Google Goes 4.0

Late last year Google quietly pushed out a new version of Google Analytics. This new version, known as Google Analytics 4 is expected to be a game changer in the industry. Google Analytics 4 is currently in beta but is expected to replace the current version, Universal Analytics in 2022. There are many great features of this new product, but it is still being refined and the initial reviews have been mixed. 

What is Google Analytics 4? 

Google analytics 4 is a completely new version of the analytics product. Data is collected across both websites and mobile apps in a single format which allows analytics users to get a better understanding of the entire audience. This version represents a shift from a pageview model of tracking to an event driven model. Events are tracked instead of sessions, and while sessions are still captured, the focus is on users in reports. 

Key Differences 

• The interface is different, with the navigation containing a section that is broken down into the customer life cycle: acquisition, engagement, monetization, retention. 
• Google Analytics 4 has some basic events built in. Tracking for scroll depth at 90%, video view starts, and file downloads can be tracked automatically without any extra setup. 
• Goals have also been replaced with conversion events. The 20-goal limit available in Universal Analytics has been removed. 
• Enhanced path analysis allows analytics users to build custom funnels to analyze data.  
• The interface is different, with the navigation containing a section that is broken down into the customer life cycle: acquisition, engagement, monetization, retention. 
• Google Analytics 4 has some basic events built in. Tracking for scroll depth at 90%, video view starts, and file downloads can be tracked automatically without any extra setup. 
• Goals have also been replaced with conversion events. The 20-goal limit available in Universal Analytics has been removed. 
• Enhanced path analysis allows analytics users to build custom funnels to analyze data.  

One issue that some marketers may face is regarding reporting. Reporting in the new interface is not very straightforward by design. Google is intending that the product be used for analysis and Google Data Studio be used for reporting. Site owners often rely on Google Analytics to provide reporting, but the platform was never meant to do this. Reporting is the process of organizing data into summaries to monitor how the website is performing. Reporting is meant to answer what happened. Analytics is meant to extract meaningful insights to help understand and improve business performance. Google Analytics 4 helps marketers provide more in-depth answers for why something happened and what can be learned from these insights. 

Next Steps 

While Google Analytics 4 is likely to be updated and improved in the coming months, it is highly recommended to set up the new version alongside the current Universal Analytics so users have access to both views over the coming months and can take the time to learn the new interface. Here at Greater Than One we are working to stay ahead of Google by ensuring that our clients are being set up in both versions of Analytics, so data will continue to be tracked properly after Universal Analytic is retired.