ReDrew Innovations

Have you heard the news? One of the top web analytic tools used by professionals in the marketing industry today is getting an update. That’s right, Google Universal Analytics is on its way out and GA4 is on its way in. How will this change affect how your business operates? 

What is Web Analytics?

Web analytics is the collection, analysis and reporting of information gathered from a consumer’s behavior whenever they visit a website. Companies use these analytics to improve their understanding of a consumer’s behavior. This information is then used to influence conversion in the future. 

Why is Google Switching from Universal Analytics to GA4?

Google is switching from Universal Analytics to GA4 to comply with government regulations supporting consumer privacy. These regulatory needs were made evident in December 2021 when “medical news company NetDoktor violated Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by using Google Universal Analytics on its website”. Resulting in consumers’ personal and identifiable information from Europe transferring to Google’s servers in the United States. (Applebaum 5). 

In response to new consumer privacy laws Google will begin to eliminate third-party cookies from its Chrome browser. “According to Dan Temby, senior VP, technology and analytics, at DAC Group, today’s marketers must ‘backfill the gap in intelligence and fidelity’ lost by the reduction in third-party data” (Ad Age Studio 30, 3). This is exactly why Google responded to new government regulations with the GA4 platform. Now companies will be able to predict the information lost in a cookieless future. 

Google will be retiring its Universal Analytics Platform on July 1, 2023, allowing companies to access that data for a minimum of six months after the sunset date. “The sooner GA4 begins tracking data, the more data will be available for historical comparison once GA4 becomes the only option” (Applebaum 1). 

What are the Main Differences Between UA and GA4?

In the past, Universal Analytics measured consumers’ actions on a website using a session-based data model. Meaning that given a specific timeframe, consumers’ actions were grouped as one interaction. Now under the new platform, GA4 will use a flexible event-based data model. Meaning that each user interaction will count as its own hit or event. This new model will help to give marketers more context for each event a consumer makes. 

 One of the most useful tools offered by the new GA4 platform is its ability to allow for full cross-device and cross-platform reporting. With the old Universal Analytics, companies had to use two different platforms for their websites and apps. Universal Analytics and Firebase were helpful, but they did not provide a unified picture of the of consumer events. Now with GA4 companies can combine both website events and app events into one unified report to get a clearer picture of the path a consumer takes on each of their media outlets.

The biggest change to the new GA4 platform is that it possesses machine learning, opposed to Universal Analytics that had limited automation. This artificial intelligence will use trends from your own company’s data to predict, improve, and simplify insight discovery. This tool will help to bridge the gap in analytics created by governmental regulations for consumer privacy. 

The best part is that GA4 is only one platform offered under Google’s Marketing Platform. Others include Display & Video 360 (used to manage and display video campaigns), Search Ads 360 (used to manage search campaigns), and Google Optimize (used to test various company web pages). 

Will this change affect how your business operates, undoubtedly, yes. However, this change is for the better. Not only will you foster greater CRM by respecting a consumer’s privacy, but you will also gain greater web analytic tools. The real question not “how will this change affect my business?” but “how will this change improve my business!”