The focus in 2021 has to be on learning your customers and what they’re interested in – Plant Based? Organic? Upcycled? or specifically Chocolate Bars or Brownies?  The idea is to create an experience, send emails, and personalize things for each user.  If I’m into Chocolates Bars, I might not be into Brownies – and you’ll lose me if you send me the wrong email. Forever.

Also, This will result in more accurate tracking of your customers and buyers journeys throughout your websites and apps.

Thanks to the addition of the User ID tracking feature, Google’s NEW! Google Analytics 4 (GA4), versus Google Analytics Universal Analytics (UA), now makes it a lot easier to accurately track users’ movements between platforms and devices as they interact with your content. In short, it will help website owners better understand the customer’s journey by providing more in-depth insights. This is arguably one of the most important differences between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4.

While there are many online business types where this can be helpful, it is beneficial for those with a longer buying cycle like food movements and educational brands, consultants, or other high-ticket items.

Top 7 Take Aways of Google Analytics 4/GA4

Google Analytics is essential to anything involving websites and links. But the next generation of GA is here, and it’s bringing in some new features for tracking data. Let’s get into the distinct benefits of the new GA4 over Google Analytics Universal Analytics.

1. App + Website Data Collating: GA4 lets you use the same GA property for all of your website, app, and mobile traffic so you can get the whole view of your data.
2. Easier Tracking, Less Set Up: GA4 reduces the amount of manual tracking you have to set up with predesigned actions and events. There’s no longer any need to set up cross-domain measurement code.
3. Enhanced Data Visualizations + Reporting: “Real-Time” visualizations have been enhanced. The “Analysis Hub,” includes a template gallery with different types of charts (funnel analysis, exploration, segment overlaps, path analysis, etc.).
4. It’s Ready for a Cookie-Less World: In an upcoming cookie-less world, GA4 still allows you to track users on your website. Fill the gap from the removal of cookies through the use of machine learning and AI.
5. A Focus on the User Journey: The new GA4 has a stronger focus on users and user interactions, not sessions like in GA UA.
6. Improved ROI: Get more reliable data concerning your ad spend ROI. GA4 automatically joins together the app and website journeys carried out by the same visitor instead of recording them as separate visits.
7. Getting the Best of Both Worlds: Now, it’s still under the best practice to keep your GA UA in addition to a GA4 property. Currently, it’s not possible to track historical data using GA4.

AI and Analytics in a Cookie-Less World

At the rate modern tracking methods are going, it looks like the web will soon be at a point where no more cookies are being used.

In a cookie-less world, tools like GA4 will be extremely helpful in allowing you to track anyone using your website (and as they visit other platforms online).

This is something that is becoming increasingly difficult due to privacy enhancements and GDPR laws.

With a platform like GA4, you can fill the gap from the removal of cookies through the use of machine learning and AI.

Many website owners are already finding this to be a useful feature as more and more browsers are blocking third-party cookies.

The new GA4 has a stronger focus on users and user interactions (as opposed to sessions).

This will result in more accurate tracking of user journeys throughout websites and apps.

One of the inherent characteristics of “sessions” is that they are potentially faulty since they can be influenced by platform type or device.

Thanks to the addition of the User ID tracking feature, GA4 now makes it a lot easier to accurately track users’ movements between platforms and devices as they interact with your content. In short, it will help website owners better understand the customer’s journey by providing more in-depth insights. This is arguably one of the most important differences between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4.

While there are many online business types where this can be helpful, it is beneficial for those with a longer buying cycle like online course creators, consultants, or other high-ticket items.