How do you use Google Analytics 4?
Written by Jamie Schelling
Digital Marketing & AI Automation
Switching to Google Analytics 4
The transition from Google Analytics Universal to Google Analytics 4 may seem daunting, but if you start setting up your data strategy now, you can make the transition smooth and easy. You also want to start now so that you have data in your Google Analytics 4 accounts as soon as possible.
Read on if you want to find out which steps you need to take to make the switch to Google Analytics 4 and be well prepared.
The only constant in website data is that it always changes, and Google Analytics is no different. In October 2020, Google announced the release of Google Analytics 4, presenting it as an analytics tool that offers smarter insights to improve ROI (return on investment) as digital marketing moves towards a cookieless world.
After an announcement like this, the first question every business asks is: “How does this directly affect my business data?” The switch to Google Analytics 4 is going to change the way everyone uses Google Analytics. The positive thing is that we still have time to prepare: if you take the time now to understand how your data works in GA4, you will save a lot of time and headaches later.
Setting up the first data stream
The first step to get started with Google Analytics 4 is setting up the data stream. In the admin section of Google Analytics Universal, it is possible to upgrade the property using the setup assistant for GA4. The upgrade will create a new property for tracking that starts with G-.
To keep Google Analytics Universal and start the learning phase of Google Analytics 4, it is important that both tags remain active on the website. This is important to keep using Universal reporting while the learning phase of Google Analytics 4 runs its course.
After the property for Google Analytics 4 has been set up, it is important to link a data stream. By default, GA4 will measure the following events:
- Page views
- Scrolls
- Outbound clicks
- Site search
- Video engagement
- File downloads
Once a data stream has been created, the Google Analytics 4 G-tag can be installed on the website. It is important to remember that you still want to keep the Google Analytics Universal code firing on the site, or via Google Tag Manager, so that data can flow to both versions of Google Analytics
Once the new code has been installed on the site, go to the realtime report to confirm that data is coming in. GA4 has combined all the individual realtime reports into one mega report. The user map is now updated in real time and shows data from the last 30 minutes.
The two other big changes are events and conversions: Google Analytics 4 includes a shift to focus on engagement, so all user activity, including page views, is tracked as events. The second change is the conversions menu. These important actions that we used to track as goals are now all called conversions. Google has also increased the number of conversions you can track to 30.
Even with an increase in the conversions you can track, you still need to think carefully about which events you track. A good addition to GA4 is that events can be customised and edited in the Google Analytics interface. Being able to create and customise events directly in GA means less dependence on coding for event tracking in Google Tag Manager.
Realtime report in Google Analytics 4
Creating or editing events in GA4
When you first navigate to the events menu, the default events that come with Google Analytics 4 are displayed. Using the buttons at the top of the screen, new events can be created or existing events modified. The menu contains buttons that make it easy to turn any event into a conversion.
Although every event on the website is important, only a few of them need to be marked as a conversion. This makes customising the event very important. You can set up new events that only count certain clicks. To do that, first click the button “Create event”. Then you give the event a new name and set the conditions for that event. Since all page views in GA4 are considered events, it is possible to create an event for the “page location” and then enter the page name you want to track.
Change doesn't have to be scary
At first glance Google Analytics 4 looks considerably different, and that change can put people off. The good news is that all businesses are in the same boat when it comes to learning an entirely new system. There is also still plenty of time to get to know the new tool.
Are you curious about the possibilities of Google Analytics 4 for your business? Then feel free to get in touch!