Google Analytics 4.0 – Powerful New Capabilities

The recent launch from the Google analytics stable is a highly improved version extending beyond Universal Analytics. It completely changes the way data is collected, stored, filtered, and finally reported. Google analytics 4.0 or simply GA4 is heavily dependent on predictive analytics utilizing AI and ML. So what does this mean for your business?

Improved audience integration

With the improved backend that comes with GA4, creating a better audience selection and exclusion strategy based on actions taken across devices and platforms becomes so much easier.

Introduction of LTV and churn rate metrics

Google has made it overly simple to gauge user-related metrics like LTV and average churn rate. So marketers can put more focus on retention strategies based on the gathered insights.

Some of the questions we can now begin to answer with GA4 are:

• What is the total number of users across the website and app?
• Are conversions happening more on the web or app? Or is it a combination of the two?
• How much time is the user spending on the web and app?
• Is there a particular channel that is bringing in new user acquisition?
• How does the user navigate between web and app?

GA4 gives a much better picture of how the user behaves across your web and app properties. It also allows you to spend more time driving insights and less on collecting and sorting data.

Let us discuss the technical functionalities which make the earlier mentioned business value possible:

Event linked architecture

Users and events are the two pillars within the GA4 property. It is a much simpler architecture that will be simpler to understand, plan, document, and implement. GA4 also removes the manual work of tagging some of the events on your site with no additional coding required.

In addition to page views, enhanced measurement allows you to measure web events like scrolls, downloads, video engagement, outbound clicks, and more with the flip of a toggle in the admin settings for your property.

Reporting gets easier

The derived outcome of GA4’s simple architecture means that it is much easier and flexible reporting compared to Universal Analytics.

Access to the Advanced Analysis tool, which was only available for Google 360 users, is now made available for free through GA4. It makes producing reports, pivots, segment overlap, path analysis, and visualizations available to all users.

BigQuery export

The hit level data available only to GA360 customers is now a part of GA4 too. It facilitates setting up and exporting all web and app data into BigQuery. Here are some advantages:

• Combining and using all types of data together, for example, analytics data coming in from GA4 with CRM data.
• Powerful reporting capabilities
• Ability to find out LTV or audience segments using ML

What should you do now?

GA4 runs parallel to the current version of Google Analytics, and you can set it up and utilize it according to requirement. Our take is that you should start using it and see the depth of functionalities it offers. Talk to a Brainlabs consultant to get it implemented for you.