In the past few episodes, we’ve discussed the SEO and organic tracking implications of the switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, but how does GA 4 help with paid campaigns, affiliate campaigns, Google Ads, campaign tracking with IDs, etc.?
Krista Seiden of KS Digital and former VP at Quantcast joined me on the SEJ Show to discuss the benefits and advantages of GA 4 for paid campaigns plus other opportunities digital marketers will face with the sunsetting of Google Analytics UA.
One of the misconceptions is that this product just isn’t there yet, and I would push back a little bit and say it’s constantly evolving, and a lot of new things have come out. So take the time to know how to use the tool and understand what’s actually there. –Krista Seiden, 4:55
Don’t expect your data to be precisely the same between UA and GA4. So even things like sessions and user accounts will be different because GA4 calculates these things in different ways than Universal Analytics. –Krista Seiden, 44:41
I do not think that this deadline is going to change. I would suggest taking this one seriously. If you don’t start moving now, you’ll probably not be able to pull your year-over data within GA4. The sooner that you get it implemented, the more historical data you will have in GA4 to be able to compare to. –Krista Seiden, 22:09
[00:00] – About Krista & her in-house background at Google Analytics.
[03:23] – Common misconceptions about GA4.
[05:20] – Is there more customization with GA4?
[07:10] – Hesitations with the transfer.
[08:42] – New feature releases with GA4.
[12:57] – Why build reports with GA4 if you can utilize Google Data Studio?
[16:08] – How is GA4 concerning GDPR?
[19:33] – Differences in transition with GA360 and GA4360.
[24:30] – What to expect with GA4.
[26:18] – Can you define direct traffic better with GA4?
[27:22] – Changes that affect PPC.
[30:53] – Differences between goals and conversions.
[34:15] – Reason why the data retention period is only two months by default in GA4.
[35:18] – Recommendations to get started with GA4.
[41:04] – Does Krista recommend a fallback?
Resources mentioned:
https://ksdigital.co/academy/
https://join.measure.chat
It’s nice that we now have this ability to actually customize the UI of GA4. So, for example, we can choose what reports to show or not for people in our organizations. –Krista Seiden, 5:44
GA4 is a heck of a lot more privacy-centric than Universal Analytics. –Krista Seiden, 16:41
I’m sure there’s gonna be a lot of people waiting until the last minute. So do not wait till the last minute. Like we said, if anything, just go ahead and drop that tag on your site now. –Loren Baker, 49:18
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Connect with Krista Seiden:
Krista Seiden is a savvy, experienced analytics leader who has led teams at Adobe and Google. In addition, she has led optimization initiatives for companies such as The Apollo Group and Quantcast. As an analytics and optimization methodology expert, she has become one of the most sought-after consultants in the industry.
Her expertise led her to start KS Digital, an analytics consultancy in 2019, which helps businesses optimize their digital marketing and analytics investments.
In addition to being dedicated and hardworking, she also contributes occasional guest posts to top industry publications such as Google Analytics Blog. When she is not working, she enjoys traveling as much as possible!
Connect with Krista on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristaseiden/
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristaseiden
Visit her website: https://www.kristaseiden.com/
Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:
Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker
Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker