Key metrics in Google Analytics 4

It’s a year later that Universal Analytics(UA) announced that it was going to be replaced by Google Analytics 4. In this month’s blog, we wanted to review the key differences between UA and Google Analytics 4 and how it’s an upgrade for understanding the behind the scenes of your business. We dive into how Google Analytics 4 is benefiting us and our clients in understanding the customers journey and the 6 key metrics you should be analyzing for better results. Many panicked when the switch was announced but as we move towards more technology integrated with machine learning, we can speed up the processes and adapt our digital marketing strategy more effectively (a win-win!). 

Google Analytics 4 is a tool that’s used to help us better understand the customers journey on our website or app.

Universal Analytics was session-based, meaning the key metrics it focused on were pages viewed per session, dwell time, bounce rate and conversion rate.

While the insights behind these metrics are useful, Google Analytics 4 stepped it up by using an event-based model.  

This means instead of just providing information about the number of times a page was viewed, we can now use events in GA4 to track specific user actions.

You can see exactly how the user interacts with your site. This could be the user clicking a button on your site, playing a video, or adding a product to the cart. 

The change from Universal Analytics to GA4 gives us even more precise data collection capabilities and improved user privacy measures.

If we have limited data, AI and machine learning will work together to give a prediction. 

Common events tracked in GA4 are video engagement and form submissions. Depending on your goal, tracking these events can give you a deeper understanding of the users behavior. 

If you’re tracking an event for form submission, this can tell us whether the form is too long, unclear, or not eye-catching enough if user’s don’t complete this goal on your website. 

Depending on what your businesses goals are, you can customize the events, an option that wasn’t available with Universal Analytics.

Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 have six key differences that change the way businesses can learn about the actions users take on their website. 

Data Model:

Universal Analytics is based on a session-based model, focusing on page views, dwell time, conversion rate, and how a user interacts within a defined session. 

GA4 is an event-based model where you can track every user interaction as an individual event, allowing you to see what the exact user’s behavior is.

This gives us a deeper insight into the customer’s journey and opens up more opportunities to improve the flow.

Measurement:

Universal Analytics is primarily focused on website traffic while Google Analytics 4 is designed for cross-platform measurement, tracking user behavior across websites and apps consistently. 

GA4 integrates with platforms like Google Ads and Firebase for app tracking, making it easier for you to understand the user’s journey to your website.

This is great news for business launching social media or PCC (Pay-Per-Click) Campaigns because it’ll give you a deep insight into the effectiveness of your Ads. 

Machine Learning:

Over the last few years, AI and machine learning has integrated into our day to day life, making automation and our workflow move much easier.

The addition of AI and machine learning to GA4 is that it can help predict future outcomes even if there’s a lack of data. 

It’s annoying when you go check your data and there’s missing pieces of the puzzle.

Don’t worry, AI will help fill in data gaps and predict user behavior making your life easier.

Privacy

Stay goodbye to cookies and hello to user consent. As more and more people are concerned with what information is being used to track them, GA4 has adapted their privacy regulations to focus on user consent. 

Universal Analytics used third-party data to collect information gathered by other organizations and have no relationship with the audience. 

GA4 uses first-party data which is collected from the audience directly through your website.

This gives the user autonomy of how their data is collected and tracked, building trust and transparency between you and the customer. 

Reporting

UA relies on pre-defined dimensions and metrics which offers a structured approach but lacks flexibility whereas GA4 allows for easier data collection and customization of reports.

So what does this mean?

GA4 is more interactive and can offer a broader view of user behavior such as engagement, monetization, and retention metrics.

You’ll now be able to see how much your user likes your product, how much money you make, and how well your user comes back to your website. 

Goals and Conversions

Because UA is pre-defined, it only offers a limited set of goal types (destination, duration, pages/session, events), focusing on one single conversion action per goal. 

GA4 can track multiple steps in the conversion process, measuring smaller goals like purchase or sign ups which should have a huge importance in your business.

This gives us a deeper understanding of our users behavior and insights on how to improve. 

User Interface

GA4’s interface is more interactive and incorporates machine learning to provide insights into future trends. This will help you stay one step ahead. 

UA transitioned into GA4 for a number of reasons such as privacy issues and the evolution of user behavior.

Coupled with the rise of machine learning, Google Analytics 4 is a web tool that has changed how data is tracked and collected. 

Understanding how to use GA4 and the metrics to track for success will help understand the user’s journey. 

Although there’s similarities between UA and GA4, there are six key metrics that UA didn’t have and have given us a wider sense of how a user interacts with your website. 

The metrics are….

1. Engagement Rate

UA used bounce rate as a way to measure user’s sessions.

The problem with measuring bounce rate was it deemed the information unsuccessful if they only viewed one page.

It didn’t take into account whether the person found the information they needed or how long they spent on the webpage.

GA4 focuses more on user engagement, measuring time spent on pages, clicks, and other interactive elements.

This shift in focus has helped marketers with the effectiveness of calls-to-action, submitting forms and watching videos. 

2. Active Users

UA’s metric of total users described the total number of unique users who visited your site but didn’t take into account the level of engagement. 

GA4 focuses on active users and what actions they took during a specific time frame.

By tracking user retention, you can identify areas for improvement and more accurate user segmentation. 

A user is considered active if they spent more than 10 seconds on a page, triggered more than one page views or completed a conversion. 

3. Event Count

You have the benefit of customizing a particular event for your goals, allowing you to track the frequency and see which action your audience likes the most.

This gives you a deeper understanding into where there are potential drop-off points or areas for improvement. 

This comes in use when we think of our CTA’s.

We wrote recently about how color theory plays a role in how a user interacts with your content. You can catch up on the blog here.

These are many other ways to analyze event count such as identifying new opportunities and personalizing the user experiences.

The opportunities are endless!

4. User Lifetime Value (LTV)

This metric is useful for businesses to assess the long-term value of customers and total revenue a business can expect from one customer.

It tracks user behavior, purchases, and revenue over time, calculating the LTV through custom reports.

Analyzing this metric helps you identify high-value customers and develop retention strategies to increase customer lifetime value.

5. Predictive Metrics

The role of AI and machine learning in GA4 helps marketers anticipate future trends and customer behaviors which UA couldn’t do.

UA analyzed past decisions but the predictive analytics in GA4 means they’re always one step ahead and can respond quickly to market changes. 

Metrics such as purchase probability, churn probability and predicted revenue can help you predict the probability of a user carrying out key events on your website and the revenue expected from the key events. 

6. Custom Metrics and Dimensions

You’re able to customize the metrics and dimensions in GA4 and tailor them to fit your specific business needs.

This customization gives you more freedom and flexibility in data analysis and reporting of your businesses KPI’s.

For example, you can track a specific marketing channel like Google Ads that brought a customer to your website.

You can also track social media and see where the traffic is coming from. 

GoViral Conclusion

We agree that GA4 is a better replacement to Universal Analytics because of its added benefits and features that makes marketing just that bit easier.

As a digital marketing agency, its our job to always stay ahead of trend, understand our customers inside out and find out what resonates with them the most.

Before, it was harder to track where the traffic was coming externally but with GA4, now you can see the exact journey they took to land on your website, social media and PPC campaigns.

GA4 is definitely a step in the right direction in helping businesses better serve their customers and we hope after reading through GA4 doesn’t seem as complicated.

If you’d like help with your own analytics and/or running a PPC campaign, contact us!