[Editor’s note: This article was last updated on June 8, 2022. New resources will be added as they become available.]
October 2020 brought with it the announcement of Google Analytics 4, signaling that it’s time to understand how user-centric analytics can help your organization progress its digital maturity. Prior to this announcement, Google Analytics 4 had been known as App + Web.
In March 2022, Google announced that Universal Analytics (UA; the current iteration of Google Analytics) will stop processing data in the second half of 2023, with the user interface shutting down in 2024 sometime, at least 6+ months later according to Google.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 (known colloquially as GA4) is a much-anticipated update within the Google Analytics (GA) product. With the proliferation of new platforms—like mobile applications and IoT (Internet of things) devices—there is a huge influx of new data sources in analytics and a need to both unify tracking and enable data science and artificial intelligence within GA. Until recently, web analytics remained distinct from app analytics or data collected on other platforms within the Google Analytics product. And while dimensions and metrics are unique to each platform, conversion goals are largely the same across devices—a purchase, a sign up, a download, or any defined objective.
Simply put, analysts can gain more value by combining data on user actions and conversions for insights across different platforms.
With new analytics concepts of user-centricity and micro-moments, digital marketing analysts must now gather and interpret data across devices to fully understand the customer’s journey.
GA4 Resources for Marketers and Analytics Professionals
The InfoTrust team has produced a number of helpful resources to help you better understand the benefits of Google Analytics 4 and the actions you should be taking now. (Note: While some of the pre-October content uses the name “App + Web,” they still apply to Google Analytics 4.)
- Why Adopt Google Analytics 4? (PDF download)
- Webinar: Hesitant to Deploy GA4? Here’s Why You Should Do it Now (Webinar)
- Introduction to Google Analytics 4 (Article)
- The Ultimate Guide to Compliant Tracking: Google Analytics 4 (eBook)
- Why Executive Teams are Resisting Google Analytics 4 (and What You Can Do to Change Their Minds) (Article)
- Google Analytics 4 User-Centric Analytics Insights Guide (PDF download)
- App + Web 101: An Intro to Google Analytics’ Newest Properties (Article)
- Getting Started with App + Web Reporting (Article)
- Understand Customer Behavior Across Platforms with App + Web Properties (Article)
- App + Web 101 for News, Media, and Publishing Organizations (On-demand webinar)
- 3 Tips for Tagging App + Web Events (Article)
- Current Version of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) to Sunset in 2023 | What You Need to Know (Article)
- Current Version of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) to Sunset in 2023 | What You Need to Know (On-demand webinar)
- 5 Core Differences between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 (Article)
- Google Analytics 4 Privacy Updates: What They Mean for Your Business (Article)
- How to Migrate Universal Analytics Events to Google Analytics 4 (Article)
- Google Analytics 4 Reporting: Locating Reports (Article)
- Google Analytics 4 Measurement Architecture Roadmap (PDF download)
Industry-Focused Resources
- 4 Digital Analytics Trends for CPG & FMCG Companies to Watch in 2021 (Article)
- 4 Retail Digital Analytics Trends to Follow in 2021 (Article)
- Retail & eCommerce Digital Analytics Summit (Event; includes 30-minute session dedicated to Google Analytics 4)
- 3 Digital Analytics Trends for News and Media Companies to Follow in 2021 (Article)
[Book] Crawl, Walk, Run
The new book release from InfoTrust—Crawl, Walk, Run: Advancing Analytics Maturity with Google Marketing Platform—includes a detailed chapter on App + Web properties, which serves as the basis of Google Analytics 4. In fact, Crawl, Walk, Run is the only book currently on the market (as of October 2020) that covers the key functionality of Google Analytics 4. Visit this page to learn more about the book.
