Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics that offers several new and improved features for website analytics. GA4 comes with a wide range of metrics that help website owners track their website's performance, understand the user journey, and identify areas for improvement. To keep it simple, we’ve identified the top GA4 changes to help our clients understand how users interact with their websites and ultimately convert customers.
Five ways GA4 helps you gain more customers
Event-Driven Data Model
One of the most significant changes in GA4 is the shift from a session-based data model to an event-driven data model. In the previous version, Google Analytics would track users' sessions on a website, and all the data would be grouped into sessions. GA4 records every user interaction as an event, and the data is organized around these events.
This new model allows for more granular analysis of user behavior, making it easier to understand how users interact with a website. You can track events like button clicks, form submissions, video plays, and other actions that users take on your website.
Focus on User-Centric Metrics
GA4 focuses on user-centric metrics rather than session-based metrics. This means that instead of analyzing the number of sessions on a website, GA4 tracks the number of users who visit the website. It also provides metrics like engagement rate, user retention, and active users, which give website owners a better understanding of how users interact with their website over time.
This shift in focus is crucial because it allows website owners to understand how their website performs over a more extended period rather than just looking at data for a single session.
Cross-Device and Cross-Platform Tracking
With GA4, you can track users across devices and platforms. This means you can analyze how users interact with your website on mobile, desktop, and tablet devices. You can also track users across different platforms like iOS and Android.
This feature is essential because it gives website owners a comprehensive view of how users interact with their websites regardless of the device or platform they use.
Enhanced Measurement Capabilities
GA4 comes with enhanced measurement capabilities that make it easier to track user behavior. For example, you can track scroll depth, file downloads, outbound clicks, and video engagement. This feature allows website owners to better understand how users interact with their website and identify areas for improvement.
GA4 allows you to track events without adding code to your website. This is possible through the use of Google Tag Manager, auto-event tracking, which automatically tracks common user interactions like button clicks and form submissions.
Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics
GA4 uses machine learning and predictive analytics to provide website owners with valuable insights into user behavior. For example, it can predict which users are likely to make a purchase on a website based on their behavior. This information can be used to target those users with personalized ads or promotions.
Furthermore, GA4 can automatically identify trends and anomalies in data, making it easier to identify areas for improvement. For example, if there is a sudden drop in traffic to a website, GA4 can alert website owners to investigate the issue.
The Bottom Line:
GA4 is an excellent tool for website owners looking to understand how users interact with their websites. It comes with several new and improved features, including event-driven data modeling, user-centric metrics, cross-device and cross-platform tracking, enhanced measurement capabilities, and machine learning and predictive analytics. By understanding these features, website owners can get valuable insights into user behavior and make data-driven decisions to improve their website's performance.
