When Google sunsets the perennially popular Universal Analytics (UA) on July 1, 2023, it will mark the end of an era. UA has been the go-to website analytics platform since 2012, after all. Yet a new and improved platform is taking UA’s place: Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This advanced hub builds upon the capabilities of UA to deliver a more comprehensive and detailed picture of website visitors’ journeys. However, account managers must understand how GA4’s metrics and tracking models differ from UA’s. Additionally, they must export their UA historical data before the sunset date to ensure that data’s retention through the transition. Businesses and website managers should therefore contact a digital marketing analytics agency to navigate these changes and reap the benefits from their data.
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We have categorized the shifts in language and metrics below:
Sessions vs. Events
Among the most basic functions of web analytics tools is to track website traffic—the number of visitors, their general region, their preferred language, and so on. Businesses and digital marketing analytics companies leverage this data to adjust their digital strategy, increase their online visibility, and pursue other insights (namely, consumer behavior and conversion rates). Yet one of the most significant changes from UA to GA4 entails the manner of tracking.
UA determines total users through a measurement model based on sessions (the time users engage with a website) and pageviews (the number of pages a user views, including repeats of 1 page). However, GA4 tallies active users through an event count (every event is a “hit” or interaction with website elements, including pageviews). Although UA measures total events, each entailed unique Category, Action, and Label values—GA4 includes no such details.
Privacy concerns are part of the rationale behind this shift. UA’s sessions link back to individual users and can track their interactions with a website. But GA4 event data is anonymous. The platform’s use of the data can also illustrate buyers’ journeys, leveraging outbound link clicks and scroll depth tracking.
Bounce & Engagement Rate
Another significant shift in metrics revolves around bounce rate. On UA, this term refers to the percentage of sessions wherein a user never interacts with the website—that is, never logs an event. Even users that sit on a webpage for several minutes will qualify as bounced if they never trigger an event.
Yet GA4 measures engagement rate, the opposite of bounce rate. According to GA4, engaged users remain on a page for at least 10 seconds, prompt at least 1 event, or view at least 2 pages. Many website owners will find this metric more useful than bounce rate: companies with blogs, for instance, might want to know that people refer to their site for industry expertise. Even if those visitors only read a blog, engagement indicates that businesses are reaching potential consumers who may return another time and make a purchase.
Also, GA4 offers a few novel engagement metrics—average engagement times, popular pages and screens, and more. An analytics marketing agency can use these metrics to foreground businesses’ best material and optimize website performance.
Users: Total & Active
Furthermore, GA4 comes with a shift in user metrics. UA measures total users and new users, though its reports reflect the total number and label it simply Users. GA4 measures total, new, and active users but prioritizes the third. The new metric is the number of distinct users who visit and engage with the website, and GA4 reports’ Users metric will reflect that number.
Conversion Goals & Events
Finally, GA4 streamlines website owners’ and digital marketing analytics firms’ target-setting capabilities. UA allows users to set conversion goals for a website destination, duration, number of pages per visit, or event. Yet GA4 incorporates the goals metric into events functioning, which allows you to earmark the specific interactions you wish to emphasize for a more streamlined conversion-tracking strategy.
Northern Virginia’s Premier Digital Marketing Analytics Agency
Keeping current with web tools and insights helps organizations stand out online from competitors but also requires significant resources and industry expertise. So, turn to Northern Virginia’s best digital marketing analytics agency, KME.digital. We offer personalized marketing strategies, monthly contracts, custom reporting, and more capabilities. KME’s industry expertise helps us build and promote websites that achieve marketing goals. To learn more about our services, call (703) 585-3321 or visit our website today.