GA4 Simplified: Getting Started with the Latest Version of Google Analytics

If you are using UA Google Analytics then definitely you saw a message “On July 1, 2023, this property will stop processing data. Starting in March 2023, for continued website measurement, migrate your original property settings to a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property, or they’ll be copied for you to an existing GA-4 property, reusing existing site tags”.

So let’s get to know how will you setup GA4, If you haven’t yet.

Here I will be sharing how to create GA-4 When you already have Universal Google Analytics Google Analytics account.

Follow these steps to install Google Analytics 4 (GA-4)

1. Access your Google Analytics account.

2. In the Admin area, click the “Data streams” .

3. Choose “Web” or “App” based on the platform you wish to track. And add code manually or with any Plugin. Once the tracking code is installed, wait for data to start appearing in your GA4 account. This may take several hours or days depending on the volume of traffic to your website or app.

Some things to remember when using GA4

• GA-4 has a different tracking code than the previous version of Google Analytics, so you must incorporate the new code into your website in order to begin monitoring data.
• Since GA4 offers a different collection of reports and insights than previous versions of Google Analytics, you may need to spend some time learning how to use the new interface.
• GA4 contains new features such as event tracking and increased data privacy settings, which you may wish to employ to better analyse user activity on your website.
• Google Analytics 4 (GA-4) is the most recent version of Google Analytics, offering a more user-centric and privacy-focused approach to data analytics than its previous version, Universal Analytics.

Bounce Rate in GA-4

You must develop a custom statistic in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) to obtain the bounce rate. The bounce rate is the percentage of single-page sessions on your website, i.e., the percentage of sessions in which the user departed your site without interacting with any other page on your site.

The following are the procedures for creating a custom bounce rate statistic in GA4:-

1. Go to your GA4 property and choose “Metrics” from the left-hand navigation menu.

2. Choose “New Metric” in the upper right corner of the screen.

3. In the “Create Measure” dialogue box, give the metric a name, such as “Bounce Rate.”

4. Choose “Ratio” as the calculation type in the “Calculation” section.

5. Choose “Sessions” as the metric and “Bounces” as the filter in the “Numerator” section.

6. Choose “Sessions” as the metric in the “Denominator” column.

7. Click “Save” to finish creating the custom metric.

When you’ve established the custom bounce rate statistic, you can add it to any GA4 report by clicking “Add Metric” and choosing it from the list of available metrics.

You can also use the bounce rate indicator to construct custom reports and dashboards to analyse the performance of your website and find areas for development.

Advantages and Disadvantages of GA4

GA-4 Benefits

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the most recent version of Google’s analytics tool, and it improves on its predecessor, Universal Analytics, in various ways.

Following are some of the primary advantages of GA4:-

1. Cross-platform tracking

With GA4, you can measure user behaviour across several platforms, such as websites, mobile apps, and offline events. This gives you a more full view of user behaviour and enables you to make better judgements.

2. Improved data modelling:

GA4 use machine learning to deliver a more accurate insights of user activity, even when data is missing or partial.

This enables you to make better judgements based on your data.

3. Better connectivity with Google Ads

GA4 integrates with Google Ads more deeply, allowing you to follow the whole customer journey from ad click to conversion. This gives a more full view of your advertising success and helps you to more effectively optimise your campaigns.
Overall, GA4 gives a more complete and accurate picture of user behaviour, as well as improved privacy options and simpler reporting. It also integrates more deeply with Google AdWords, making it a powerful tool for organisations of all sizes.

GA-4 Disadvantages

While Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides some improvements over its predecessor, Universal Analytics, consumers should be aware of certain potential drawbacks.

Following are some of GA4’s primary drawbacks:- 

1. Incompatibility with Universal Analytics

One of the most significant downsides of GA4 is that it is not backward compatible with it. This implies that any data gathered with Universal Analytics cannot be transferred into GA4, and any existing custom reports or dashboards must be developed from the ground up. For firms who have been utilising Universal Analytics for a long time and have a large amount of historical data, this can be a considerable difficulty.

2. Limited connectivity with third-party products

While GA4 integrates better with Google AdWords, it presently has limited integration with other third-party tools like CRM systems or email marketing platforms. This can make obtaining a thorough view of the customer journey challenging and may need manual data exports and imports.

3. Learning curve:

GA4 includes a new interface and vocabulary that might be perplexing for those accustomed to Universal Analytics. The new data modelling features also have a learning curve, which may need extra training or consulting services.

Is GA4 Better then Universal Google Analytics?

GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is the most recent version of Google’s analytics tool, and it improves on its predecessor, Universal Analytics, in various ways. GA4 offers a more complete and accurate picture of user behaviour, as well as improved privacy options and simpler reporting. It also integrates more deeply with Google AdWords, making it a powerful tool for organisations of all sizes.

One of the most significant advantages of GA4 is its cross-platform tracking capabilities. In contrast to Universal Analytics, which focuses solely on website monitoring, GA4 allows you to measure user behaviour across many platforms, including websites, mobile applications, and offline activities. This gives you a more full view of user activity and enables you to make better decisions based on your data.

Another advantage of GA4 is its improved data modelling capabilities. Even when data is inadequate or unavailable, GA4 employs machine learning to deliver a more accurate picture of user activity. This enables you to make more educated decisions based on your data, as well as improved insights into user behaviour that you can use to optimise your website or app.

Lastly, GA4 provides superior privacy protections than Universal Analytics. It enables you to define data retention policies and remove user data on demand, assisting you in remaining compliant with data privacy requirements. As data privacy rules get more stringent, this is becoming increasingly crucial, and it helps develop trust with your people by proving that you value their privacy.

What i conclude with this?

Finally, GA4 is a considerable upgrade over Universal Analytics, providing a more complete and accurate picture of user behaviour, improved privacy restrictions, and deeper data modelling capabilities. Its cross-platform tracking features make it a vital tool for firms that operate on numerous platforms, and its connection with Google AdWords provides deeper insights into ad performance. GA4 is absolutely worth investigating if you want to obtain more value from your data and make better decisions.

Conclusion

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