2024 Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Guidebook

The role of analytics in understanding consumer behavior and optimizing digital presence has become indispensable and has gone through a series of iterative processes resulting in amazing capabilities. At the forefront of this evolution stands Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a gold-standard tool that has transformed how businesses, marketers, and webmasters understand website and app performance. Its latest iteration, Google Analytics 4, marks a significant transition from its predecessor, Universal Analytics, redefining the analytics landscape. GA4's advanced features and emphasis on user privacy and cross-platform tracking make it an indispensable asset for marketers and data analysts navigating the complex digital ecosystem of 2024.

Transitioning from Universal Analytics (UA) to GA4

The transition from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 represents a pivotal shift in the analytics landscape, profoundly impacting how marketers, businesses, and data analysts approach data gathering and interpretation.

1. Data Model Evolution

Universal Analytics was structured around sessions and pageviews, which was effective in a predominantly desktop-centric internet. However, as digital interactions expanded to include mobile apps, voice assistants, and other IoT devices, this model deteroirated and resulted in poor data hygiene. GA4 introduces an event-based data model, which is more flexible and capable of capturing a wider array of user interactions across various platforms and devices. This shift allows for a more holistic view of the user journey, crucial in today's multi-platform digital environment.

2. Focus on User Privacy

In response to increasing concerns about user privacy and the evolving regulatory landscape (like GDPR and CCPA), GA4 has been designed with privacy at its core. It offers more robust data anonymization options and does not store IP addresses, making it more compliant with privacy regulations. This change is significant as it balances the need for insightful data with the growing demand for user privacy.

3. Advanced Machine Learning and AI

GA4 extensively integrates machine learning to provide predictive insights, such as potential revenue from a certain segment of customers or the likelihood of users completing specific actions. This AI-driven approach allows marketers to identify trends and opportunities that would be challenging to discern through traditional analysis methods.

4. Cross-Platform Tracking Capabilities

Unlike UA, GA4 is built to natively track users across websites and apps, providing a unified view of the customer journey. This feature is particularly vital as the distinction between app and web experiences blurs, and understanding cross-platform interactions becomes crucial for effective marketing strategies.

5. Enhanced Reporting Flexibility

GA4 offers more customization in reporting than UA. Users can create and modify reports to suit their specific needs, allowing for deeper and more relevant insights. This flexibility is essential for businesses that require tailored analytics to inform their unique strategies.

6. Forward Compatibility and Scalability

GA4 is designed to be future-proof, easily integrating with other Google products and adapting to new technologies and user behaviors. This scalability and compatibility ensure that GA4 will remain relevant and useful as the digital landscape continues to evolve.

7. End of Life for Universal Analytics

Google's decision to sunset Universal Analytics and fully transition to GA4 by July 2023 underscores the importance of embracing GA4. This move signals a definitive shift in the analytics paradigm, making GA4 not just an option but a necessity for businesses reliant on Google's analytics tools.

Setting Up Google Analytics 4

Step 1: Create Your GA4 Account

Begin by accessing the Google Analytics website. If you have an existing Google account, such as Gmail, you can use it to sign in; otherwise, you'll need to create a new Google account. Once logged in, navigate to the "Admin" section and select the option to create a new account under the account column, which initiates the setup process.

Step 2: Add Names & Edit Settings

During this step, you're required to name your new GA4 account. Choose an easily identifiable name, especially if you plan to manage multiple accounts. After naming, adjust the account settings to your preference, including data-sharing settings with Google. This determines how your data is used and shared with other Google services. Lastly, review and agree to the Google Analytics terms of service, including any relevant data processing terms as per your region's legal requirements.

Step 3: Configure Properties

Here, you create a new property in Google Analytics, which represents what you want to track, such as a website or an app. After clicking on “Create Property” in the property column, provide details for your new property, like the name, time zone, and currency. This step is crucial for accurate data reporting. You'll also select the relevant data stream here, but the detailed setup is done in the following step.

Step 4: Set Up Your Data Stream

This step involves specifying where your data comes from – options include iOS app, Android app, or a website. For websites, this step includes adding your website URL and stream name. For apps, it involves integrating with the Firebase SDK. Once the data stream is configured, GA4 provides a unique tracking ID or measurement ID. For websites, a Global Site Tag (gtag.js) is also generated, which needs to be installed on your website's pages. This tag must be added to the code of each page you wish to track. For app tracking, follow the instructions for Firebase integration.

