One topic that we go over quite frequently is Google Analytics 4, but we believe there are some key distinctions between it and the version of Google Analytics that is currently in use that we should bring to your attention, lets dive in!
In addition to being a new version of analytics software, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is also an altogether new analytics platform. This indicates that the dealer runs the risk of losing ownership of their new GA4 installation if they are not careful. Due to the fact that GA4 is a brand-new installation, many agencies and website firms are now setting up dealership GA4 accounts under their corporate master accounts. This means that the dealership does not control the account. The GA4 accounts that dealers create must be distinct from one another, and the dealers themselves must be the administrators of the new accounts.
Then why has there been so much recent buzz regarding GA4? Users will be required to transition over to Google Analytics 4 as of the 1st of July, 2023, since the current version of Google Analytics Universal will no longer be able to gather new data. In addition, none of the data from the existing GA Universal reporting system will be included in GA4. Therefore, astute dealers are now putting their own tracking systems into place, with the goal of having many months' worth of tracking data in place before the momentous day of July 1 arrives.
The most significant changes brought forth by GA4 concern the manner in which the system records users and sessions, in addition to the weight that is given to recording events. The current version of GA Universal is page-based and focuses almost entirely on clicks. Events, which are triggers that fire within a website when specific behaviors occur, are at the center of the new GA4, which centers its attention on events. For example, when a mobile shopper chooses a website phone number that is clickable, a Google Analytics event is fired in the background so that the dealer may measure the number of phone calls. Naturally, we are able to trace not only the total number of phone calls, but also the digital source, all the way down to the level of the campaign or keyword. Digital marketers are now able to track the source as well as the quantity of every conversion event thanks to GA4 events. There are also a variety of built-in events available with GA4, such as the scrolling of pages, playing of videos, and finishing of videos. GA4 makes far more use of events and also sends extra information, such as the year, make, model, and trim from the car description page, through the events (VDP). By providing GA4 with this extra knowledge, the system can be designed to give more automotive-centric reporting, specifically regarding which vehicles are garnering the greatest interaction and conversions.
Today's website engagement metrics like bounce rate, pages per session, and average session time are rendered obsolete by GA4, which also eliminates them entirely. All of them are being phased out in favor of a single indicator known as engaged sessions. This strategy appeals to me because the other indicators have always moved simultaneously, and it also makes reporting much easier. A session is considered to be engaged if it lasts for more than ten seconds, if it results in a conversion event, or if it has at least two page visits. The setting for 10 seconds can be altered in ten-second increments, all the way up to sixty seconds. Note that Google has recently reintroduced the bounce rate in response to several requests; however, this statistic is basically just the opposite of the engagement rate, which means that there is effectively just one engagement metric.
The way in which the system manages sessions as opposed to users is the final big change that was made with Google Analytics 4. GA4 includes a new statistic that reports on active users in addition to users and sessions. GA4 also reports on both. The idea behind GA4 reporting is to monitor groups of users over any given period of time, beginning with the first time they visit a dealer's website and continuing through any subsequent visits, regardless of whether or not they convert. If a dealership's sponsored Facebook campaign generated less active users in the most recent thirty days compared to the number of active users generated by the same paid Facebook campaign in the most recent thirty days, the dealership would know that the size of their consumer funnel is decreasing. Within GA4, there are two types of reports: user reports and session reports. The user reports concentrate on first-time visitors, active users, the buying behavior of these users, and the likelihood that they will convert. The session reports include information on the amount of traffic, the purchasing behavior of the traffic, and the conversion propensity of the traffic.