Why custom GA4 Implementation is a must — Justin Seibert // Direct Online Marketing

Justin Seibert, President of Direct Online Marketing (DOM), talks about SEO and analytics. By July 1st, 2023, if you have not switched to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you will miss out on collecting new data. Although Google Analytics provides a simple migration tool for basic websites, it may not be sufficient for complex sites with extensive measurement needs. Today, Justin discusses why custom Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for implementation is a must.
About the speaker

Justin Seibert

Direct Online Marketing

- Direct Online Marketing

Justin is President of Direct Online Marketing (DOM)

GA4 Resources

Show Notes

  • 02:04
    Why Google Analytics 4 is a must for marketers
    Google introduced GA4, which is more flexible and powerful for big companies to get more insights from their data. The original UA version of Google Analytics goes away on July 1, so marketers will need to transition to GA4 to get better data and insights.
  • 03:34
    Migrating from Universal Analytics (UA) to GA4
    For simple websites, Google Analytics has a tool that allows you to migrate some data over to GA4. For complex websites, the DOM websites resources section has a downloadable checklist with migration tips and pitfalls to avoid.
  • 04:28
    The differences between GA3 and GA4
    GA3 and GA4 track data differently, making direct comparisons between the two difficult. GA4 introduces engagement rates instead of bounce rates, but it also includes a new version of bounce rates, so it will take education and adaptation for marketers to understand GA4s data.
  • 06:12
    Consequences of not migrating to GA4 by July 1st
    If you remain on UA, after July 1st, you wont have access to any new data.
  • 06:32
    Reasons behind Google's switch to GA4
    Google has made the switch to GA4 due to the need to collect data in a way that is more powerful and efficient, and also to address privacy concerns and the importance of first-party data. Essentially, Google is building a walled garden.
  • 08:58
    Implementing GA4 migration with minimal pain
    First, ensure everyone is on the same page about what will be measured, then build out a tag implementation plan and implement it. Consider using a third-party source like Google Looker Studio to pull the data and make it easier to understand.

Quotes

  • "About two years ago, Google introduced GA4. And, they built this as an opportunity for big companies to get a lot more out of their data." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

  • "The original UA version of Google Analytics is going away on July one. So, whether you like it or not, you need to be in GA4." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

  • "When they originally came out with GA4, they completely got rid of bounce rates, because they collect the data in a different way. And what they've replaced it with are engagement rates." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

  • "If you're not an analytics nerd that's trying to dive into the data and understand, and you're somebody that's getting data presented to them, it's going to take some education to be able to learn GA4." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

  • "GA3 and GA4 are actually tracking data in different ways like hits versus sessions. So, trying to compare the two isn't going to be perfectly spot on." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

  • "Google's going to give you more data with GA4. There are a lot of things that you didn't get before that might open your eyes to some new things that you can do." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

  • "In the beginning, you aren't going to be used to the GA4 four interface. So you might want to think about how you can set that data up into a third-party source, like a Google Looker studio." -Justin Seibert, President, DOM

About the speaker

Justin Seibert

Direct Online Marketing

- Direct Online Marketing

Justin is President of Direct Online Marketing (DOM)

GA4 Resources

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