How to Use Google Analytics 4

In Google Analytics 4, "events" are used to measure conversions with great detail. For apps connected to GA4, several predefined events include:

• 'first_open' (triggered on a user's first app open), 
• 'app_store_subscription_convert' (triggered when a user upgrades from a free trial to a subscription),
• 'app_store_subscription_renew' (triggered when a subscription is renewed or upgraded), and
• 'in_app_purchase' (suggesting a purchase of in-app digital content).

For websites connected to GA4, predefined events include:

• 'first_visit' (records a new visitor's first site landing),
• 'page_view' (triggered on new page landings),
• 'session_start' (triggered at the start of a session), and
• 'user_engagement' (suggests user engagement if they spend more than 10 seconds on a page and visit at least one other page).

To view these events, go to the "Life Cycle Reports" section, click "Engagement", and then "Events". This section displays a list of events, which, in the case of the example, are web-based due to the absence of an app. Additional events like 'scroll', 'click', 'form_start', 'form_submit', and 'file_download' can also be added.

Creating new events in GA4 involves clicking on “Create event” and then “Create”. A box appears for naming the event, which should be concise yet descriptive, using underscores instead of spaces. For instance, tracking newsletter sign-ups can be named "newsletter_sign_up". Setting up this event requires specifying conditions, such as a 'page view' of the 'newsletter sign-up' page, and these conditions must be met for the event to count as a conversion.

New events appear in the events list within 24 hours and don’t provide retrospective data but will gather future data. For eCommerce sites, events can be set up through Google Tag Manager with parameters like 'currency', 'transaction_id', 'value', and 'items', which are analytically useful for understanding spending patterns and popular items among different demographics.

Events can be managed from the main events table in the Admin section, where events can be marked as conversions or removed from conversion tracking using a blue toggle. This is useful for stopping the recording of certain types of pages as conversions. Reviewing conversions in Reports is crucial for understanding user behavior, such as identifying issues in processes like newsletter sign-ups.

Life Cycle Reporting

The life cycle reports in Google Analytics 4 provide a comprehensive overview of a site visitor's journey, from their entry to your website until they leave or complete a purchase event. This type of reporting is valuable for understanding how visitors navigate through the sales funnel.

There are several methods to set up life cycle reporting in GA4:

1. During Property Setup:

When setting up a new Google Analytics property, you can choose your business objectives and select the option to “get baseline reports”. This action will include life cycle reporting as part of the setup.

2. Migration from Universal Analytics:
If you migrate to GA4 from Universal Analytics using the Setup Assistant, life cycle reporting will automatically be incorporated into your new analytics property.

3. Manual Addition:
If life cycle reporting is not already set up in your GA4, you can add these reports manually. To do this, go to the “Library” section of GA4. Here, you can publish your life cycle reports. To publish a specific report collection, click on the three dots next to the report card and select “Publish” from the drop-down menu.

By implementing life cycle reporting, you gain valuable insights into the behavior and progression of your site visitors, which is essential for optimizing the user experience and improving conversion rates.

Monitoring Traffic

Google Analytics 4 offers robust tools to monitor traffic levels and determine their sources. By navigating to “Reports” > “Acquisition” > “Traffic acquisition”, users are presented with a graph showing the sources of traffic, which typically include:

• Organic Search
• Unassigned
• Direct
• Referral
• Organic Social

Further down the page, users can review detailed metrics such as the exact number of users from each of these sources, sessions, engaged sessions, average engagement time per session, engagement sessions per user, and events per session. This data provides a comprehensive view of user origin and their interaction with the website.

For more precise data, users have the option to input specific date parameters at the top of the page. This feature allows for the analysis of traffic over varying periods, such as 12 months, 3 months, 1 month, or even the previous day. Adjusting the date range not only alters the graph but also the data table below it.

This level of detailed insight is invaluable in assessing website performance, particularly when utilizing the calendar settings to pinpoint specific dates. Such granular data analysis helps in understanding traffic trends, user behavior, and the effectiveness of different traffic sources over time.

Defining Audiences

In Google Analytics 4, you can create categories to segment your collected data, making it easier to analyze by splitting site visitors based on metrics, dimensions, and events. Here's how to create these categories:

1. Navigate to Audience Creation:
Go to the Admin section, then select “Audiences” followed by “New audience”. This is where you'll start the process of creating a new audience category.

