Check out the complete guide on Google Analytics 4 and how website and app analyses are from now on.
After a long implementation period of Google Analytics 4 the platform has finally become the official version for website and app data analysis, definitively replacing Analytics Universal.
As it has some important changes compared to the previous edition of the tool, analysts must adapt to the new way of capturing data, available reports, and how to use insights to benefit their digital strategies.
That’s why we prepared this guide to explain the main features and what changes compared to UA. Continue reading to check the details.
Main changes in GA4 compared to Analytics Universal
To start, it is essential to talk about the evolutions of Google Analytics 4 compared to Analytics Universal. After all, the new edition of the platform proposes the data capture and report generation in a more advanced, precise, and intelligent way.
1 Event-driven data model
Undoubtedly, one of the major differences between GA4 and UA is data capture, which focuses on measuring the events performed on the website or app. Previously, the tool was centered on sessions conducted by users but did not delve much into interactions made on pages.
Now, improvements have been developed in tracking technology to obtain specific information about visitor actions, such as button clicks, page views, form signups, file downloads, and much more.
From this, a more precise measurement of the consumer journey is made, taking into consideration all their online steps, either on the website or app.
But there is also another point of attention: as GA4 has few native events configured, an initial effort is required to set up the most important interactions for your business, organize them, and be able to track them later.
2 Improvements in AI and Machine Learning
Along with the changes in event tracking, Google Analytics 4 also had its machine learning process optimized and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide improvements in data analysis.
With this, the platform detects patterns in user behavior, offers more valuable insights, and helps analysts improve the user experience on their websites or applications.
3 Increased concern for privacy
In fact, one of the major motivations for GA4 changes in event monitoring is associated with data protection laws that are gaining more strength worldwide.
Thus, the tool was adapted to favor data control and provide greater care with this very sensitive topic, currently deserving all the attention of professionals working with digital marketing.
4 New dashboards
Another interesting advancement of Google Analytics 4 is the new dashboards available on the platform that focus on offering personalized reports according to the needs of each type of business.
At first, you might find the change a bit strange, especially when compared to UA. However, later you will notice that besides generating a simpler and project-adapted visualization, they are also easier to customize.
5 Insights
Finally, we cannot fail to mention the insights that have gained more strength in GA4. Now, the platform not only captures data but also aids in more precise analyses and more accurate decision-making for your site or app.
You can even guide the tool on the insights you want to obtain, ask questions about audience and traffic data, making it a consultative platform for analysts.
Inside Google Analytics 4
Now that you are familiar with the main changes that have arrived in GA4, it is worth learning how the four tabs available on the platform—Homepage, Reports, Explore, and Advertising—function and how they contribute to a more precise data analysis.
Homepage
The Homepage of Google Analytics 4 is where you find a overview of the website or app data with key metrics about accesses, interactions made on pages, and audience information.
As we previously mentioned, these dashboards are customized according to the needs of each account. Furthermore, this is the tab where the main insights you need to make more accurate decisions in your routine are displayed.
Reports
The Reports tab is one of the most important in GA4 and the most used in the daily lives of marketing professionals. Within this space, you find the summary of results, real-time data, and the Lifecycle based on the stages of the sales funnel, divided into four types of reports.
- Acquisition focusing on traffic performance and user attraction to the site or app.
- Engagement which details user interaction events with the page, views, conversions, and other visitor activities.
- Monetization presents revenue data and sales made by an ecommerce or app, considering revenues from advertising.
- Retention helps analyze how many users are returning to the site and how the retention process is functioning; what is the lifetime value (LTV) of these users, among other relevant data.
It is worth highlighting that these reports work with a new and very relevant metric of engaged sessions, which helps measure user interactions, the pages that generate the most engagement, and provides insights to help increase event accomplishment by visitors.
Explore
Speaking of ideas, the Explore tab was developed to offer advanced techniques and insights about user and customer behavior on the site. Furthermore, Google Analytics 4 uses machine learning to deliver predictive metrics about your audience and help you go beyond in your site strategies.
Another positive point is the possibility of using filters and segments to prioritize the most important information, create and save target audiences within the tool, and export this data to take advantage of it in other channels.
Advertising
As it has greater integration with Google Ads, GA4 has a specific tab for advertising focused on helping marketing professionals understand media ROI and reach the best decisions.
For this, the Advertising reports are divided into three parts.
- Advertising Summary which presents an overview of results, such as conversion performance, channels that generate the most conversions, and performance of the best ads.
- Model Comparison helps evaluate how attribution models influence the results of each channel used in the marketing strategy.
- Conversion Paths shows the paths your customers took to conversion, detailing channels, revenue, days to conversion, and touchpoints throughout the process.
Analytics Universal and GA4 Report in Reportei
For those who use Reportei to generate Analytics Universal reports, it is worth noting that captured data will continue to be saved normally on our platform. In other words, you will not lose any reports generated previously and can consult the information whenever you want.
In conjunction, the integration with Google Analytics 4 is also available for you to create even more practical and quick reports about the site or app traffic, source of access, key events, conversions, and much more.
Just like on the platform, it is possible to customize which metrics you want to view, select which data you want to appear in the document, and save the template to use it as many times as you want in the same or other projects.
Access your account or take a free trial in our tool to check all the features closely and generate your Google Analytics 4 reports with much more ease.
