rely on Analytics data for marketing, ecommerce, and advertising, as they will soon have no option but to get onboard with GA4. 

If you’re in this position, then now is the time to begin familiarising yourself with the new setup and backing up historic Analytics data before migrating fully to GA4. 

Still unsure of what GA4 means for your business? 

Read on for our breakdown of everything you need to know about the Google Analytics 4 rollout, what has changed from Universal Analytics, and how Pursuit Marketing can help futureproof your Analytics setup for the next generation of web and app tracking before July 2023. 

 

What is Google Analytics 4? 

Google Analytics 4 launched just over two years ago in October 2020, touted by Google as the new default analytics property and a ‘next generation’ tracking solution to replace the current version, now referred to as Universal Analytics (UA).   

At its core, GA4 is less of an update and more of a complete overhaul to the web and app tracking capabilities of UA.  

Some of the features introduced were previously available under “web and app properties” in UA, but now comprise the default tracking setup for GA4. 

As part of the transition, Google has outlined that as of 1st July 2023, “standard Universal Analytics properties will no longer process data”, while Google Analytics 360 properties will continue processing data until 1st October 2023. 

After 1st July 2023, users will still be able to access previously processed data and reports in UA for at least six months, however any new data will only flow into GA4 properties. 

It’s important to know that GA4 is not necessarily an upgrade to UA, but instead a new way to track users across websites and apps. While this has been an optional setup for users up to this point, it is soon to be the standard and only option as UA properties ‘switch off’ in 2023. 

 

Why is it changing? 

Many businesses have built entire processes around the setup and features of UA, so may be resistant to switch to a different version.  

However, the introduction of GA4 comes as a timely answer to recent concerns, namely impending changes to third-party cookies and the increased demand for user privacy.  

Significantly, it also provides a long overdue update to UA’s near-15-year-old data model, which was developed at a time before the rise of smartphones, apps, and the need for user-based event tracking. 

The reality is that users interact with the web in different ways to how they did when the Google Analytics data model was first introduced. 

The use of cookies and how businesses manage user data have also received increased criticism, with the rise of policies such as GDPR spelling stricter requirements for the tracking of user information online. 

The privacy of web users is paramount, of course, so it’s understandable that tighter regulation of third- and first-party web cookies is on the horizon.  

However, while this may seem to spell the end of Google Ads and Analytics web tracking, the changes introduced by GA4 aim to provide an answer and allow businesses to track user data in a compliant and futureproofed way.

 

What’s different with GA4? 

Historically, UA tracked sessions individually for webpages, events, ecommerce, and social. 

GA4, on the other hand, tracks all interactions as ‘events’ across web and app visits. 

According to Google, the reason behind this change is that it saves processing space and streamlines data configuration, while producing a different set of reports focused on users and their specific interactions rather than general page sessions. 

GA4 has also been developed with only first-party cookies in mind, using advanced AI machine learning to ‘fill the gaps’ and provide a hybrid tracking model that is as accurate as possible without infringing on the privacy consent of users. 

While the updated reporting interface of GA4 is similar to UA, reports themselves work differently, as does the general setup and configuration of the platform. 

Some of the key new features in GA4 include: 

  • Web and app tracking provided in the same view with improved cross-platform/cross-device tracking 

  • Better use of machine learning to generate insights about customer journeys and visualise the conversion ‘funnel’ 

  • Better integration with other Google platforms like Google Signals to help optimise campaign performance 

  • Event configuration availability as default 

Reduced and removed features between UA and GA4 include: 

  • Reduced ecommerce reporting 

  • Bounce rate metrics removed 

  • Some dimensions like ‘landing page’ removed 

  • No multi-touch conversion or attribution reporting 

  • Defaults to ‘active users’ not ‘total users’ 

Thee are some of the fundamental updates, for a full breakdown of everything that has changed between UA and GA4, visit Google’s Analytics 4 information hub. 

 

How will GA4 affect my business? 

At this stage, businesses should be thinking about adapting their measurement tools to focus on users themselves, which is made much easier through the default settings of GA4. 

Google has suggested migrating Google Ads links from any UA properties to GA4 property as soon as possible, in order to ensure continuity of tracking and reporting. 

If you are currently using an Analytics audience or importing UA site metrics, the end of UA data tracking could affect any Google Ads campaigns you have running and make it more difficult to get up to speed with the interface and reporting changes in GA4. 

Any companies using Analytics should begin migrating to GA4 as soon as possible. This will gives you time to get accustomed to the new UI and features and means you can start reporting in the new format before potentially losing any important data. 

To make things easier, it’s currently possible to implement GA4 and UA at the same time, so you don’t have to worry about performing a complete overhaul right now. However, the closer it gets to the July 2023 deadline, the more challenging it will be to make the transition. 

 

Working with Pursuit 

If you’re in the position of using an external agency to manage your Google Ads or report on Analytics, then you’re in luck, as most will already be aware of GA4 and likely be able to ensure your Analytics properties are correctly migrated across to GA4 in time. 

However, this is only part of the process, as to run any future Google Ad campaign or Analytics reports, you will need to be familiar with the UI, tracking metrics, and reporting setup. 

When working with Pursuit, our digital marketing team can run SEO and PPC campaigns driven by GA4, migrating your data or setting up GA4 for you if required. 

Pursuit is a data-driven agency that takes a 360-degree approach to demand generation, incorporating digital marketing and telemarketing activities to ensure a high performing demand gen pipeline and the delivery of valuable, sales-qualified leads.

To find out how we can help strategise, implement, and optimise your next PPC or lead generation campaign to leverage Google Analytics 4 to its fullest extent, get in touch.