What You Need to Know about GA4

If you’re in the online marketing business, chances are you’re familiar with Google Analytics. This program allows organizations to gather and process user data and access it from their analytics dashboard. With these data insights, organizations can focus and refine their online marketing strategy to obtain better results.

Because analytical data is always changing, it’s important for analytic services to change with them.That’s why Google unveiled the new Google Analytics 4, or GA4 for short, early in 2023. GA4 will serve as a replacement for the previous program, Universal Analytics. 

GA4 Timeline

For those who didn’t make their own GA4 account, one was automatically created for you in March 2023 (unless you chose to opt out). This account is based on your Universal Analytics information, so you won’t have to start from scratch. 

Those who did opt out of the process shouldn’t wait to make their own GA4 account. On July 1st, 2023, Universal Analytics will stop processing new data, although you’ll still be able to access your old reports for at least six months after. 

Benefits of GA4

As the newest in Google’s analytic programs, GA4 is full of cutting-edge tools to help you make the most of your analytical data. Here are just a few of the exciting features GA4 has in store: 

Data-driven Attribution 

With data-driven attribution, you can analyze your marketing campaign’s impact beyond the last click. This feature incorporates data such as order of ad exposure, number of ad interactions, device type, and more to create a comprehensive analysis of how effective your marketing is. 

Advanced Privacy 

With GA4, you can bring your users new peace of mind about their personal data. Country-wide privacy controls allow you to minimize the amount of data you collect without compromising your measurements. You can manage the amount of data you collect at any time, allowing you to increase or lessen data collection as necessary. 

Predictive Insights 

Want some insight on your user behavior? GA4 utilizes sophisticated machine learning to bring you predictive insights on user behavior and conversions. It can also create new audiences of likely users, allowing you to target audiences you may not have considered. This predictive audience is based on a single predictive metric, such as “likely X-day purchasers” where X represents a number.

Of course, GA4 must collect sufficient data before creating predictive audiences — a minimum number of users who perform an event within a given recording period (typically a week). Predictive audiences can be generally divided into two user groups:

  1. Remarketing audiences: Users identified as likely purchasers or predicted top spenders; the behavior of these audiences indicates they are ripe for conversion.
  2. Re-engagement audiences: User segments at risk of churning — e.g. not making another purchase within the recording period, whether it’s their first or their next. 

Leveraged correctly, Predictive Insights will allow your Google Ads targeting to be that much more efficient. 

Expanded Integrations 

GA4 integrates seamlessly with other Google products, allowing you to easily transport data and optimize your campaigns. For example, if you’ve gathered additional marketing data through data-driven attribution and would like to use it to optimize your marketing campaign, you can export the data to Google Marketing Platform. You could also create a predictive audience and export it to Google Ads.  

Analytics with Epic Web Studios

Even with GA4’s exciting new features, it can be challenging to take your analytical data and turn it into a marketing campaign. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry — Epic Web has got you covered. Our experienced digital marketing team will help push your business to Google’s front page. 

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