New Google Analytics brings together web and app data and measures videos and downloads

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Everyone who works in Digital Marketing needs to know how to create great content, launch successful campaigns, and measure the results of those actions. Google Analytics is the main tool used to know how good those results are in terms of conversions, behavior, and user experience.

However, changes are coming in 2023, as we’ve been discussing here on the self employeed database Rock Content blog . Google is retiring Analytics 3 after being a marketer’s best friend for over 10 years.

We've done a hands-on demo of the new version, Google Analytics 4, which we'll all have to start using next year. So, we're here to help you get ready for the change.

If you use Google Analytics in your daily work, we invite you to read this article until the end to understand how to prepare for Google Analytics 4 and improve your marketing analysis.

How does Google Analytics work today?
Currently, Google Analytics offers two different versions: GA3 (also known as Universal Analytics) and GA4 (Google Analytics 4).

Universal Analytics was introduced in the fall of 2012 and brought marketers and SEO analysts the ability to track code for their websites or blogs, as well as features to measure user behavior.

On the other hand, Google Analytics 4 was launched two years ago with the purpose of offering both types of users (Google Analytics and Google Analytics 360, which is the premium version) new features to improve their work, results and reports.

Although some companies still use Universal Analytics, it will be shutting down next year. That's why we said, in the first lines of this article, that everyone will have to switch to Google Analytics 4.

What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 was launched in October 2020 and promised to bring deeper analytics and experience to everyone who was used to having Google Analytics as the primary tool to check the performance of their websites and blogs .

Since this release, some users have configured their properties with Google Analytics 4 and have experienced some differences in terms of dashboard design and functionality.

Take a look below to see what's changed in this updated version.

Web and application analytics
The first tool we can see is a new property type that combines application and web data for reporting and analysis.

This means that if you have users coming to you through different platforms, you can now use a single set of data to find out which marketing channels are acquiring the most visitors and conversions.


Events are more flexible
Google Analytics 4 uses a more flexible event-based model that shows all the unique interactions users have with your content. This way, you can measure any event you set up.

Additionally, it provides the ability to check how scrolls, outbound links, site search, video engagement, and file downloads are performing.


Cross-platform analysis
With this in mind, with the new Analytics you don't need predefined reports to examine your data in an easy way.

The first direct reporting feature is Exploration , which allows you to drag and drop to measure your property through a canvas format.


Then, with Funnels you can understand and identify what steps users take towards conversion, as well as what stages of the funnel they are in.


Finally, Path Analysis helps you see the actions taken by your visitors and understand the possible reasons why they converted or not.


What will change in the current Google Analytics?
Marketers around the world still use Universal Analytics, but it's a good idea to start getting used to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible.

Recently, Google announced that Universal Analytics will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023. The same will happen with Universal Analytics 360 on October 1, 2023.

According to Russell Ketchum, Director of Product Management at Google, the Universal Analytics measurement methodology is becoming obsolete, which is why Google Analytics will be necessary starting in 2023.

The main differences we can see in this version are:

event-based data model for measurement;
operation through platforms;
there is no need to rely on cookies;
There is no storage of IP addresses (which helps you comply with privacy regulations).
What should marketers do NOW to prepare?
Whenever marketers need to start using a new tool, it takes time to get used to its features.

That's why many marketing solutions have an onboarding process to learn how to use them the right way. Of course Google knows this, and that's probably why they communicated this change in advance - more than a year in advance...

This way, everyone who uses Google Analytics at work can “onboard” to the new Google Analytics 4 platform and use everything it has to increase results in 2023, or even this year.

How to change your Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4
Now that you know how important it is to change your GA3 to GA4, follow the steps below.

1) In the administration area, look for the "Property" column. Then, look for "GA4 Setup Assistant" and click on the option.


2) On the next screen, you'll see an option to create a new GA4 property and then another to connect to an existing GA4 property. Since we're assuming you're about to launch Google Analytics 4, click "Get Started" and then "Create a New GA4 Property."


After that, the change will be complete and now there are three things you need to consider:

Your historical data will not be in GA4, so you will also need to retain the Universal Analytics property to analyze older data;
Only basic settings will be copied, which means if you have custom goals or filters, you'll need to set them up in GA4;
New measurement features will be automatically added to your GA4 property, such as scrolling, outbound link clicks, embedded videos, and downloaded files.
Therefore, before Universal Analytics switches to Google Analytics 4 in 2023, it is recommended to get everything done and make better use of your data analysis.