Getting Started with Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Website analytics are crucial for any business looking to understand its audience, improve user experience, and drive measurable results. With the recent transition from Universal Analytics (GA3) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), businesses now have a powerful, yet significantly different, tool at their fingertips. In this guide, we’ll explore the importance of a solid analytics strategy, key considerations for setting up GA4, notable features and limitations, and how to leverage Looker Studio for insightful reporting.
Why Website Analytics Matter
Your website is one of your most valuable digital assets, but without data, you’re essentially flying blind. Website analytics help you understand how users interact with your site, where they come from, what they’re looking for, and what’s stopping them from converting. This data allows you to make informed decisions, identify bottlenecks, and optimise your content, design, and marketing efforts for better results.
The Importance of an Analytics Strategy
Setting up Google Analytics without a clear strategy can lead to messy data, unreliable reports, and missed opportunities. A well-defined analytics strategy aligns with your business goals and lays the groundwork for capturing meaningful data from the start. This involves:
- Identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aligned with your business objectives
- Customising events and goals to track important interactions
- Setting up integrations with other tools, such as Google Ads, Google Tag Manager (GTM), and your CRM, to centralise data and create a comprehensive view of your user journey
Having a strong analytics strategy enables you to interpret your data effectively and make decisions that drive measurable growth. Here at Newism, we can help set up and manage GA4 in conjunction with GTM at both a strategic and technical level to ensure you’re getting the insights you need.
Getting the Configuration Right from the Start
GA4 offers extensive configuration options, and getting them right from the outset is critical. Proper configuration ensures you’re capturing the most relevant data, avoiding data quality issues, and setting a strong foundation for future insights.
Here are some key configuration steps and considerations:
- Set Up Data Streams Correctly
GA4 uses data streams to collect data from multiple sources (web and app) under a single property. Ensure that your streams are set up correctly for accurate data tracking. - Customise Event Tracking
GA4 provides automatic event tracking, but these default settings may not cover everything you need. Configuring custom events to track important interactions, such as form submissions, video views, and specific button clicks, allows you to gather data on actions that are most valuable to your business. - Adjust Tag Settings and Integrate GTM
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is essential for advanced tracking and tag management. Integrating GA4 with GTM allows you to create custom events and manage tags in one place, making it easier to track user actions and minimise manual coding on your website. - Important Settings Adjustments
GA4 comes with a range of default settings, but some may not align with your goals. For example, modifying the data retention period (set to two months by default) is crucial if you need long-term data for trend analysis. Additionally, ensure your timezone and currency settings are correct. - Cross-Platform Integrations
To gain a complete picture of user behaviour, integrate GA4 with other platforms, such as Google Ads, CRM systems, and other marketing tools. This integration lets you analyse the full customer journey and better understand the ROI of your marketing efforts.
Key Features and Limitations of GA4
Google Analytics 4 introduces a number of powerful features, but it also comes with some changes that may feel like limitations if you’re used to Universal Analytics. Let’s take a look at some of GA4’s highlights, as well as areas where it might fall short.
Great Features of GA4
- Event-Based Tracking
Unlike GA3’s session-based model, GA4 is built around events, which allows for greater flexibility in tracking specific user actions. This structure enables a more granular look at user behaviour and allows you to create custom events for virtually any interaction on your site. - Improved User Privacy
With privacy becoming a major concern, GA4 is designed to work with limited cookies and has features that support data compliance (such as GDPR). It also enables more anonymised tracking, which is essential for respecting user privacy in an increasingly regulated environment. - Cross-Platform Reporting
GA4 supports data streams from web and mobile applications, providing a unified view of user interactions across devices. This cross-platform approach enables you to track users as they switch between your website, mobile app, and other channels. - Machine Learning and Predictive Insights
GA4’s machine learning capabilities provide predictive insights, such as the likelihood of a user to purchase or churn. These insights can help you identify potential opportunities and risks, allowing you to make proactive business decisions.
Not-So-Great Features of GA4
- Enhanced Measurement – Form Interactions
While GA4 offers enhanced measurement options, the form interactions tracking feature has received criticism. It often fails to provide meaningful insights, as it only tracks form starts rather than completions, leading to misleading or incomplete data. Custom events are often a better way to track form submissions accurately. - Learning Curve and Limited Historical Data
If you’re migrating from GA3, GA4 can feel quite different, with a new interface, new metrics, and a different data model. Additionally, GA4 doesn’t carry over historical data from GA3, so you’ll need to start fresh or maintain access to your old data for comparison. - Fewer Standard Reports
GA4 has streamlined its reporting options, which can be limiting if you rely on detailed standard reports. Customisation is often required to get the same level of insight as GA3, which can be overwhelming if you’re not familiar with GA4’s custom reports and explorations.
Reporting with Looker Studio (Formerly Google Data Studio)
Looker Studio is an essential tool for creating customised, user-friendly reports. By connecting GA4 with Looker Studio, you can design reports that focus on the KPIs and metrics most relevant to your business. Some benefits of using Looker Studio include:
- Customisable Visualisations
Transform raw data into meaningful insights with charts, graphs, and tables. Looker Studio lets you create highly visual, easy-to-read reports that help you and your stakeholders make sense of your data. - Interactive Dashboards
Build interactive dashboards where users can filter data by date, location, or other dimensions. This flexibility allows for a tailored reporting experience that goes beyond standard Google Analytics reports. - Cross-Platform Data Integration
Pull in data from GA4, Google Ads, and other sources to create a comprehensive view of your marketing performance. With Looker Studio, you can integrate data from multiple platforms, providing valuable insights across all your digital channels.
Here at Newism, we specialise in creating powerful, customised reports using Looker Studio to give you the clearest view of your data.
Final Thoughts
Google Analytics 4 is a powerful tool, but to fully leverage its capabilities, you need a well-thought-out analytics strategy, a proper setup, and a partner who understands its complexities. GA4 offers powerful insights into user behaviour, but only when configured correctly to meet your unique business needs.
Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, investing in a robust GA4 setup is essential to unlocking the true value of your data. At Newism, we have the expertise to set up, configure, and manage GA4, GTM, and Looker Studio to help you make data-driven decisions and drive your business forward.
If you're ready to get serious about your analytics, reach out to us. Our experts are here to make sure you get the most out of your investment in GA4 and turn data into actionable insights.
