Why No One Should Be Upset About Moving to GA4.

Google running updates and improving their software is as natural of a process as Apple releasing a new iPhone. But when it comes to using Google Analytics to track site traffic, most businesses and users have become accustomed to the original Universal Analytics. Google’s newest iteration, GA4, which will fully replace Universal Analytics in July, will force many businesses to adjust their analytics operations.

Of course, no one should really be upset about this. There are two key reasons. First of all, the technology world is always changing, and no one can effectively leverage analytics or any other optimization tool without constantly checking in on it, reviewing, and updating as needed. Such behavior is the essence of optimization, and you are never really “done.”

Secondly, GA4 has some very significant improvements that may help businesses previously at a disadvantage jump ahead of the pack if they are proactive in learning the new system and putting it into practice early. GA4 utilizes event-driven data. “Events” refer to nearly any form of user interaction, including video engagement, scrolling behavior, and file downloads. Previously, everything was session-based, which only allowed for a limited behavior of how users were interacting with the site. Another perk of GA4 is cross-device tracking. In Universal Analytics, user behavior would be tracked differently on mobile vs. on the computer, providing a limited view of the situation. GA4 recognizes more users are using their mobile device for searching and will make this much easier.

One final benefit (although there are many more) of GA4 is that it provides a simpler, more streamlined interface and makes setting up analytics much easier and more accessible to new users. Get ready to get comfortable on Google Analytics, because it isn’t going anywhere!