2. Choose Audience Foundation:
You have the option to build on an existing audience by selecting “Templates”. Alternatively, for more customization, you can “Start from scratch”.

3. Custom Audience Creation:
Give your new audience a title and begin selecting dimensions. Dimensions refer to characteristics that define your audience, such as age and device type.

4. Setting Conditions:
When you select a dimension, you can specify whether the condition “is one of” or “is not one of” to include or exclude it from your audience segment. You can also use “At any point in time” to apply the condition to users who have at some point met the criteria.

5. Naming the Audience:
For instance, if you want to create a custom audience of 45-54-year-olds who visit your website via desktop, you would name the audience accordingly (e.g., “45-54-year old desktop users”). Then add the extra desktop metric under “platform/device” > “platform/device category” and select contains web/desktop.

6. Save the Audience:
After setting up your criteria, click “Save” in the top right-hand corner. Your new audience will then appear in your audience list, where you can track how this demographic changes over time.

7. Integration with Google Ads:
If you have connected your Google Ads to GA4, you can view and use these custom audiences in your ad analysis. Saved audiences will be available in the Google Ads Shared Library.

Creating these custom audiences in GA4 allows for more targeted analysis and can be particularly useful in tailoring marketing strategies and understanding specific user segments.

Search Query Analysis

To analyze search queries in Google Analytics 4, you first need to connect your Google Search Console to the platform. Here's how to do it:

1. Access Admin Panel:
Click on “Admin” on the left-hand side of the GA4 dashboard.

2. Navigate to Product Links:
Under the “Product Links” tab, select “Search Console Links”.

3. Linking Process:
Click on the “Link” button. You'll see a search bar with the option “Link to Search Console properties I manage.” On the right-hand side of this bar, select “Choose Accounts”.

4. Choose and Confirm Account:
The interface will display Google Search Console accounts linked to your Google account. Select the property you want to connect by ticking the box next to it and hit “Confirm”.

5. Select Data Stream and Submit:
Choose the data stream associated with your website and press “Submit”. After this, a confirmation message indicating “link created” should appear.

6. Accessing Reports:
Once the Google Search Console is successfully connected, go to “Reports” and select the “Google Search Console” tab.

7. Review Queries:
Choose “Queries” to view a graph displaying your Google search click level over a specified period. Below the graph, a table will present all your organic search queries, allowing you to analyze the search terms driving your Search clicks and impressions.

8. Additional Metrics:
Within this section, you can also review the organic Google click-through rate, organic search position, and other relevant metrics.

The “Queries” feature in GA4 is a valuable tool, providing insightful data on search terms and their performance, helping you understand and optimize your website's presence in Google search results.

Google Ads Integration

Google Analytics 4 emphasizes a comprehensive view of the customer cycle, which includes simplifying the integration of Google Ads with your analytics account. Connecting your Google Ads account to GA4 allows you to seamlessly track the entire sales process, from the initial customer click on an ad to the final purchase, all within your GA4 dashboard.

Here's how to connect your Google Ads account to GA4:

1. Access Admin Settings:
In your GA4 dashboard, go to the Admin section.

2. Navigate to Google Ads Links:
Scroll down and find “Google Ads Links” under the Product Links section.

3. Start Linking Process:
Click on “Link” to initiate the process.

4. Select Google Ads Account:
Click on “Choose Google Ads accounts”, then select the Google Ads account you wish to link.

5. Confirm and Review Settings:
After selecting your account, click “Confirm”. Review your settings to ensure they are correct.

6. Finalize Connection:
Once satisfied with the settings, click “submit” to complete the process.

After successfully linking your Google Ads account to GA4, you'll be able to review your Google Ads data in your Reports. It can take up to 48 hours for the data to be visible in the reports. This integration is crucial for a more streamlined and insightful analysis of your advertising efforts and their impact on the sales funnel.

Generating Reports

In Google Analytics 4, the "Analysis Hub" has been renamed to "Explorations" and is accessible from the left-hand side menu. In this section, you can create various types of data visualizations, including charts, tables, multi-step funnels, and tree graphs.

To start a free-form report, you can select either the “blank” or “free form” option. Choosing “free form” opens an interface with two editing columns on the left — variables and tab settings — and a preview of your report on the right.

