It’s time to say goodbye to the long-time universal analytics, and welcome in Google’s new analytics platform designed to track, measure, and analyze traffic and engagement metrics across both websites and apps. Meet Google Analytics 4, the analytic tool designed with the user in mind.
Let’s dive into what makes GA4 unique, how to set up an account, and use the new analytics tool.
What Is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google Analytics, a tool website owners use to track and analyze traffic data. Unlike previous versions of Google Analytics, which focus on pageviews and other traditional search engine optimization (SEO) and web metrics, GA4 is more focused on giving marketers and advertisers a comprehensive understanding of their users and how they interact with their website or app across all major devices. The shift in focus allows Google Analytics users to assess the full customer journey rather than individual touchpoints, which is a significant adjustment to what some may be familiar with. The overall goal of GA4 is to provide deeper insights into user behavior. By learning to use Google Analytics 4, you can more effectively optimize your campaigns and enhance website experiences.
How To Install Google Analytics 4
While the process of installing GA4 may seem daunting, it is actually fairly straightforward. You can start tracking your website's traffic and gathering valuable SEO data about your visitors in just a few simple steps.
The first step is Google Analytics 4 account creation. This can be done by visiting the Google Analytics website. Once your account is created, you will be taken to a dashboard where you select the type of property you want to track. You can choose from web, app, or both and follow the prompts for registration.
After registering, you will be given a tracking code that can be embedded on any website or app you choose to track. This code is unique to your property and should be placed in the <head> tag of any page you want to track. Once the tracking code is installed, you can track your website or app's traffic.
The GA4 setup assistant will also guide you through the configuration process and help you customize your tracking settings. You can choose from various options, including which data points to measure, what type of data you want to see, and how often it should be collected. You can also connect your GA4 account with other Google tools and services, such as Google Ads and Google Search Console.
Google Tag Manager can also be used to install and manage the tracking code, making it easier to keep track of multiple properties. Once setup is complete and data is starting to flow into your account, you can begin to monitor and analyze the performance of your website or app.
Events With Google Analytics 4
One of the most significant advantages of Google Analytics 4 is its ability to track events or user-initiated actions on a website or app. Events are beneficial for providing deeper insights into user behavior and how they interact with content on a website or app. Furthermore, Google Analytics 4 training can help you leverage the value of these events.
For example, if you want to track how many users click on a particular button on your website, you can set up an event for that action. You can also track how long users stay on certain pages or which links they click on. All of this information can be used to gain valuable GA4 insights into user behavior, which can then be used to optimize your website or app for better performance.
Understanding the different types of events and how they are tracked can help you to get the most out of Google Analytics 4. These include:
- Automatically collected events: These are events that Google Analytics 4 will automatically track for you. These include page views, scrolls, outbound link clicks, and video plays.
- Enhanced measurement events: These include more complex events such as product views, checkouts, searches, and add-to-cart actions. They help users get as much information as possible on their reports without requiring assistance from developers.
- Custom events: If there are any events that you want to track but are not included in the list of automatically collected or enhanced measurement events, you can set up custom events to measure those actions. This could include anything from user sign-ups to file downloads.
Track Key Events with Google Analytics 4
Key Events, previously referred to as, “conversions”, are important metrics for any website or app because they indicate how effective your content is in engaging users and leading them to take action. They are defined as actions that users take after they have interacted with your content. Examples of key events include purchases, sign-ups, downloads, and conversions from paid ads.
Some goals for conversions could include the following:
- Increasing sales
- Increasing newsletter sign-ups
- Growing app downloads
With Google Analytics 4, you can track conversions across multiple properties such as websites, apps, and offline stores. You can also track all of your conversions in one easy-to-view report. This can help you to understand what content is working best and where your users are taking action, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that can help you optimize your content and campaigns.
Reports in Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 provides extensive reports to help you gain insight into your website or app's performance. You can view data such as user activity, page views, events, and conversions in one easy-to-understand report.
Some new reporting features include:
- Reports snapshot: Get a quick overview of your website or app's performance, including page views, active users, and conversions. You can easily add any information you need to make more data-driven decisions to this report.
- Real-time reports: This feature provides insight into what is currently happening on your website or app, such as how many people are visiting it, which pages they're viewing, and any conversions. This is extremely helpful as it allows you to be more reactive to user behavior and optimize your content accordingly.
- Acquisition reports: Receive insight into how users find and engage with your content. It provides information such as which sources drive the most traffic, which campaigns work best, and how users from each source engage with your content.
- Engagement reports: This report provides insight into how users interact with your content, such as which pages they're viewing, how long they stay on each page, and any actions they take. This can help you understand which content engages users the most and how to optimize it for better performance.
- Retention reports: This report provides insight into how users return to your content. It can help you understand which users are returning and why, helping you create content or campaigns that encourage users to come back.
Google Analytics 4 Explorations
Google Analytics 4 Explorations is a feature that lets you explore and analyze your data quickly and easily. It provides an interactive visualization of your reports, allowing you to identify trends and correlations in your data quickly. This can help you better understand your website or app's performance and make more informed decisions.
Some notable features and tips for GA4 include:
- Free-form exploration: This feature allows you to quickly explore your data by sorting and filtering it in various ways. This can help you quickly identify trends and correlations in your data.
- Funnel exploration: This feature allows you to explore the user journey by looking at each step in a conversion funnel. This can help you identify any potential problems that may be preventing users from converting.
- Path exploration: This feature allows you to explore how users interact with your content by looking at their paths before converting. This can help you understand which pieces of content are most effective in driving conversions and how to optimize them for better performance.
- Segment overlap: This feature allows you to explore how different segments of users interact with your content. It can help you identify potential problems or opportunities that may affect specific segments of your audience.
- Cohort exploration: This feature allows you to explore how different user groups interact with your content over time. This can help you identify trends or changes in user behavior that could impact your performance.
- User lifetime: This feature allows you to explore how users interact with your content throughout their lifetime. This can help you understand which pieces of content are most effective in retaining users and how to optimize them for better performance.
GA4 FAQ
Contact Your GA4 Training Guide
Look to invest in a digital marketing agency to assist in developing a strong marketing strategy, to set up Google Analytics 4 and to take advantage of its powerful insights. We have experience working with Google Analytics 4 and can help you get set up quickly and easily. We can also help you explore your data, uncover trends, and optimize your website or app for better performance. Contact Zero Gravity Marketing today to get started.
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Daniel Hamilton
