Decoding Google Analytics 4 and Its Top 4 Features

The marketing community is abuzz with a new-found word – Google Analytics 4 or GA4. It is not a marketing jargon but the latest version of the very powerful analytics tool. Businesses have commenced bidding adieu to Universal Analytics (previous versions) and exploring the new one. GA4 comes with advanced and extensive features, so businesses have access to enormous data for decision-making purposes.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4, originally released in October 2020, is the latest version of Google’s analytics suite and is their next-generation measurement solution which will be replacing Universal Analytics as standard Universal Analytics properties stopped processing new data on July 1, 2023, and all customers will lose access to the Universal Analytics interface and API starting on July 1, 2024.

Google Analytics is one of the most widely used tools in marketing. It offers insights into website traffic and measures marketing campaign performances, KPIs, and more. The new version (the App + Web property) tracks website and app data together and gives a better picture of the data. You can consider it to be an expansive and more powerful tool than universal analytics.

GA4 uses AI and comes with a better user interface comfortable both for amateurs and professionals. It has several distinctive features different from the previous versions.

Universal Analytics vs Google Analytics 4

At first glance, you may feel that GA4 is complex and intimidating as several metrics and reports appear different. The tracking events in Universal Analytics and the new version are also distinct. The measurement model of universal analytics is based on page views and sessions. Google Analytics 4 works on an event-based measurement model where everything (e.g., page view) is seen as an event. Another unique feature of GA4 is there is no option to create separate views online like the older version. You can only create data streams for apps and websites.

4 Noteworthy features of Google Analytics 4 setup

What features of GA4 make it distinct and a standout among marketers? Let us take a look at them.

1. Better data controls

With an increased demand for data privacy among businesses, Google has come up with new data controls in its latest analytics tool.

These include:

• Marketers and businesses have control over how they collect, retain, and share data
• Users can decide whether they wish to use the collected data for ad personalization
• Marketers can delete analytics data whenever they wish to by submitting a request to Google

GA4 can adapt to a cookieless future. It uses machine learning to help marketers customize their campaigns and have accurate data.

2. Customer-focused measurements

The customer-focused metrics of GA4 help marketers gain insights into how customers interact with their websites. For example, if a customer purchased from your website or app, you’ll know what steps they took before. You can learn whether they saw your ad on Google or YouTube led them to the website or app, etc. In a way, you get an overview of your customer’s life cycle.

3. Great marketing insights

Google Analytics 4 uses advanced machine learning abilities that can automatically find trends in your data and alert you about the same. It understands and predicts user behavior and helps you plan your campaigns well. GA4 has special metrics – predictive metrics – that help you prioritize the right audience and identify issues.

4. Deeply integrated with Google Ads 

GA4 analytics is deeply integrated with Google Ads. It assists you in building custom audiences. It identifies high-value, specific audiences so you can target them better with organic or paid campaigns. The analytics also helps in tracking conversions from YouTube.