There’s a whole lot of negativity on the market relating to Google Analytics 4.

I get it. It’s a brand new product that appears, feels and works otherwise from what we’re all used to in Common Analytics.

And, as many readers would rightly counsel, it’s nonetheless lacking options. [Disclosure: I used to work for Google and helped build the foundations of Google Analytics 4]

All that being stated, I’m right here to supply an unpopular opinion: GA4 is definitely an incredible device. Not solely that, it’s much more resilient for the long run (assume privateness, cookies and scaled information fashions). 

Over the following a number of months, I’ll be writing articles taking you thru the ins and outs of key options, I’ll present you how one can setup/analyze/customise, and rather more.

However first, I needed to handle among the greater picture points going through GA4 right this moment. So let’s have a look at among the greatest complaints and counterpoints to why it’s best to go all-in on Google Analytics 4. 

Grievance 1: Common Analytics is simply nice, no have to rock the boat

Counterpoint: Really, Common Analytics itself is over 10 years previous (launched in 2012), and is constructed on the identical code base as Traditional Analytics (ga.js, circa 2007) and Urchin Analytics (urchin.js, pre-2005 acquisition by Google).

This codebase and product are previous. Many of the software program you might be possible utilizing has undergone important adjustments and updates through the years, and your Analytics device ought to too.

The very fact is, Common Analytics simply wasn’t constructed for the web that now we have right this moment. It gained’t do properly with new privateness laws, cookie loss, and so on. We want a device that’s purpose-built for the web of right this moment and tomorrow.

Talking of privateness, GA4 has not too long ago launched a number of new information controls and now not shops IP information. That is nice information.

Is it the answer to all our GDPR worries? No, most likely not. However it’s shifting in the suitable path and the GA workforce is clearly working very exhausting on this to construct controls and options that may work inside the regulation and assist GA customers proceed to have the ability to use Google Analytics as they see match.

These new controls stay below Admin > Information Settings > Information Assortment > Location and system information assortment.

Grievance 2: GA4 has a whole lot of lacking options

Counterpoint: GA4 is getting higher daily. Is it excellent? No. However excellent is the enemy of the nice, proper?

Since its preliminary beta launch in 2019, GA4 has continued so as to add new options and enhance, and the tempo of innovation is rushing up. Listed here are simply among the issues launched up to now few months:

• Sub-properties and rollups (360 clients solely) 
• GMP integrations – now free for all clients
• New UTMs – woo woo! Extra marketing campaign parameters so as to add!
• Touchdown Web page dimension – yessss!
• New privateness settings – extra granular controls
• and there’s a lengthy roadmap to come back…

Digging in on one level that’s particularly necessary for SEOs: GA4 lastly has a touchdown web page dimension! Whereas there isn’t a built-in touchdown web page report, you’ll be able to simply construct one utilizing the brand new customization options we’ll cowl within the subsequent level.

Grievance 3: The New UI is terrible, I can’t discover something in there!

Counterpoint: Don’t prefer it? You may change it!

For the primary time ever in Google Analytics historical past, you’ll be able to modify not solely the left-side navigation but additionally the experiences themselves.

That is one thing that digital analysts have been clambering for years, and one thing you might really do in SiteCatalyst (throwback to what’s now Adobe Analytics) since at the very least model 14, most likely earlier (for context, SiteCatalyst v14 launched in 2009). 

Listed here are a few examples of what you are able to do with UI and report customizations:

• Don’t just like the report graphics? I personally hate the scatter plot graphic, so in most of my experiences, I’ve eliminated it.
• Wish to make a report assortment within the navigation only for the advertising workforce so that they have a fast and straightforward approach to entry necessary experiences? You are able to do this.
• Are some metrics or dimensions in a report not related to what you are promoting? You may take away them.

Grievance 4: I hate the brand new information mannequin. Periods ought to rule every thing!

Counterpoint: The brand new information mannequin is definitely fairly nice. Common Analytics relied on sessionization and this triggered a whole lot of points within the scalability of information and triggered issues like sampling within the UI.

GA4 makes use of an occasions and parameter information mannequin, much like many different product analytics instruments. On this mannequin, every thing is an occasion, even a pageview is an occasion. This information mannequin gives much more flexibility and construction. 

For instance, an occasion in Common Analytics was a novel mixture of three dimensions (class, motion, and label). You could possibly find yourself with a whole bunch and even 1000’s of those occasions, and if the implementation was carried out over time or by multiple particular person, it possible lacked consistency within the construction or hierarchy of the occasion information.

GA4 streamlines this information mannequin into really useful and customized occasion and parameter names, and differentiates the occasions themselves by the values collected, permitting a way more streamlined and structured implementation. 

I requested digital analytics knowledgeable Simo Ahava what he thought in regards to the new information mannequin. He stated:

“What I most like is how open-ended GA4’s information mannequin is, there’s a flexibility with the mannequin that UA by no means had,” Ahava stated. “UA was at all times handicapped because of the prescriptive semantics. Occasions had to be collected with class, motion, label, and worth. This led to a really static information desk that suffered from technical debt and a sampling drawback that bought worse the extra detailed your information assortment was. 

“With GA4, you might have freedom to decide on what to gather, and how one can gather it, and it appears to be like just like the reset of the information mannequin makes the platform quicker, extra scalable, and extra conscious of queries,” Ahava added.

Google Analytics 4 is a radical change

We’ve all grown very accustomed to the present model of Google Analytics. I can’t assure that the transition will probably be completely easy.

GA4 is a totally totally different device that you’ll have to put money into and be taught. However if whenever you do, I’m betting you’ll come to understand the brand new issues it brings to the desk and the way it will assist you scale for the long run.

Opinions expressed on this article are these of the visitor creator and never essentially Search Engine Land. Employees authors are listed right here.

About The Writer

Krista Seiden is the principal digital analytics marketing consultant and chief teacher with KS Digital, an analytics consultancy she based in 2019, serving to companies benefit from their investments in digital advertising and analytics. Beforehand, Krista was VP, product advertising and progress at Quantcast. Previous to that, she was at Google for practically 7 years, the place she led product administration efforts throughout the Google Advertising Platform and served because the exterior evangelist for the Google Analytics suite of merchandise. Krista is a keynote speaker, practitioner, author on Analytics and Optimization, and passionate supporter of #WomenInAnalytics. You may be taught extra about Krista and KS Digital over at KS Digital.