Google Analytics 4. Or GA4.
It’s the next generation of Google Analytics. And it marks the first time that Google rebuilt the platform from the ground up.
It’s not just a new layout. Google Analytics 4 analyzes data in a totally different way. It predicts user behavior, and it’s prepared for the cookie-less world we’re entering.
If you’re thinking about taking the step and shifting to the new platform, here’s a quick overview of why you should do it:
A model based on users and events
Every interaction between the user and your website is labeled as an “event.”
This enables you to track the user journey across the web and apps.
For instance, when someone signs up for your newsletter, a ‘generate_lead’ event is sent to GA4.
By setting this as an end event, you can use pathing analysis to figure out what users are doing before they hit subscribe. In turn, this behavior can be used to predict future activities.
Preparing yourself for the future
As you might know, cookies will be phased out. But thanks to the use of machine learning, GA4 makes the need for cookies obsolete.
It alerts you of product data trends. And it gives you access to predictive metrics like:
- Purchase probability
- Revenue prediction
- Churn probability
Improved debugging
Debugging in GA4 gets easier thanks to a live debugging report called DebugView. This report helps you monitor event data and custom parameters in real-time and set user properties.
BigQuery
BigQuery is a premium tool for Google Analytics 360 users that allows you to query large and complex data sets. But with GA4, all users can benefit from this feature.
Google Analytics 4 won’t become mandatory in the next few months. But GA4 will help you get more insights from your data to improve your online business.
