Engagement rate
One of the major changes on the platform is bounce rate - it’s gone! In its place is Engagement rate, which is a far more useful metric in terms of understanding how users are interacting with your content. Bounce rate was problematic because someone could view one page, get your phone number, call you, and still count as a bounce! Engagement rate looks not just at pageviews, but other interactions and events to paint a clearer picture.
Data integration
A big win for us is the improved data integration with the upgrade to Google Analytics 4. Google has made it easier to integrate all your data from your website and app into one property. It also works even better with Google Tag Manager, which is one of the best ways to implement analytics and our preferred way to track events and conversions on your website.
Reporting & customisation
This one is a blessing and a curse. With Google Analytics 4, you’re able to create highly customised reports. In theory, that allows you to view the metrics you want in the format you need them. However, some of that customisation isn’t intuitive, with some options you may like to see not there at all.
In our experience, Universal Analytics didn’t need as much customisation because the standard reports were better. One dislike from the team is how tricky it can be to change the data-points on the graphs in standard reports - for example to view weekly or monthly data, instead of every individual day.
Similarly, Google Analytics 4 has ‘comparisons’ which are the equivalent of ‘segments’ in Universal Analytics. Whilst they’re useful, you sadly can’t save them like you could in Universal Analytics, so adding them to a report on the fly isn’t as quick. You could use the customisation options in GA4 to have them preselected, but this feels a little more cumbersome than its predecessor. Controversial take? Let us know your opinion on reporting and how it’s changed for you.
Privacy
In a data savvy, post-GDPR world, privacy is more important than ever. Tools like Google Analytics 4 can help us get it right, while still gathering ethical data that is useful to your business. GA4 allows you to delete user data more easily and set up user data retention customisation. It also works with new features in Google Tag Manager, such as Consent Mode v2. We’ll have more on this in the near future!
Constantly evolving
Our final point is both a positive and a negative. We all know the world of digital marketing is never static, so it helps to have a platform that can keep up with changes. Google are likely to add new features and improve GA4 over time. However, things may move around, or a feature might exist now but be removed in a few months. Google Analytics 4 definitely keeps us on our toes and open to trying new things, which is never a bad thing.
As we mentioned above, the world of digital marketing is ever evolving and we embrace all the challenges and exciting features that come with new platforms like Google Analytics 4. Need help getting to grips with all things tracking, performance and data?
Get in touch with our friendly Google premier partner certified team today to see how we can help you!
