{"id":13463,"date":"2023-04-14T11:12:29","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T17:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.topspot.com\/blog\/?p=13463"},"modified":"2023-08-24T11:29:19","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T17:29:19","slug":"five-important-changes-and-a-few-refreshers-on-ga4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.topspotims.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/five-important-changes-and-a-few-refreshers-on-ga4\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Important Changes and a Few Refreshers on GA4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ramp Up is Almost Over<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For\u202fthe past year<\/a>, we here at TopSpot have been closely monitoring news on Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as it\u2019s one of\u202fa handful of data tools<\/a>\u202fwe use as part of our integrated strategy. If you\u2019re a Client of TopSpot\u2019s, you likely migrated over to the new platform or are gearing up to very soon. We\u2019ve moved 85% of accounts over so far and data from the new platform will be included in monthly reports soon. For all businesses and marketers, time is ticking as Universal Analytics (UA) sunsets on July 1st, marking one of the year\u2019s\u202f biggest changes<\/a>\u202fin digital marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once migrated, the real opportunities begin as the difference between platforms is significant. Courtney Clark, Analytics Department Manager, has broken down the five most important changes to GA4 since our last update and what you need to know for your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, A Quick Refresher<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of the popular analytics tool that brings together Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) for websites and Google Analytics for Firebase, which is used for apps. The data from UA will be accessible for six months after the tool sunsets, meaning you have until the end of the year to export this data<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you get things set up, Google recommended setting up both UA and GA4 and running them in parallel. However, you cannot fully compare the data one-to-one as the two operate very differently. The biggest difference is how \u201chit types\u201d are handled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Measurement difference between UA and GA4. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, sessions, a group of user interactions on your website, take place within 30 minutes of inactivity and no longer include midnight or traffic source changes. With less triggers in-place, we are likely to see lower overall sessions in GA4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Google has made its algorithm-focused attribution model called data-driven attribution available to all Google customers (previously only available to 360 customers), where credit is assigned to each touchpoint based on machine learning. This is prioritized in some reports over last-click attribution or where 100% of the credit went to the last touchpoint. Also, first-click, linear, time-decay, and position-based attribution models are going away from reporting starting September 2023<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Attribution comparisons in GA4. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of GA4\u2019s new features: <\/p>\n\n\n\n