Welcome to part two of the “Intro to Google Analytics 4”, designed to help you understand GA4.
Our previous instalment covered what Google Analytics 4 is, why it’s here, and how it will future-proof your business. You can read it here.
Below, our intro to Google Analytics unpacks the final two pillars of GA4, namely, Explore and Activate.
Recap of Intro to Google Analytics 4 part 1
If you don’t have time to catch up on the intro to Google Analytics 4 so far, here’s a summary.
- Google Analytics 4 is an update that will replace Universal Analytics (UA). Tech and user behaviour has changed so significantly that UA has become redundant.
- Google sunsetted Universal Analytics on 1 July 2023. UA no longer processes hits, but you can still migrate your historical data to GA4.
- GA4 is designed to work in a cookieless, privacy-first ecosystem.
- It provides accurate Customer Journey Tracking and user engagement analysis.
- It uses powerful machine learning to provide predictive metrics, helping B2B marketers to be more proactive.
- There are four pillars to GA4: Monitor, Customise, Explore, and Activate.
- Monitor refers to the new reporting aspects of GA4.
- Customise refers to tailoring your reporting data, comparative data, and insight parameters.
The rest of this intro to Google Analytics 4 blog unpacks the explore and activate pillars.
Explore
The explore section of GA4 is where Google really shows their analytics flex. Where monitor gives you standard reports on key business metrics, Explorations gives you rich, qualitative insights.
If you ever look at your business reports and think, “But, why?” explorations has the answer. The best news is that you can deep dive and go as granular as your heart desires. It helps you to understand your customer’s user behaviour intimately.
Activate
It helps to think of Activate as a prompt to “activate your audience”. This section refers to audience capabilities, creation and integration.One of the most impressive features is that you can find new audiences, helping you to break into new markets.
You can also define (and better segment) your existing market to meet them wherever they are in their buyer journey. A first-time visitor who entered via social media is probably still in the discovery phase, whereas a direct return visitor is more likely in the decision phase.
GA4’s machine learning uses this info in its predictive analytics, allowing you to target a quick sales campaign to those “likely seven-day purchasers”. The cherry on top is that GA4 integrates with Google Ads enabling you to increase your ROI.
McDonald’s Hong Kong1 “saw a 2.3 times stronger ROI, a 5.6 times increase in revenue, and a 63% reduction in cost per action.”
Tips to Make the Most of Google Analytics 4
What intro to Google Analytics 4 would be complete without helpful tips that you can action immediately?
- Migrate your historical data from Universal Analytics. You only have about 6 months left to do it, but the sooner, the better, so you can get ahead on GA4.
You can:
- Export individual reports , or
- Export using the Google Analytics Reporting API.
- When creating user segments, use churn analysis to identify churned users and re-engage them via remarketing campaigns.
- Take advantage of customisation to tailor your dashboard to your marketing goals and KPIs. You’ll eliminate distractions and heaps of wasted time scouring metrics that aren’t applicable.
- Use predictive insights to refine your customer journey mapping.
- Activate Google Signals for cross-device reporting and remarketing. This is the biggest game-changer of GA4 (apart from not relying on cookies).
It will help you to accurately report on the number of users instead of devices so that you can focus your resources on the most promising users. It will dramatically enhance user experience with ubiquitous, highly relevant messaging cross-devices.
We’ve Done All the Hard Learning for You
Universal Analytics is no longer processing any hits; the time for GA4 is here.
If you want even more than this Intro to Google Analytics 4, please get in touch. We love educating B2B marketers on digital marketing (look at FDM classroom, for example).
Let us take you through GA4 and how to use it for YOUR marketing objectives.
Did you read parts 1 & 2? We want your thoughts and comments on the Understanding GA4 — an Intro to Google Analytics 4 series.
