Why You Should Make the Switch to Google Analytics 4 Before the July 2023 Deadline [4 Reasons]
Article by Beibhinn Murphy
5 Minute Read
You are probably aware that Google is migrating to a new system called Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in July this year, thus making its current version, Universal Analytics (UA), redundant. If you are currently using UA, we recommend you move to GA4 as soon as possible, not only to take advantage of everything the new system has to offer, but also to make sure your analytics data remains as accurate as possible. In this blog, we highlight the top 4 reasons to move as soon as you can.
Why You Should Make the Switch to Google Analytics 4 Before the July 2023 Deadline
1. Capture Accurate Data
After the July 2023 deadline, Google Analytics will cease to record data. If you plan on using historical data in your new GA4 account (which we highly recommend you do), it’s important to start the transition process immediately. This will allow you to capture as much data as possible under the new system and ensure your data is up-to-date and accurate.
2. Improved User Journey Tracking
One of the major advantages of GA4 over its predecessor is that it provides a much more comprehensive view of the customer journey across devices and platforms; this provides you and your business with significantly more detailed insights into the behaviour and preferences of your users. This type of data is extremely powerful, as it gives you a deeper understanding of how your customers interact with your business. You can then use these learnings to adapt your user experience or marketing strategies to fit your customer’s needs and meet your business goals.
Looking for more advice on improving the UX of your website? Check out this article below.
3. Enhanced Data Privacy and Compliance
A big change that comes with GA4 is the improved data privacy and compliance features. These will give you greater control over how data is collected, processed and stored, which is becoming more and more important in an industry where data protection regulations are becoming much stricter. GA4’s Consent Mode enables you to adjust how data is collected based on user consent preferences. This means that if a user declines tracking, GA4 will not gather their data.
GA4 operates on user-centric data model, which means that data is linked to individuals rather than sessions or devices. This makes it easier for you to manage and protect user data, and to delete data when requested in compliance with GDPR. GA4 also automatically anonymises IP addresses by default. This means that the IP addresses of your website visitors are truncated before being stored, ensuring that no personally identifiable information is stored in GA4.
4. Smarter Analytics Capabilities
GA4 uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide more advanced insights into user behaviour and business performance. For example, GA4 can automatically categorise user behaviour into different segments based on their actions on the website or app, such as people who visit frequently or those who make purchases. It can also predict which users are most likely to convert and provide insights into how to improve conversion rates.
GA4 also allows for more flexible tracking of events and user interactions, which can be customised to fit your specific business goals. This means that your business can track exactly what they need to know, and then use GA4’s machine learning to gain insights from that data.
Let us Know if we can Help!
Overall, GA4 aims to provide a better digital experience for advertisers and audiences alike, while having a greater emphasis on privacy. If you are planning on making the switch to GA4 soon, our Web & IT Expert, Gary Hearne, would be happy to help you in this process. Get in touch with us today at info@marla.ie or call 051 853 650 to find out more.