The list of GA4 benefits keeps growing, here are some of the top benefits of Google Analytics 4(widely know as GA4). I hope this post will convince you to upgrade to Google Analytics 4.
I am a big fan of Google Analytics 4 and highly recommend this tool for everything. Below I am listing the benefits to help you make informed decisions. In addition to this post, I have written many more on the subject so do check out the links at bottom of the page as well as this blog section.
Top Benefits of GA4
1. Google Analytics 4 is Free
Just like Universal Analytics (GA3), GA4 is also 100% free. This means that you can have GA4 running along with the previous version (Universal Analytics), without having to worry about the cost.
2. Google Analytics 4 combines Web and App Reporting
GA4 provides both Web and App reporting within one single interface. You get to see the complete use journey as the user moves from one platform to another.
3. Complete user journey tracking in GA4
GA4 is developed to track the complete user journey. As mentioned above it tracks the cross-platform journey of the users which allows all the data about the user to be collected to provide a complete view. This data then translates into the reports that are aligned to the user journey e.g. Acquisition, Engagement, Conversion/Monetization, and Retention.
4. 35 Event parameters in GA4 instead of 3 in Universal Analytics
In Universal Analytics you could only have 3 Event Parameter, i.e. Category, Action, and Label. Now in GA4, you can have up to 35 event parameters, which means you can conduct a better analysis of your user behavior and events.
5. Many common events are tracked automatically in GA4
GA4 automatically tracks many common events. These events include Scroll, Outbound links, Downloads, On-Site search, and YouTube video engagement events. If you don't want to track any of these then you can simply toggle a button to switch them off in the Admin interface. This all means that you save a lot of time that was used for implementation and configuration in the previous version.
6. Use any Events as a conversion in the GA4 interface
In Google Analytics 4 interface, you can go to Events Report and flip a switch to make any event a conversion event. There is no additional setup required. In Universal Analytics, you had to configure goals in the admin interface but now it is all available within the main reporting interface and it is only one step process unlike the multi-step process of Universal Analytics.
7. Configure Events within GA4 interface
Events in Universal Analytics required you to set them up in Google Tag Manager or via page code, however that process is much simpler now for page view-based events. If you want to convert any page e.g. thank you page, into an event then you can do that within the GA4 interface without making any tracking changes. This saves a lot of time, doesn't it?
8. 25 User Properties available in GA4
In addition to event parameters, you can also enhance the users' information by adding user properties. This again provides more context and hence can lead to better analysis.
9. Better Real-Time reporting in GA4
The real-time report in Google Analytics 4 has been completely redone. Instead of clicking around on different links to see Location, Events, etc, you can see all of the real-time data in just one report. Fewer clicks mean you can have more time to conduct analysis.
10. Advanced Analysis capability within GA4 Interface
Google Analytics 4 is a feature called Exploration (previously called Analysis Hub) that allows you to conduct deeper analysis within Google Analytics 4 interface. You can start the analysis in free form and use one of the templates GA4 provides for faster analysis. This is one of the top reasons for you to start using GA4.
11. Debugging capability within GA4 interface
Google Analytics 4 debugger is a feature that allows you to debug tracking right within the GA 4 interface. I have covered this interface in this video, Event Tracking in Google Analytics 4
12. GA4 has Predictive Metrics
Google Analytics 4 uses predictive analytics to calculate a few metrics that help you predict user behavior. These metrics include
- Purchase probability - the probability of a user, which has been active for the last 28 days, to purchase in the next 7 days
- Churn probability - the probability of a user to be inactive in the next 7 days
- Revenue Prediction -the revenue from use in the next 28 days
More on this in a future post.
13. Easily setup Cross-Domain tracking
Cross-domain tracking does not require you to add any extra tags in GA4. You can easily configure cross-domain tracking with just a few clicks on the admin interface.
14. Built-in GA4 and BigQuery integration
In past, you had to use a 3rd part too like Supermetrics to transfer data from Google Analytics to BigQuery but that's not the case for GA4. GA has built-in integration with BigQuery and with just a few clicks you can set it up. Check out this post, How to Connect GA4 to BigQuery
15. AI & ML to counter cookie blocking and deletion
Cookie blocking laws and tools means you will have missing data about your users' behavior. To counter the missing cookies and data, GA4 uses Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence to fill the gaps and provide you the complete picture.
16. Segmentation based on events
Since everything is an Event in GA4, you can now you can use events to create segments.
17. Many more Customer Dimension and Metrics in GA4
In GA4 you can have
- 25 user scoped custom dimension
- 50 event scoped custom dimensions
- 50 event scoped custom metrics
18. GA4 is the future
Google Analytics team is going to spend their resources enhancing and developing new features in GA4 rather than the old version of Google Analytics. This is the time to get ready for the future. I highly recommend that you start using Google Analytics 4 immediately, learn the new way of tracking, reporting, and analysis.
Google Analytics 4 help and support
We are here to help you with all your Google Analytics needs. Our team can get you up and running in no time and also train you and your team to save you a lot of time so that you can focus on driving the business outcomes rather than configuring Google Analytics 4.
Online Course - If you want to learn on your own then check out Google Analytics 4 Masterclass
Workshop - We conduct the onsite customized workshop. Reach out to us for more details.
Consulting - Reach out to us for more details.
Other GA4 posts you might be interested in
We have written a lot of posts on Google Analytics 4 and many more are on the way. If there is a topic that you would like us to cover then email us at support@gmail.com.
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Should You Upgrade to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
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