All the Google Analytics 4 Updates since the move from Universal Analytics.
Google Analytics 4, one of the most powerful tools for tracking website and app performance, is constantly evolving to provide users with better insights and more efficient ways to manage their data. In this blog post, we’ll explore the recent updates and recommendations made by Google Analytics to help you make the most of this platform.
Stay Connected on the Go with the Google Analytics Mobile App (October 23, 2023):
Google Analytics now offers a mobile app that allows you to monitor your business in real-time, build custom reports, and take immediate actions to improve your account. This mobile app is a game-changer for busy professionals who need to access their analytics while on the move.
Attribution Model Changes (October 17, 2023):
Google Analytics is removing First click, Linear, Time decay, and Position-based attribution models from all properties, defaulting them to Paid and organic data-driven attribution. This update aims to provide more accurate attribution insights and enhance your decision-making process.
Calculated Metrics in Google Analytics 4:
Calculated metrics enable you to create new, actionable metrics by combining existing standard and custom metrics using mathematical formulas. This feature allows you to tailor your data to your specific business needs, resulting in more valuable insights.
Data Redaction (October 3, 2023):
Data redaction allows you to configure web data streams to redact email addresses and user-defined URL query parameters, reducing the risk of submitting Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This update enhances data privacy and security.
Google Signals Control (October 2, 2023):
Google Analytics now lets you exclude Google Signals data from reports and explorations, providing greater control over demographics and interest data in your analytics. This can be particularly useful for maintaining data accuracy and reducing data thresholding.
Checkout Journey Report (September 19, 2023):
The new Checkout journey report in Google Analytics 4 helps you track user behaviour in the e-commerce checkout process. This report is valuable for understanding user drop-off points and optimizing the checkout experience for better conversion rates.
User Data Export in BigQuery (September 18, 2023):
With user data export in Google Analytics 4, you can access detailed user information, including audience data, lifetime value, predictive scores, user properties, and more. This data can be a goldmine for modelling and in-depth analysis.
Consent Mode Recommendation (September 13, 2023):
For those implementing consent mode in Google Analytics, there’s a new recommendation to unblock cookie-less pings. This allows Google Analytics to use behavioural modelling to fill in data gaps and provide more comprehensive insights.
AdSense Integration (August 31, 2023):
Google Analytics 4 now allows you to view and delete established links between your properties and AdSense accounts. This integration streamlines data collection and analysis, helping you better understand your audience.
Behavioural Modelling in Path and Funnel Reports (August 17, 2023):
Behavioural modelling fills data gaps when users decline cookies or app identifiers. This ensures your reports remain comprehensive and accurate, even when some users opt out of tracking.
Match Types in Reports (August 4, 2023):
Google Analytics 4 reports now support match types, including ‘begins with,’ ‘exactly matches,’ and regex. This update enables more precise and customized reporting.
Audiences Report (August 1, 2023):
The Audiences report allows you to identify your most engaged and profitable audience segments. It provides insights into audience engagement within a specific time period, helping you tailor your marketing strategies.
Google Analytics 4 Audiences in Google Ad Manager (July 27, 2023):
Linking Google Analytics 4 properties to Google Ad Manager now allows the export of audiences. This feature offers enhanced targeting options and analytical capabilities.
Default Conversion Value (July 27, 2023):
You can now set a default value for a conversion event, ensuring that Google Analytics uses your specified value if the currency and value parameters are unset. This simplifies tracking and reporting.
E-commerce Dimensions and Metrics in Custom Reports (July 20, 2023):
Google Analytics 4 introduces e-commerce dimensions and metrics to the custom report builder, offering more flexibility in creating and editing e-commerce reports from scratch.
Google Analytics continues to evolve, providing users with powerful tools to enhance their data insights and streamline their analytics. These updates and recommendations reflect Google’s commitment to helping businesses make informed decisions and better understand their users. Stay tuned for more innovations in the world of web analytics with Google Analytics.
If you’d like to learn more or need help with GA4, feel free to get in touch with the ASK BOSCO® team and we’ll be more than happy to help you out.