In the “sections” column, you can customize the name of your free-form report and select the date range, dimensions, and metrics you want to include. By clicking the “+” next to dimensions, a page displays all available dimensions that you can add to your table. After selecting the desired dimensions, click “Import” to include them in your report.

The tab settings offer various options for how you want your report to appear, ranging from a simple table to a more complex geo-map. Once you've finished editing your report, you have a couple of options for sharing your findings:

1. Export Data:
You can export the data into a Google Sheet or PDF by clicking the download button.

2. Share the Report:
If you want to share your report with others who have access to your Google Analytics property, you can use the share icon.

This feature in GA4 allows for a high level of customization and creativity in data presentation, making it easier to analyze and share insights derived from your website's data.

Using GA4 Report Templates

Using GA4's report templates is a straightforward alternative for those who prefer not to create their own free-form reports. These pre-made templates, found in the Explorations tab, offer a variety of options for building insightful graphs and charts. Here are the steps and options available:

1. Choose a Template:
In the Explorations tab, next to the “free form” option, you have a range of pre-made report templates to scroll through and choose from. Alternatively, clicking on “Template Gallery” presents all the template options on one page.

2. Template Options:
The available templates in GA4 include:
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Funnel Exploration: Analyze user journeys and review the funnels your site visitors go through.
Path Exploration: Discover new user journeys taken by customers.
Segment Overlap: Create Venn diagrams to see how different segments overlap, helping to identify similarities and potential new audiences.
User Explorer: Analyze individual user segment movements on your site, uncovering unique insights.
Cohort Exploration: Track activities of site users in the same cohort, such as those sharing the same first visit date.
User Lifetime: Review the entire activity history of site visitors, from their first visit to their latest interactions, including purchases.
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3. Set-Up Process:
Setting up these templates is similar to setting up a free-form report. The main difference is that the visualization options are predetermined based on the template selected.
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4. Customization and Visualization:
After selecting a template (e.g., Funnel Exploration), you can edit segments, dimensions, and metrics. However, visualization options are limited to those provided by the template.

5. Exporting and Sharing:
Once you've customized the segments, dimensions, and metrics in your infographic, you have the option to download the report or share it using the icons at the top right.

Using these templates in GA4 simplifies the process of creating complex and insightful visualizations of your data, making it easier to derive meaningful insights from your website analytics.

The Value of Google Analytics 4 to Online Companies

Google Analytics 4 represents a significant evolution in web analytics, offering immense value to online businesses. At its core, GA4 provides comprehensive analytics capabilities that empower businesses to make data-driven decisions that maximize ROI. Unlike its predecessor, Universal Analytics, GA4 adopts an event-driven data model, allowing for more detailed and nuanced tracking of user interactions across websites and apps. This model facilitates a deeper understanding of customer behavior, enabling businesses to tailor their online strategies more effectively. GA4's advanced AI and machine learning features further enhance its analytical power, offering predictive insights and automated anomaly detection. These capabilities are crucial for businesses aiming to anticipate customer needs, identify emerging trends, and optimize their marketing efforts in real time.

GA4's design is also inherently adaptable, keeping pace with the rapidly evolving digital landscape, particularly in the realms of user privacy and data regulation. As privacy concerns grow and regulations like GDPR and CCPA become more stringent, GA4's privacy-centric approach ensures compliance while still providing rich data insights. This adaptability extends to its integration capabilities, as GA4 seamlessly works with other Google products and can adjust to new technologies and user behaviors. By investing in GA4, businesses position themselves for long-term success, not only by leveraging current analytical tools but also by preparing for future trends in digital analytics. This forward-thinking approach is vital in a digital ecosystem that continuously evolves, ensuring businesses remain competitive and responsive to the changing needs of their online audience.

Final Thoughts

Businesses large and small will find the transition to GA4 to be extremely beneficial in the long run. GA4's event-driven data model is a game-changer, offering nuanced insights into user interactions across multiple platforms. This level of detail enables businesses to understand customer behavior more profoundly, paving the way for tailored and effective online strategies. The switch from UA to GA4 as well as learning how to use GA4 to manage and visualise SEO campaigns and PPC campaigns can be complex and difficult. If you’re struggling to transition into GA4 or need help with PPC and SEO campaigns, consider reaching out to Be More Digital. Our team has been using GA4 in conjunction with marketing campaigns with amazing results. For more information on how to work with Be More Digital, get in touch with our customer success team today for a free consultation.