Google Analytics 4 for Beginners

After setting the bar for how to evaluate a website's success and user engagement for nearly a decade, Google Analytics is about to undergo its most significant transformation to date. Now, if you've been using the Google Analytics platform for a while, you probably already know that it's about to change in a big way.

What does this mean for you? It means that Universal Analytics will stop handling data by 1st of July 2023. So, if you've been waiting to switch to Google Analytics 4, now is the time.

We've put together a guide to help you get through this change. Everything you’ll need to know about what's new in Google Analytics 4 and how to make the transition to using the new platform is covered in this comprehensive how-to.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics is a free program that helps you learn about the people who visit your website so you can make smart decisions. It also uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to tell you more about how people use your website and app.

In addition, GA4 offers an increased emphasis on user privacy because it doesn’t rely on cookies. Cookies have gotten a bad name in recent years because more people are worried about their privacy. This means that a lot of companies are looking for other ways to get data.

Why Do You Need Google Analytics 4?

Your website is the center of everything you do online. Whether you run a personal blog, a local business website, or an international e-commerce business, your website is very important to building your brand’s reputation.

Using Google Analytics 4 will help you figure out how well your website works as a marketing tool. You'll find out important information, like which of your digital campaigns bring the most people to your website. 

Which channels got these visitors to your website? Where are my visitors on the globe? Are my visitors viewing my website on their mobile phones or are they using a computer? All of these questions can be answered with the help of Google Analytics 4.

In the next section, we'll look at some of GA4’s features in more depth.

• Predictive Data and Metrics

What if you could figure out which users are most likely to buy something in the next month? What if you could also tell how much money they'd spend?

With new AI-powered insights that can show trends like a growing interest in a certain product, marketers can promote the right products and reach the right people.

• Engagement Metrics

Learn how long users spend on your site or app with the help of engagement metrics. In this way, you can see which screens and pages were most frequently visited and resulted in the most events being triggered.

• Access to Customer Lifecycle

The customer lifecycle is the process of prospects learning about a product, making a purchase from a brand, and, ideally, becoming a company's long-term customer. Google Analytics 4 offers a new way to collect data, with reports based on the customer lifecycle and reports organized around the customer journey.

• More Control Over User Data

Third-party cookies are being phased out by Google, as you may already know. More people, including marketers, smartphone developers, and browser makers, are increasingly becoming concerned about their online privacy. GA4 was designed specifically with the decline of third-party cookies in mind.

Final Thoughts

Google Analytics 4 will replace Universal Analytics in 2023 and every website should be taking advantage of this free tool. The more you know about your audience, the better decisions you can make about marketing.

This shows how important analytics is. It shows you how people find your website and what they do once they get there.

With Google Analytics 4, you can get more detailed information to help you make decisions about your marketing plan.