Best Practices for Google Analytics 4
Are you using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) yet? If not you’re running out of time!
GA4 provides a more streamlined and holistic view of user behaviour across your website and mobile app, allowing you to gain deeper insights into how people interact with your digital properties.
But with great power comes great responsibility, and it’s important to use GA4 correctly to get the most out of it.
Here are some our best practices to help you use GA4 effectively and efficiently:
1. Set up your data streams correctly
Before you start collecting data, make sure you have set up your data streams correctly. GA4 allows you to collect data from multiple sources, including websites, mobile apps, and offline events. Make sure you have created a separate data stream for each source and that you have installed the correct tracking code or SDK on each property.
2. Define your events and parameters
Events and parameters are the building blocks of GA4 data collection. Events are actions that users take on your site or app, such as clicks, pageviews, and purchases. Parameters are additional pieces of information that provide context for the event, such as the name of the page or the value of the purchase.
Take the time to define your events and parameters upfront, so you can collect the data that is most important to you. Use the GA4 Event Builder to create custom events and parameters that are tailored to your business.
We have a team of GA4 experts. Download our GA4 Guide to learn more about our services!
3. Use the enhanced measurement features
GA4 includes several enhanced measurement features that can help you track user behaviour more accurately. For example, you can use enhanced measurement to track scroll depth, outbound clicks, and file downloads without having to manually set up event tracking.
Make sure you have enabled enhanced measurement for your data streams and take advantage of the additional data that it provides.
4. Create custom reports and dashboards
GA4 provides a wealth of data and you will be able to find a lot of this within the standard reports. But sometimes you might need more specific and advanced reports. In this case there are custom reports and dashboards that you can tailor to your business goals.
For example, you could create a dashboard that shows the top-performing pages on your site, the conversion rate for each traffic source, and the most popular products in your online store. This will help you quickly identify areas of opportunity and make data-driven decisions.
5. Use machine learning to your advantage
GA4 includes several machine learning capabilities that can help you make sense of your data. For example, you can use machine learning to predict which users are most likely to convert, which products are most likely to sell, and which pages are most likely to lead to a bounce.
Take advantage of these capabilities by setting up machine learning models and using the insights to optimize your site and app.
6. Keep up with the latest updates
GA4 is constantly evolving, so it’s important to keep up with the latest updates and best practices.
Follow the Google Analytics blog, attend webinars and conferences, and join online communities to stay up-to-date on the latest features and trends.
We are here to help since we know the set up required can be quite overwhelming at times.
Read our latest GA4 blog, Why You Don’t Want Google to Automatically Set Up Your GA4