Revlitix ACademy

Google Analytics 4: Your Guide to the Next Generation of Analytics

November 2, 2022
8 min read

If you’re familiar with Google Analytics, then you know that it’s one of the most powerful tools in your web traffic analysis toolbox. You can use it to see where your traffic comes from, how people interact with your website, and how much revenue it generates over time. However, the learning curve can be steep if you haven’t tried Google Analytics before.

Google Analytics has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and the next generation of Google Analytics is just around the corner! In order to help marketers like you keep up with the pace of innovation at Google, we’re going to break down some of the biggest changes coming to Google Analytics in GA4. Then, read on to learn about upcoming features that will change how you look at data, new dimensions and metrics, and more!

What is Google Analytics 4?

GA4 is an entirely new way to measure and analyze website performance that's based on Google's vision for digital transformation. GA4 provides a seamless, integrated experience across devices and channels. Some of its features include

  • It offers insights into how people interact with your site or app in multiple locations over time. You can also view insights on how people interact with your content (such as videos) across YouTube and YouTube TV. 

For example, you'll see data like the number of views per video, engagement duration per video, demographics, etc. 

  • Another great feature is intelligent alerts - when you set up a filter in GA4, it will automatically alert you if something meets the criteria you set! 

For example, I want to know if my post about the White House drops below 50% of its initial traffic, so I create a traffic drop filter. Then, any time traffic dips below 50%, and I'll get an alert from GA4. 

There are many more features to explore, such as goals and experiments. If you're already using GA3 but want to upgrade, make sure you read the best practices first. 

The most important thing to note is that you should change all tracking codes to start with ga4- so they work on both platforms. In addition, you'll have access to four days of free training through Data School before upgrading your account. 

So what are you waiting for? Upgrade today and be part of the next generation of analytics!

How to Enable/Activate Google Analytics 4?

GA4 is available in a couple of different formats, including an extension for Google's Chrome browser and an app for Android devices. The Chrome extension is free, but you'll need to download the app from Google Play if you're using an Android device. Once downloaded and installed on your phone or tablet, you can use GA4 by opening the app and clicking Start Tracking.

This will open a pop-up window that requires some information about your website and what type of analysis you want to do. Once this data is entered, GA4 tracking automatically enters any changes to your site. As a result, you'll see real-time updates as people visit your site, what pages they visit, and how much time they spend there. You'll also be able to monitor where visitors are coming from (geographic location) and their web browsers. 

There are five analytics reports included with GA4: 

  • Dashboard -The Dashboard provides an overview of important metrics like traffic sources and campaign performance over time. 
  • Pages & Funnels- Pages & Funnels show what types of pages people are visiting most frequently on your site - broken down by navigation paths - and which ones convert best into leads or sales. 
  • Content & Social - Content & Social lets you see which content performs best based on interactions such as shares, tweets, or likes with Twitter cards enabled on your blog or other social media account(s).
  • Conversions- Conversions give detailed insights into conversions across each step in a conversion funnel. To access all five reports at once, you can click the View All Reports button at the top left corner of the page. 

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4?

To setup google analytics 4 successfully, make sure to follow these steps:

  1. First, log in to your Google account and click on the Create Project button.
  2. Choose a name for your project, and then click on Create.
  3. Select if you want this project as an existing organization or a new one, then hit Next.
  4. If you select an existing organization, you'll need that organization's email address and password (if applicable) before setting up GA4; if you choose a new one, you can skip stepping 7.
  5. Fill out the form with basic information about your company, including company name and website URL, before hitting Save (or Done). 
  6. The next page will show a preview of your site and analytics dashboard. Next, add employees who should be able to access GA4 by entering their email addresses in the box labeled Analytics Administrators and clicking Add Users. 

You can edit these settings anytime from the User Management tab in the top navigation bar. You may also change some settings, such as linking all domains by editing them under Admin settings in Dashboard settings > Website Settings > Accounts Linking > Check domains linked together.

  1. After clicking Save Changes, you will be redirected back to the dashboard screen, where you can see that data is already being tracked!

Best Way to Use GA4 Reports

With GA4, Google has made reporting more accessible and faster than ever. The new interface is clean, and it's easy to drill down quickly into whichever piece of data you want. You can also filter your data by date ranges or locations to see how different parts of your business are doing over time. GA4 also gives you a lot more information about visitors to your website--including location, device type, and mobile carrier--so now you'll know if someone visiting your website from their phone is in a different location than someone visiting from their laptop. 

With these insights, it's easier for marketers to optimize their campaigns for every visitor and ensure they're reaching as many people as possible on every device. One of the most significant changes coming with GA4 is that there will be no third-party tracking available. Instead, all measurements will be done through Universal Analytics tags that track interactions within each page. 

These tags work similarly to conversion tags and are designed to be less intrusive on web pages. By prioritizing the user experience and privacy, this update shows Google's commitment to being transparent about how their products work (which we all appreciate!). So what does this mean for marketers? Now that users won't need third-party tools like Facebook Pixel or browser cookies to interact with your site, you'll be able to use other tracking methods--like retargeting ads or organic search traffic--to reach them instead.

Conclusion

GA4 has a lot of new and exciting features, but it's not an upgrade in the traditional sense. Instead, it's a significant leap forward, and we're excited for you to get your hands on it. Google Analytics 4 is what Google calls the next generation of analytics. The new tools and features are designed for a digital, mobile-first world. As marketers, we have never been more data-driven than we are now - and GA4 will help us better understand our customer segments. You can use it to do predictive marketing campaigns and personalize them for each segment. GA4 also provides deeper insights into how visitors are interacting with your site, which helps you optimize content to provide the best experience possible. To understand GA4 clearly, follow this article and start by setting up your account on Google analytics 4.