Friend, do you want to use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) but are unsure how to start? As a WordPress expert with over 15 years of experience, let me walk you through everything you need to know about GA4.
Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google‘s analytics platform. It has many changes, like a new reporting system and metrics. The way GA4 collects and processes data is also different from the previous Universal Analytics (UA).
In this ultimate 3000+ word guide, we’ll cover everything about GA4 in WordPress and help you get started quickly.
Contents
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4, also called GA4, is the new version of Google‘s stats dashboard, and it lets you track your website and apps in the same account. It is designed to protect users‘ privacy and provide more accurate reports than previous versions.
With Google Analytics 4, you’ll first notice that it has a new interface. It also categorizes some of the old reports differently, as well as adds all-new reports and metrics.
Behind the scenes, GA4 works in a new way for collecting and processing your website data. It records data as event-based instead of using page hits.
For example, when your visitors click a link, view a page, play a video, or download a file, all these website interactions will count as events.
This way, your website performance is measured more accurately, as the event-based model can better track user behavior.
It also makes it easier to enable enhanced measurement features like tracking outbound clicks and scroll depth. You can enable these options with a click of a button instead of performing a complicated setup process.
Why Switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4?
If you haven’t created a GA4 property yet, then you should know that Google sunset the previous Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023.
This means that if you have not enabled GA4, then Universal Analytics is no longer recording any data from your WordPress site.
You’ll still be able to view your old data for at least 6 months after the sunset date, but Universal Analytics won’t track any new traffic.
According to Google, GA4 brings the following improvements:
- More accurate data collection with event-based model
- Enhanced privacy controls and data protections
- Powerful machine learning capabilities
- Seamless cross-device and cross-platform tracking
- Streamlined workflows and implementation
That’s why it is crucial to set up Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible if you haven’t done so yet.
The best way of setting up GA4 is using MonsterInsights. It is the leading Google Analytics plugin for WordPress trusted by over 2 million websites. You can easily set up Google Analytics on your WordPress website without editing code or hiring a developer.
There’s also a free version of MonsterInsights that you can use if you’re just getting started.
Now, let‘s look at the key changes in Google Analytics 4:
What Has Changed in Google Analytics 4?
The new Google Analytics 4 brings a lot of changes to the analytics platform. While the most noticeable difference is the event-based data collection, here are some more important updates:
1. A Completely New Reporting Interface
As a longtime Google Analytics user, the first difference you’ll notice in GA4 is the completely revamped interface. Many reports from Universal Analytics have been removed, renamed, or relocated in GA4.
For example, you will now see reports like Engagement, Monetization, and Retention in the main navigation. The reports are categorized into Life Cycle, Conversion, and Audience sections.
This new reporting structure takes some time to get used to, especially if you‘re used to UA. My recommendation is to explore all the reports and learn how your data is organized.
Focus on reports like Engagement, Ecommerce Purchases, and Audience Geography to understand user behavior.
2. New Metrics in Google Analytics 4
In Google Analytics 4, you’ll find over 30+ new metrics that unlock more insights about your users. Some metrics names in Universal Analytics have also changed in GA4.
For instance, the new engagement report helps measure your visitors‘ interaction with your site using metrics like total engagement time, engaged sessions, and engagements per session.
In Universal Analytics, engagement was measured using metrics like session duration and bounce rate.
Another noticeable change is the removal of bounce rate in GA4. This single-page session metric could be misleading.
Instead, GA4 focuses on engaged sessions to understand usage beyond the first page view. The engaged sessions metric only counts sessions with 2+ pageviews or events.
3. Goals Replaced with Conversions
If you had set up goals in Universal Analytics, you won’t find them in GA4. Instead, GA4 uses a new Conversions model.
Rather than pre-defining goals, you enable the appropriate conversion events that align with your business objectives. GA4 comes with 12 default event types like Purchase, Lead, and Custom Event that you can toggle on.
For example, enabling the Purchase event allows you to track ecommerce transactions as conversions. You can also create custom events to track interactions like newsletter signups.
This flexible conversion setup allows you to directly connect analytics data with your business goals.
4. Streamlined Implementation
In the past, tracking things like outbound links required complex GA code customization. But GA4 makes it much easier to enable enhanced tracking.
You can switch on features like outbound link tracking, file download tracking, affiliate link tracking, etc. directly from the admin without coding.
And with autogTag integration, you can add GA4 tracking to your website by just pasting a small tracking code. The tag auto-collects relevant events and data.
This streamlined implementation helps you get set up quickly without dependencies on developers.
5. Powerful New Analytics Capabilities
Google Analytics 4 unlocks powerful new capabilities through machine learning and analytics advancements:
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Smart data collection: GA4 automatically collects relevant events and parameters using ML, reducing implementation effort.
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Granular data control: Admins can restrict data collection to essential events and exclude sensitive information.
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Actionable insights: The new metric definitions and intuitive reports help uncover more impactful insights.
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Custom funnels: The advanced Funnel Analysis makes it easy to visualize conversion drop-offs.
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Cross-platform data: GA4 gives you a unified view of analytics data across websites, mobile apps, etc. in one place.
These capabilities allow power users to go deeper with analytics and get more value from their data.
How to Use Google Analytics 4 Reports
Now that you know what GA4 is and the key differences from Universal Analytics, let’s explore some of the main reports:
Realtime Report
The real-time report is a useful tool for monitoring your website activity as it happens.
For example, you can use it to:
- Verify your GA4 tracking is working properly
- Monitor traffic from campaigns or social media in real-time
- Check visitor locations to understand engagement
With MonsterInsights, you can also access real-time data directly in your WordPress dashboard. This allows you to take quick actions based on what’s happening on your site.
Acquisition Report
The acquisition report shows the main channels driving traffic to your website so you can optimize them.
For a website focused on organic traffic, key metrics to analyze are:
- Top referral sites giving traffic
- Top organic keywords by sessions
- New vs returning visitors from search engines
You can also enable UTMs for paid campaigns and analyze their performance in this report.
Engagement Report
The engagement report provides a detailed view of how visitors interact with your site beyond justsessions.
Important metrics to review are:
- Pages/session – How many pages users view
- Average engagement time – Time spent on site
- Top content – Your most popular pages
You can further segment the data by new vs returning users, geography, etc.
Conversions Report
If you have ecommerce or lead generation objectives, the conversions report is vital.
For ecommerce sites, you can analyze data like:
- Total revenue
- Top converting products
- Revenue by traffic source
- Purchase conversion funnel
For lead generation sites, view metrics like:
- Form submission volumes
- Lead quality by source
- Newsletter signups
This report allows you to identify opportunities to optimize conversion processes.
Audience Report
The audience report provides insights about your users – who they are, what they do, and how they convert.
Analyze metrics like:
- Location – Countries and cities
- Language
- New vs returning visitors
- Top devices used
You can create audience segments to uncover more insights about high value user groups.
Key Takeaways
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GA4 brings major changes to Google Analytics with a new event-based data model and reporting structure.
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Key benefits include enhanced privacy controls, powerful new analytics capabilities, and streamlined implementation.
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Focus on reports like realtime, engagement, conversions, and audience to drive insights.
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Leverage tools like MonsterInsights or custom dashboards to operationalize the data.
I hope this detailed guide gives you a comprehensive overview of Google Analytics 4 and how to use it in WordPress. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
