We say goodbye to the version of Google Analytics that we knew, and we welcome Google Analytics 4 as one of the digital marketing trends for this 2021 .

The new version of Google Analytics allows you to analyze user behavior regardless of the digital platform you use. In addition, it adds other novelties such as the substitution of sessions for events as a unit of measurement .

Another novelty that this update presents is that App + Web is incorporated as a property focused on better understanding the life cycle of customers.

The new Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics has evolved towards the new Google Analytics 4 that already focuses on only measuring what happens on a web page, because now it offers much more relevant metrics for properties such as mobile apps .

This version of Google Analytics is more comprehensive and offers the possibility of knowing more fully the status of a website. Likewise, it allows us to analyze aspects such as the attribution of conversions in more detail , which in previous versions could not be considered in the same way.

DIFFERENCES AND NEWS FOR ANALYTICS

The change compared to the previous version has been quite radical, so several differences and new features for Google Analytics are included .

Some of the most outstanding novelties are:

• In this version of Analytics it offers more intelligent analysis through a system of predictive metrics . Through this functionality it is possible to know the possibilities that a user may abandon or suffer a joint venture.
• For Universal Analytics the basic metrics only showed page views and started sessions. But for Google Analytics 4 the unit measure changes to events , which allow a much more effective measurement of all interactions that occur within our website.
• The ways of measuring interactions and engagement have also been improved. Before the way was through the bounce rate , but now there are the options of clicks, scrolls and file downloads among the system metrics.
• Converting events to the unit of measurement provides improved event editing, and is easier to edit and correct without code adjustments.
• New reports have been added . All the reports have been simplified and include options related to the life cycle of the users, in which you can see from the acquisition with the customer generating channels to their retention and their actions.
• The improvement in customer tracking is remarkable in its different sessions, and covers both applications and web pages for a more precise attribution of conversions.
• Multidomain measurement has been incorporated , with which the different domains of a brand can be unified in a single flow. And in this way you can have a more complete visualization of the entire journey of users on your website.
• There are more premium features that you can use for free like BigQuery .

GOOGLE ANALYTICS AND PRIVACY

One of the main focuses of Google Analytics 4 is privacy . This update focuses on the privacy of users and the protection of their data, since lately this is a factor that has been giving a lot to talk about and is a very sensitive issue.

Laws like the GDPR have made privacy a more regulated issue and Chrome even announced that by 2022 it would abandon third-party cookies.

The new system allows an analysis of the data without the need for cookies, which makes it one of the alternative technologies that serve as a solution to the fall of cookies for third parties from various browsers.

ACTIVATION OF GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4

Activating Google Analytics 4 is not complicated, but first you must bear in mind that the update represents a whole change in the metrics handled, so at the beginning it may take us a while to adapt to 100%.

Therefore, it is recommended that you do not uninstall the configuration you have for Universal Analytics yet , and manage both systems until the team and the site get used to these new measurements.

• To activate it, you just have to go to the option ” Update to GA4 “.
• Once you have given the option, start the session with the Analytics user and click on “Manage”.
• In case you have several accounts you must check that you are using the account you want to use.
• Click on the Universal Analytics option that you want to update and then on “Update to GA4”.

In this new update there are two options: create a new Google Analytics 4 property or start with one you already own.

CREATE A PROPERTY

• Find and select “I have to create a Google Analytics 4 property” and then choose “Get started.”
• If you have a website that uses the gtag.js tag, it is possible to enable data collection with the tags that you already have active.
• By clicking on “Create property”, you will create your property by copying the basic data from your previous account, and you can look at the settings to migrate or configure other details.

CONNECT TO AN EXISTING PROPERTY

• You have to go to “I want to connect my property with one of Google Analytics 4 that already exists” and click on the property you want to connect.
• Select “Connect properties” to connect the properties of both systems.
• Click on “View GA4 Property” to enter configuration and look at the options for tagging and migrating settings.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4

• By linking your account with Big Query, you will be able to store your account information in an external repository and use the data analysis function.
• You can extend the data retention period up to in the administrator up to 14 months.
• The Google Signals tool located in “data collection” is used to collect data from users that activate the personalization of ads on different devices, and thus prevent this data from appearing duplicates.
• For paid advertising campaigns, you can connect Google Analytics 4 with Google Ads.