THE DEMISE OF UA AND THE EMERGENCE OF GA4
As the clock ticks towards July 2023, the world of digital analytics prepares to bid adieu to Universal Analytics (UA) and embrace Google Analytics 4 (GA4). It is of paramount importance to install GA4 on your website and establish goals without delay. Even if you don't intend to fully utilise GA4 until the deadline, installing it now is crucial for the accurate comparison of year-over-year data.
The impending retirement of UA will necessitate the exportation and amalgamation of reports from both UA and GA4, a process which can be tedious and complex in Data Studio. GA4's event-based model, in contrast to UA's session-based approach, enables the transmission of copious amounts of data to your analytics. With the capacity for 25 event parameters and up to 500 uniquely named events, GA4 far surpasses UA's capabilities.
Whilst numerous resources exist detailing the installation of GA4, we shall focus on the activation of Enhanced Measurement. By navigating to Admin > Data Streams of the property you're working on, clicking the Web tab, and ensuring the slider for Enhanced Measurement is on, you'll be set to track a range of activities such as scrolls and outbound clicks.
For those with pre-existing goals in Universal Analytics, Google has introduced a tool to migrate conversions to GA4. In the absence of this tool, Google Tag Manager can be employed to create a Custom HTML tag that pushes conversion data to the data layer. With some plugins and third-party services already performing this function, you may simply need to activate the appropriate events under the Configure menu.
GA4 introduces key concepts such as distinguishing between user engagement and session engagement. While the former may span multiple sessions, the latter pertains to data within individual sessions. Notably, GA4 has replaced the bounce rate with "Engaged Sessions," which are defined by users spending more than 10 seconds on the website, triggering a conversion, or viewing two or more pages. Furthermore, Average Session Duration has been replaced by Average Engagement Time per Session.
Navigating GA4 reveals a more streamlined menu with certain features either hidden or missing. For example, when running a custom report in the library, it's not possible to change the time period directly. However, this can be circumvented by navigating to another section with time period modification capabilities before returning to the report. Paid search reports, such as Google Ads, can now be found in the Acquisition Overview submenu under Report > Acquisition.
One significant drawback of GA4 is the absence of tables for detailed drill-down reports. This necessitates manual selection of dimensions, such as Ad Groups or Keywords, from a drop-down menu. Filtering options are limited to a basic search box that lacks the sophisticated features of Universal Analytics.
The GA4 interface, seemingly tailored for novices, offers quick access to overview information, while more detailed reports require in-depth knowledge of the platform. Although the Explore menu offers powerful custom report-building capabilities, the current selection is sparse. With time, as GA4 gains traction, we can expect a more comprehensive repository of custom reports and instructional articles to emerge.