Everything Small Businesses Need To Know About GA4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the technology company’s latest analytics tool. When it’s brought in to replace Google’s Universal Analytics tool in July 2023, it will provide users with a deeper insight and appreciation of data gathered from websites and apps.

There are several key enhancements that Google has made to the new technology. These will make it easier to use and customise. Here are the updates small businesses need to know about:

• Greater insights: GA4 harnesses machine learning algorithms to provide rich insights into user behaviour and trends. As a result, companies can see key patterns they can act on and predict important trends.
• More flexible modelling: The new technology enables data modelling to be more flexible. Using up to 25 parameters per event, its interface lets firms design custom dimensions and metrics that meet their specific requirements.
• Customisation of audiences: By leveraging user behaviour and demographics, businesses can create custom audiences. This allows them to target the groups they want with personalised messaging and promotions. The data they use can also be changed and archived at any time.
• Enhanced tracking: GA4 enables users to track each interaction on a website or app as an event. It also allows them to be more flexible with their tracking, thus giving them a better understanding of their users’ journeys and interactions.
• Tracking across multiple devices: Further than that, the new technology has the ability to track users across different devices. By combining data based on User ID, Google Signals and Cookies, it can give a complete overview of a customer’s journey, from start to finish. This allows companies to better analyse user interaction across multiple channels and devices.
• Better campaign monitoring: Because GA4 is closely integrated with Google Ads, it can provide more accurate data on campaign performance and user behaviour. By using the two together, firms can optimise their campaigns through GA4 user interface’s Advertising section.
• Improved privacy: The technology also ensures better privacy controls. The most significant is a new feature called Consent Mode, which enables users to decide how their data is shared with Google and other third-parties.
• Search capability: By using GA4’s search bar, businesses can cut through huge amounts of customer data at the click of a button to find what they want, all in one place.

How can GA4 be used to determine future trends?

There’s no doubting the valuable data and insights GA4 can provide into customer behaviour. Its machine learning capabilities enable it to quickly and accurately analyse historical data and determine trends and patterns that may indicate future behaviour.

The new technology has the potential to provide insightful analysis and evidence-based forecasting. That said, there are a host of other factors which may impact future performance; these need to be taken into account when making business decisions. These include consumer behaviour, market conditions and competitive pressures.

GA4 is certainly the most powerful iteration of Google’s analytics software to date.  It may not be perfect just yet, but with better insight and control of businesses’ digital presences, it’s worth getting used to.

Paul Morris, founder of Superb Digital