Enhanced Reporting with Google Analytics GA4
Google Analytics is the standard for web analytics globally, with over 30m installations, it is the staple tool for digital marketeers and website owners.
2019 saw Google give Google Analytics v3.0 (also known as Universal Analytics, or UA) a ground up overall with Google Analytics v4 (GA4).
This change wasn’t just a new update or new feature – it was a complete re-make designed for how we use the internet today.
Universal Analytics was launched 16 years ago, initially designed for web (only) analytics, tracking changes to the URL bar as visitors navigate through a website.
Over the years the product morphed to accommodate mobile traffic, multiple domains, events, e-commerce and countless other internet developments we’ve seen in the last decade.
GA4, however, is designed for the modern era – geared for the cookie-less web, honed for cross device browsing and built with web, mobile and apps in mind.
Innermedia has been lucky enough to get first dibs on the beta version in 2019, and since have been migrating our reporting so our clients can benefit.
Why Upgrade to GA4?
Without going too technical, GA4 collects data differently – it’s based on actions (i.e. events) that users make on your website, instead of just the pages they visit. Notice, I said ‘user’ instead of ‘visitor’! A subtle but key difference which I’ll explain later.
Events Tracking
Being an events based measurement solution, means out of the box it can track finer detail as to what your users get up to on your website or app.
A few of these features include
- Youtube video tracking
- File downloads
- Page scrolling
- Onsite search
- Outbound clicks
With the help of Google Tag Manager and custom javascript, we further enhance these events in our client reports to include
- HTML MP4 and Vimeo Video Tracking
- Core Web Vitals measurements (for User Experience reporting)
- % of scroll events
- Search terms and file download names
- Custom Conversions and custom click tracking
So What? How does this help me?
GA4 is capable of answering lots of questions about your users, however with new features come new complexity. Learning how to make the most of GA4 will be arduous for some and frustrating for others.
For Innermedia customers who’ve upgraded to GA4, we have updated our Monthly SLA report which neatly summarises key metrics they need from analytics, without having to worry about tagging, custom dimensions or code.
A few examples of our report include:
Website Engagement
identify what pages your users find the most engaging: filter by channel, location or page path.
File and Video
Report on what files are downloaded and what videos are being watched – justify future content spend
Onsite Search
Are your users finding the content they need? Analysing what users search for on your website, you can decide to make content easier to find, or feature certain themes on your homepage
Conversions & Goals
Is your website meeting its marketing objectives? Filter by location, channel or or demographic
Tech and Demographics
Does your content read well on mobile? Are you targeting users globally – how does model, screen resolution or connection affect your bounce rate?
User Experience (Core Web Vitals)
Analyse actual user experience on how fast a page loads, if the users browser is responsive, or if there are user-frustrating shifts in page layouts
Google Tag Manager
GA4 out of the box can give some value, however customers who upgrade with Innermedia will get a full suite of Google Tags to make actual use of data collected.
For Hosted Innermedia customers, this means a simple interactive dashboard designed to make insights and measurements valuable.
GA4 Help
If you are not currently using GA4 correctly and need help with the set up, reporting or training please get in touch.
