Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Agency Services
Effectively migrating to GA4
What is GA4 and why is it so important?
Google’s latest analytics software
Google has announced that Universal Analytics (UA) will sunset from 1 July 2023. It will be replaced by Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
GA4 is the next generation of Google Analytics and has been developed to be less reliant on cookies, and offer a future-proofed predictive, privacy-focused platform.
The impact of GDPR and CCPA, the change in how browsers collect data, and user demand for more data control and transparency, has contributed to the birth of the new Google analytics platform.
Why transitioning to GA4 now is vital
All businesses and users of Google Analytics 3 will be impacted by GA4. But you can prepare for the change by transitioning to GA4 now and ensuring you are set-up with all the new goals and ready to go..
And by doing this, you can protect your data. For 6 months data will be read only, but after that it will be deleted by Google (final date tbc). So by acting now, you will not only be set for the new generation of analytics, you will also have valuable data saved for future use.
Our GA4 expertise
We’ve been using GA4 since its release, so we understand what is needed to implement and optimise GA4 but also how to get to grips with the new features.
GA4’s new features include machine learning to provide predictive insights when privacy rules create gaps, new tracking paradigms for greater personalisation and less duplication through better unified customer journeys across platforms and devices.
GA4 provides a solid foundation for the future development of data insight and measurement, and Distinctly offers consultancy services that similarly seek to support your future success and business growth.
Want to know more?
Don’t be a stranger!
Our GA4 Offering explained
Ensure you can continue to deliver fresh insights into customer behaviour.
If you need GA4 support or a GA4 managed transition, we’re here to help.
GA4 set up
We will help you through the set-up of GA4. You will gain a better understanding of the new platform and make sure your conversion and traffic data is all aligned before the transition is completed.
Set-up steps will ensure you are ready to use GA4 but also that you have saved any data from the previous platform that will disappear in 2023.
Every Google Analytics account has its nuances such as specific filters that you may want to apply in GA4 and this is something we can action for your business.
GA4 gives you greater flexibility and analysis potential. Setting up GA4 in the right way from the start is therefore extremely important, and will enable you to continue to deliver valuable analysis for your business.
GA4 consultancy
We offer full GA4 consultancy or a supporting role, whichever you require. We will get you up and running, with your data protected, and provide a clear understanding of the key differences and improvements offered by GA4. We will ensure all required set-up and tag migrations are undertaken to provide you with the analytics your business needs. We can build custom reports and new Exploration reports, as well as help develop custom metrics and interfaces.
Any reports created will be debriefed, so all businesses can fully understand what each report represents and why they matter to your overall business objectives.
One of the biggest benefits with Google Analytics 4 is how customisable the platform is and how all reports can be adjusted or move to different departments. If you are managing a large website, or if you have a large number of conversion points you want to track in more granular detail, this can be achieved through the new flexible interface of GA4.
Page view and event set-up
Unlike the measurement model based on page views and sessions, GA4 is a more event-based model. So every page view or session is considered an event.
This will give you more detailed information about each visitor – whether location, device or page title – but it requires all events to be carefully set-up to deliver this high level of personalisation across customer measurements and business goals. Conversion tracking and further enhancements, once set-up, will also provide elevated results data.
GA4 training
We offer GA4 training to help your teams understand the new platform and get the most from it going forward.
Data insights and data measurement will be transformed with the introduction of GA4. Its features have been engineered with machine-learning at their heart to deliver a new depth of analysis.
Sessions can explore the overall setup of GA4, the key differences between GA3 and GA4, and ultimately, unlock all the new features which could support your business and its objectives.
Frequently asked questions about GA4
How does GA4 work?
Google Analytics 4 measures traffic and engagement across your websites and apps.
- It is privacy-focused and durable for the future
- intelligent, using machine learning to unearth insights about the customer journey across platforms and devices
- enhanced – offering seamless integrations with Google’s advertising platforms to optimise campaign performance and drive greater marketing ROI
When does Universal Analytics (GA3) expire
Google Analytics 4 is replacing UA on 1 July 2023 for standard Universal Analytics users. At this time, old properties will no longer process data.
You’ll be able to see your Universal Analytics reports for six months after July 1, 2023 – final date to be confirmed. However, new data will only flow into GA4 properties. Google Analytics 360 users will have an extension to 1 October 2023.
What’s the difference between GA3 and GA4?
The key differences between Universal Analytics (GA3) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) are:
- Model change
GA3 uses a measurement model based on sessions and page views whereas GA4’s is based on events and parameters. So every activity by a user is now seen as an ‘event’ and will give you more detail about these visitors to your website. - Data retention
Google Analytics 4’s data will expire after 14 or 2 months – previously you could keep it for 14/26/38/50 months or pick a Do not automatically expire option. - Session change
In GA3, a session is a combination of page views, events, transactions taken by one user within a set timeframe. GA4 sessions aren’t limited by time. So session count is likely to be lower, and average session time will change too. Plus average pages per session will no longer be measured. - Engagement rate
GA4 offers a range of engagement metrics including engaged sessions, engagement rate and engaged sessions per user. Bounce rate will be retained within the new set-up. - IP addresses
In GA4, IP addresses are automatically anonymised. Previously you had to flag those you wished to exclude or anonymise. - Landing page reports
Landing page reports from GA3 are no longer available as you can now easily find ‘session_start_ event’ data for a particular page. These can be created by Distinctly if these are a popular option when you’re using your Google Analytics 3 property. - Reporting interface and views
GA interfaces are different, as many reports or metrics have been replaced or removed. But as you build reports up manually in GA4, they will become as familiar as before. - Also in GA4, there is only one reporting view available – in GA3 you could have up to 25. Instead GA4 allows you to create new reports using ‘Audiences’ or ‘Data Streams’. This gives greater long-term flexibility, and also replaces the previous ‘filter’ views.
Why choose Distinctly as your Google Analytics agency?
It’s a numbers game
We set measurable objectives tailored to your business and benchmark our efforts against them.
The bottom line
We’ve helped businesses from various sectors to achieve substantial commercial success.
Experts in several fields
SEO strategists, technical SEOs, on-page SEOs, content producers and digital analysts…it’s all hands on deck.
