In our guide to GA4, you will learn that Google Analytics has always been a powerful tool for businesses. That's where Google Analytics 4 (GA4) comes in. GA4 is a tool that can provide small businesses with valuable insights into their website traffic, customer behavior, and more.
Whether you're an experienced marketer or owner of a startup, we have a guide to help you get up to speed with GA4.
What is Google Analytics 4?
GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics – a web analytics service that helps businesses track and analyze website traffic. It is designed to give businesses a more comprehensive view of customer behavior across different devices and platforms. GA4 also uses machine learning to identify trends and insights that can help companies to make data-driven decisions.
What is the Difference Between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics?
One of the critical differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics is that GA4 takes a user-centric approach, focusing on user behavior rather than sessions. Businesses can, therefore, better understand their customers' behavior across different devices and platforms. GA4 also uses an event-driven data model, which means companies can track any interaction on their website, such as clicks, downloads, video plays, and more.
Key GA4 Features
Here are some of the critical features of GA4 that can benefit your small business:
- Enhanced measurement: GA4 provides businesses with more accurate and comprehensive data on their website traffic, including cross-device and cross-platform data.
- Predictive insights: Using machine learning, GA4 identifies trends and insights in your data, which can help you make more informed decisions.
- Customer-centric reporting: GA4 allows businesses to better track and understand their customers' behavior across different devices and platforms.
- Deeper integration with Google Ads: Businesses receive more data on their Google Ads campaigns, which can help them optimize their ad spend.
How to Get Started with Google Analytics 4
If you are new to GA4, here are some steps to get started:
- Set up a GA4 property: To use GA4, create a GA4 property in your Google Analytics account.
- Install the GA4 tracking code: Once you have set up your GA4 property, install the GA4 tracking code on your website to start collecting data.
- Configure your data streams: GA4 allows you to configure data streams for different types of data, such as web data, app data, and offline data.
- Set up conversion tracking: To track conversions, such as purchases or form submissions, you need to set up conversion tracking in GA4.
- Explore the GA4 interface: Once you have set up GA4, you can start exploring the interface to see how your data is presented and what insights you can gain from it.
The analytics certification is a beginner's guide to Google Analytics, which may help you understand the tool even more.
Hire a GA4 Expert
GA4 is a powerful tool that can help small businesses optimize their digital marketing strategies. With a Google Analytics expert, you can ensure you are using GA4 effectively. WSI has digital marketing experts who can help your team to understand GA4. We provide your business with valuable insights into your website traffic and customer behavior so that you can make better data-driven decisions that can lead to tremendous success.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of GA4 reporting and best practices, we recommend you check out our recent webinar, Unlocking Google Analytics 4 for Better Business Insights. And our blog recap covers everything you need to know, plus all the resources we shared in our webinar.
If our guide to GA4 was not enough, or you need help with your transition to GA4, contact our digital marketing team!
