It’s a small revolution that’s brewing for everyone who works in the digital world in any way: the transition to the next generation of the Google Analytics 4 data analysis tool. Expert Augustin Delporte sheds light on the issues at stake.
What explains the recent surge of information about the switch to Google Analytics 4?
Augustin Delporte: In October 2020, Google opened the new version of Google Analytics to the general public, which was only in beta before. From now on, this is the default version when you start using this tool.
The question that remained unanswered, however, was what would happen to the previous version, Universal Analytics. We just got the answer: Google has announced that in July 2023, it will no longer be usable. In other words, there is no choice but to switch to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) by then.
How complex is this transition?
A.D.: It’s not necessarily a technical issue. In itself, you just have to install the new version and set it up so that data can start being collected. No, the major problem is that these two versions are not compatible with each other, you have to create a new property.
We start from scratch with Google Analytics 4, impossible to recover its data and its history from Universal Analytics. That’s why I recommend not waiting any longer and switching to GA4 as soon as possible. From a marketing point of view, it is very useful to analyze the data from one year to the next. The sooner the transition is made, the sooner it will be possible again.
And, in and of itself, are there big differences in usage between these two versions?
A.D.: Yes. I will address these issues and the fears that have been raised in the free Midi Express conference on May 13. The changes are numerous and drastic because it is no longer the same data model and the parameters will have to change. For example, events, which with Universal Analytics allowed for the collection of personalized data to analyze interactions on a platform, have become even more central with GA4, and their operation has changed.
How do you explain this major overhaul of Google Analytics?
A.D.: We could make the analogy between a gasoline car that you want to switch to electric: you can’t just change the engine, you have to redesign everything. It’s a bit the same thing with Google Analytics, which had to revise its data model to meet the new requirements.
The goal is to be much more in line with international rules, especially European ones, which are the most drastic in this area. Canada is also going to do this. It was therefore necessary to get rid of version 3, which was obsolete and more than 10 years old. Thus, GA4 is a response to privacy issues. The tool will no longer store IP addresses, user data will expire after 14 months and it will target cookies less.
What is the first reaction of users who tried Google Analytics 4?
A.D.: I would say that most of them don’t really like this new version. The interface is certainly simplified but there are many elements that are not found. As always, it takes some getting used to.
Personally, I like it. I find that it offers a new granularity, it’s a new way of collecting personalized data and it gives greater possibilities in terms of privacy management.
So, admittedly, there are some changes that are going to be difficult for some people to accept. For example, the analysis of the bounce rate (the rate of users who visit only one page on a site) will disappear. This information was at the heart of some managers’ strategies, but from now on, Web sessions will no longer be defined in the same way.
It will be replaced by a more positive metric: the engagement rate. Which corresponds to one of the following 3 actions: staying more than 10 seconds on a page, having made a conversion or having visited at least two pages. It fulfills the same function more or less, but many industry professionals will have to readjust.
What are the other notable new features of GA4?
A.D.: I find that it allows for simpler and more attractive custom reports, which were previously only available in the paid version. Also, GA4 has a greater layer of artificial intelligence with the ability to get predictive statistics, currently reserved for e-commerce data. But this is likely to evolve very quickly with new features that will be added in the future. Finally, the interface is simplified.
What is your recommendation to Google Analytics users?
A.D.: You should start migrating as soon as possible. I did it since October 2020 and I can finally have historical data that I can analyze from one year to the next. By the way, the trainings I give on the subject are now only dedicated to Google Analytics 4.
