Making the Switch to Google Analytics 4

Not yet migrated to the new Google Analytics?

You may have read articles or received emails about the changes in Google Analytics. If you are not familiar with what Google Analytics is and how it impacts your business, or have not taken the steps to start the Google Analytics 4 migration process, then this blog post is for you.

Google Analytics and Why It’s Important:

Google Analytics is essential to getting customer insights to understand the customer journey and improve marketing ROI across platforms. Google Analytics measures digital marketing advertising performance by gathering all relevant data in a single source.

In a nutshell, the previous type of Google Analytics property, called Universal Analytics will be going away, so it’s important that you set up your website and data configurations in the newer type of property, called Google Analytics 4.

Key Differences Between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4:

Both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 measure website traffic through the following metrics: Users, Pageviews, Purchases, Sessions, Session/Traffic, Conversions, Bounce Rate, and Event Count

Here is what to expect when comparing metrics between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4:

• Users - Universal Analytic measures Total Users and New Users, while Google Analytics 4 measures Total Users, Active Users, and New Users

  • Total Users can be compared using explorations in GA4 - UA measures primary users, while GA4 measures total unique users

  • Active Users are only measured in GA4 - First Time Engagement on the website or mobile Android or IOS app

  • New Users - Limited to first-time users on the website, while GA4 includes first-time users on the website and mobile app.

• Pageviews - Available for both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4

  • Universal Analytics measures screen views in separate mobile-specific properties

  • Google Analytics 4 combines both website and app data on the same property

• Purchases - Available for both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4

  • Universal Analytics measures purchases based on events within enhanced e-commerce

  • Google Analytics 4 measures purchases similarly, but can update attributed conversions up to 7 days after the purchase was made.

• Sessions - (Varies from business to business) Both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 measure the time a user is actively engaged on your website or app.

• Session/Traffic-based Acquisition metric - Universal Analytics measures Source/Medium dimensions against Users and Sessions, while Google Analytics 4 is only different in how it measures Users and Sessions to include both website and app engagement.

• Conversions - Universal Analytics counts one conversion per session for each goal, while Google Analytics 4 counts every conversion event even if the same conversion event is tracked multiple times. Google Analytics 4 can also attribute conversions for up to 7 days after the conversion is recorded.

• Bounce Rate - Universal Analytics calculates the bounce rate percentage based on single-page sessions without any interactions of 0 seconds. Google Analytics 4 calculates the bounce rate percentage based on sessions under 10 seconds without any interactions.

• Event Count - Universal Analytics measures Total Events, which is based on specific names given to a type of category, action, or label event that is counted each time it’s triggered. Google Analytics 4 measures Event Count, which is every “hit” an event takes, all actions are considered events. Specifying which events are more important than others is key to making the most out of Google Analytics 4.

Why is it important to migrate from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4?

The deadline for migrating from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 is on July 1, 2023. After July 1st, all Universal Analytics accounts will no longer be processing data.

Migrating from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 Challenges:

• Time-Consuming - Making critical data tracking changes takes time to populate in the new Google Analytics 4 accounts, you do not see immediate event activity ready to be configured into a conversion

• Requires Google Tag Manager Knowledge and Expertise - Configuring previously tracked goal completions in Universal Analytics requires Google Tag Manager to accurately measure website actions. For example, tracking how many people visited the checkout success page is all done using Google Tag Manager and is connected to Google Analytics through a configuration tag for both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4.

• Difficulties in comparing metrics from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 - Knowing how data was collected and measured in Universal Analytics is different in Google Analytics 4, which will require custom reports to be built within Google Analytics 4 to help interpret new data being gathered in Google Analytics 4 relevant to what was previously gathered in Universal Analytics.

What does this mean for Credit Unions?

Most Credit Unions are tracking product page activity on their websites to get a better idea of their customer’s journey throughout the loan application process. Google Analytics has the ability to track application submissions through configured goal completions to help measure the success of any digital marketing campaign from Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Social Ads, Geofence Ads, OTT, CTV, Email Marketing, and more.

If your current digital marketing team is not in the process of migrating your Universal Analytics account, then you are at risk of losing valuable data after July 1st, 2023.

For more information about Google Analytics, the migration from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, or assistance in simplifying this process, Egg to Apples is here to help.