International Business and Technology Blog

Whether we’re avid marketeers or not, we have all heard about Google’s latest new release, and the dreaded term 'transition' to GA4. If you haven't been following; as of July 2023, Google will discontinue all Universal Analytics properties and companies will only have access to their new system: GA4.  

With the introduction of GA4, users can expect many changes on how Google reports data and how to leverage the platform. So, what does that mean for your business, your website and how you are currently using and reporting your data?

At IBT Online we have been riding the early wave of transitioning to GA4 - but in case you missed it here is a quick recap of the crucial information you need to understand the transition, what this involves, and how your business can prepare for it. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you want to learn more and develop a robust reporting strategy for any of your global target markets!

First things first, what is Google Analytics? 

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that allows companies to track and report on website traffic, engagement and conversions.  As discussed in our Google Analytics blog, understanding how your prospects, customers, and even competitors behave on your website will give you the edge you need to continue growing your exports, sales, brand, and business globally. 

Google Analytics is a free and fantastic analytics tool that gives you an extremely in-depth look into your Online Global websites' performance and how to leverage it. For example, you can create custom measurements in Google Analytics to track your marketing goals. For companies running search engine marketing campaigns through Google Ads, you are also able to connect the platforms to track and create reports for the campaigns. Popular KPIs tracked in Google Analytics include number of users on a site, page views, add to cart, and purchases or forms submissions.  

Back in 2020, Google announced it’s future ambitions involving Google Analytics and notably, GA4 – and the time has now come! The previous instalment, known as Universal Analytics, has been the property users have turned to since 2012 and helped users report on website traffic. For the past two years, Google has run the two parallel properties to allow for users to easily transition from Universal Analytics to GA4. But come July 2023, Google will fully dismantle all Universal Analytics properties and companies will only have access to GA4.  With the introduction of GA4, users can expect many changes on how Google reports data and the of the platform. 

Here are the Key Updates:

• Events Are Changing: For both Universal Analytics and GA4, “events” is the term used for key metrics or actions tracked across the website, for example page views. Due to the popularity of these events and how they are currently setup, this will be one of the more difficult transitions for Google Analytics users. Previous Universal Analytics events are organized based on event actions, categories, labels, and dimensions to allow for users to further define their metrics. But with GA4, events will no longer include those specifications and will be replaced with event parameters. In the beginning of this transition, companies will have to familiarize themselves with the new terminology when recreating the events they wish to measure. 
  

• ‘Goals’ Become ‘Conversion Events’: GA4 will also replace previous Universal Analytics’ “goals” with “conversion events.” In Universal Analytics, goals are KPIs companies can create to track specific traffic on their website. For example, purchases or PDF downloads. Conversion events will now measure these KPIs for GA4. In GA4, all KPIs will begin as a basic event. Once users indicate that they wish to track the event as a conversion, they will have access to further insights on customer acquisition and journey to the defined conversion event. The benefit of this transition is that users can acquire greater flexibility and personalization as to how they determine and measure ‘conversions’. Goals were formally found under the Universal Analytics Admin section, but it is now included in the Engagement report under GA4.

Universal Analytics Goals                                                                                                                                        GA4 Conversion Events

Let’s Talk Benefits!

We are all a little adverse to change, but not all is doom and gloom here! As companies transition from Universal Analytics to GA4, they will also be able to benefit from the new additions that Google has created in order to make Google Analytics reports more customizable.  One of the main benefits is the Explorations tab, which allows users to build custom reports from the metrics recorded in GA4. For this, GA4 includes basic templates of key metrics’ reports for users to get familiar with and leverage. Including:

• Path exploration: which allows for companies to track and visualize customer journeys on the website.
• Funnel exploration: reports that break down user journeys into different funnels
• Free Form exploration: that allows for companies to create custom charts and tables to gain further insights.
• Companies can also start with a blank report and have full creative freedom to create the report of their choice.
  

Monetization Reports for Ecommerce Companies

For Ecommerce companies, Google is also creating additional “monetization” reports in GA4. This is a new feature that allows for companies to track purchases, ecommerce revenue, and ad revenue in Google Analytics. Insights such as “add to cart” and “purchase to product view rate” allow for companies to further understand customer behavior in Google Analytics. 

As you can see there are some exciting opportunities thanks to the introduction of GA4. The main takeaway is to act fast - we recommend creating your GA4 properties as soon as possible in order to have the most historical data available. For the meantime, continue to run your Universal Analytics properties simultaneously to ensure that you are accurately tracking web traffic until GA4.  

If all of this sounds a little scary, or you’re not sure how to get started, IBT Online’s team of data-driven digital experts are here to help! We specialize in helping you grow and understand your traffic, engagement and conversions, allowing you to fully leverage your online presence, whilst focusing on what matters most: growing your exports, sales, brand, and business in your target markets around the world.