TLDR

Google Analytics 4 uses a machine learning model to give sophisticated tracking and reporting tools...

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the most recent web analytics measuring tool from Google, and it will replace Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023.

Google Analytics 4 uses a machine learning model to give sophisticated tracking and reporting tools. As a result, website owners can more properly analyze their site's performance across several platforms.

Existing Universal Analytics users should migrate to the new platform as soon as possible to maintain their present data structure and collection. Otherwise, you risk losing your essential data history for future reference.

Given the big changes in Google Analytics 4, we'll look more closely at how it varies from its predecessor. This post will go through the important improvements in Google Analytics 4.

What's New in Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics differ in four significant ways:

  • Measurement across several platforms. You may collect data not only from your website but also from iOS and Android apps with Google Analytics 4.
  • Privacy configuration. Google Analytics 4 includes new privacy features, such as cookieless measurement, to help website owners collect user data more legitimately. In addition, the platform will no longer retain IP addresses.
  • Tracking based on events. It replaces session-based data tracking, allowing you to track user behaviour and conversions to get a full picture of the customer journey.
  • Metrics that predict the future. Predictive analytics, which uses Google's machine learning algorithm, allows you to forecast future user behaviour, such as purchase or churn probabilities and expected revenue.

How to Use Google Analytics to Track Events 4

As events, Google Analytics 4 will track user interactions on your website and iOS or Android apps. Unlike Universal Analytics, which depends on session-based data, GA4's measurement strategy is built on cross-platform tracking.

In Google Analytics 4, there are four sorts of events:

Events that are automatically tracked

When you install a tag on your website, Google Analytics 4 automatically captures some event data.

When utilizing Google Tag Manager's preview mode, for example, each time a tag fires, it is automatically transmitted as an event.

Measurement Improvements

When creating a data stream, the default configuration is enabled enhanced measurement. It enables Google Analytics 4 to automatically track user interaction on the site, such as page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, video engagement, and file downloads. Let us examine them more closely:

  • Page view - Google Analytics automatically gathers this event when the page loads or the browser history changes. This event can be tracked using the Views metric, as well as the page_location and page_referrer dimensions.
  • Scroll - When a visitor scrolls over at least 90% of a web page for the first time, event data is sent. Check the % scrolled dimension to keep track of this event.
  • Click - This event is triggered whenever a visitor clicks a link that takes them to another domain. In addition to the event data, you will receive parameters such as link_classes, link_domain, link_id, link_url, and outbound.
  • View search results - Google Analytics collects this information when parameters such as search, query, and keyword appear on a page URL during a site search. Find this information in the Search keyword dimension.
  • Video start, video progress, and video complete - an event will be triggered when the embedded video begins to play, progress from 10% to 75% of the overall duration time, and finishes.
  • File download - captures information on any file downloaded by a visitor, including text, executable, audio, video, presentation, or compressed files.

Recommended Events

You may track additional events across platforms using established event names and attributes, such as online sales and game properties, using recommended events.

Custom Events

By establishing a custom event, you can measure other events that are not included in the recommended events list.

Tracking Reports in Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 includes a standard set of reporting options to assist you in examining your data across several platforms.

The report in Real Time

The real-time report reveals user activity on your website and mobile apps as it occurs. This report will display data such as the number of active users in the previous 30 minutes, referral information, the page title your users engage with, the number of events counted by their name, and conversions.

Life Cycle Assessment

The life cycle report is a standard Google Analytics 4 report that displays user activity data at each stage of the customer journey.

There are four categories of reports in the life cycle collection:

  • Acquisition - displays how a user arrives at your website or app, as well as traffic data, allowing you to determine whether your traffic-driving marketing plan is effective. Typical default acquisition reports comprise an overview, user acquisition, and Google AdWords campaigns.
  • Involvement - presents the pages and screens with the highest levels of user involvement, providing insights into your users' behaviour.
  • Monetization - displays your revenue from eCommerce purchases, publisher advertisements, and in-app purchases. You may also check how many people browse your products as well as impression statistics from apps.
  • Retention - gathers information about your most frequent users and how long they spend on your website or app. A retention report also allows you to compare how these users earn additional money following their initial visit.

Report on User Collection

Google Analytics 4's user reporting interface allows you to understand more about your visitor profiles, such as their age, interests, and devices. By default, you'll find thorough information in the following categories:

  • Demographics - determine your visitors' age, location, language, gender, and hobbies.
  • See what devices your visitors are using, including mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Conclusion

Google Analytics 4 introduces additional tools, such as event tracking, to help with data measurement. While you can track several sorts of events in Google Analytics 4, including automated, recommended, and custom ones, you can also profit from using the default conversion events.

Google Analytics 4 may be installed in two ways: by using Google Tag Manager for new users or by utilizing the GA Setup Assistant for existing users. Existing users should execute early data migration to Google Analytics 4 to preserve their historical data.

Use the data import functionality in the new Google Analytics version to import external data from other business tools. In addition, use a variety of investigation analytical tools to generate comprehensive data reports and gain profound insights into your organization.

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