Have you already noticed when checking your Google Analytics? Google has introduced GA4, a new version of Google Analytics. It’s a big step for the platform as it’s the first major change in a decade, but it’s also a big step for you if you want to better analyze the success of your digital efforts.

Let’s have a look at some of the major changes and what they can do for you.

Smarter data will improve your marketing decisions

This new version is very efficient. The central point of this change is to be able to gather App + Web data on the same property but also to make Google Analytics more intelligent thanks to the integrated Machine Learning. The interest of Machine Learning is that it will be able to highlight information that you may not have seen and offer you more relevant recommendations (Insights).

With this new version, Google Analytics wants to gather in one place a maximum of data to facilitate analysis for digital marketing experts. Gathering App + Web data on the same property will allow you to have a much more accurate tracking of user device changes and therefore know through which acquisition channels and which devices your customers/prospects go through.

Better understand customer interactions on your site

Even if you only have Web data, the new Google Analytics features still remain interesting. The reason why is that the data in the new Analytics is customer-oriented, instead of fragmented measurement by device or platform.

More specifically, Google Analytics wants to give you more tools to understand how users interact with your business. For example, you can see whether customers first find out about your business from a web ad, then later install and purchase from your application.

This new version will also give you a better understanding of customers across their entire lifecycle – from acquisition to conversion and retention. Furthermore, the various reports have been simplified with user feedback to make them more intuitive.

We strongly advise you to set up this property on your Google Analytics. This way, you can start retrieving data on this version and be ready as this update will soon replace the Google Analytics we know. It’s also a great way to already familiarize you with the new reports.

How to get started with the new Google Analytics features?

The new version of Google Analytics is activated by default for the new properties – and this is where Google will focus its efforts.

On its blogpost, Google advises professionals to create a new Google Analytics 4 property (the new name of the App + Web property), alongside the existing properties, to start getting data and benefit from the new Google Analytics features.