In the current measuring environment, organisations must navigate new obstacles to comprehend the multi-platform, complicated client experiences. All while putting user privacy first. Google Analytics 4 was developed two years ago to handle these growing measurement requirements and assist organisations in achieving success. Google Analytics 4 offers the ability to monitor a variety of data types and provides a robust analytics interface geared for the future. It enables organisations to observe integrated customer experiences throughout multiple websites and applications, to leverage Google’s machine learning and artificial intelligence to uncover and forecast unique insights, and, most significantly, it is designed to keep up with an ecosystem that is always evolving (1).
What effect does this have on Universal Analytics?
Google has stated that Universal Analytics will be discontinued on July 1, 2023. In addition, Universal Analytics 360 assets will receive an extra three months of fresh hit processing, which will conclude on October 1, 2023 (1), (2).
Universal Analytics was originally designed for an era of digital measurement based on the computer browser, autonomous sessions, and more easily viewable cookie data. This system of measuring is soon becoming outdated. Google Analytics 4 is platform-agnostic, does not rely solely on cookies, and employs an event-based data architecture to provide user-centric assessment (2).
And although Universal Analytics includes a number of privacy options, Google Analytics 4 is built with privacy at its heart to give a better experience for both the businesses and their customers. With increasingly extensive and granular controls over data collection and usage, it enables organisations to meet changing customer demands and expectations. Additionally, IP addresses will no longer be collected in Google Analytics 4. In the current worldwide data privacy context, where consumers want more privacy safeguards and data control, these solutions and controls are particularly important (1).
Beginning your analysis with Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 was created with your primary goals in mind. Such as, increasing sales or app installations, creating contacts, and linking physical and digital customers.
The following are a handful of the ways Google Analytics 4 may benefit your organisation.
- Recognize your consumers across all touchpoints.
- Obtain a comprehensive perspective of the client lifecycle by utilising an event-based measurement methodology that is not platform-segmented or session-based.
- Enhance ROI with data-driven attribution.
- Utilise data-driven attribution to assess the effectiveness of your marketing throughout the whole client experience. Using google Analytics data, provides credit to more than just the last click and allows you to control how the advertisements altogether affect results (1). This report may be sent to Google Ads and Google Marketing Platform media tools for campaign optimisation.
Measure engagement and conversions in accordance with business and regulatory requirements.
Using the new country-level privacy settings, you may regulate and reduce the collection of user-level data, such as cookies and metadata. All while keeping the functioning of essential measurement tools.
Raise the profitability of your information
Machine learning produces complex predictive insights on user behaviour and conversions. This builds new audiences of users likely to purchase or churn, and automatically reveals essential marketing insights.
Simple activation of your findings
Expanded connections with other Google products, such as Google Ads, operate across your combined web and app data. This makes it simple to optimise your campaigns with Analytics insights.
What occurs next?
You may continue to implement and gather new information in your Universal Analytics properties until July 1, 2023. After July 1, 2023, you would have had at least half a year to retrieve historical data input in your Universal Analytics property (2). We highly urge you to export your previous reports at this period.
Google will announce a date in the upcoming months when existing Universal Analytics properties will no longer be accessible. If your property was created prior to October 14, 2020, it is likely a Universal Analytics property. If your property was created after October 14, 2020, you’re probably already utilising Google Analytics 4, and no change is necessary.
References:
- Ketchum, R. (2022). Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4. Retrieved 9 May 2022, from https://blog.google/products/marketingplatform/analytics/prepare-for-future-with-google-analytics-4/
- Universal Analytics will be going away – Analytics Help. (2022). Retrieved 9 May 2022, from https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11583528?hl=en
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