Full Media's GA4 Roadmap
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 is the next generation of the free web analytics platform offered by Google. As the most widely used web analytics service on the web, Google Analytics has undergone many updates and makeovers since its inception in 2005.
While some updates have been relatively minor when it comes to changes in the user interface or data collection, Google Analytics 4 will be a more significant update with a very different user interface and significant differences in how data is collected.
Full Media's GA4 Roadmap
Q2 2022
Digital Marketing Clients
- All of Full Media’s Digital Marketing clients will have a GA4 account setup and collecting data.
Q3 2022
Digital Marketing Clients
- All of Full Media’s Digital Marketing clients will have events and conversions setup and collecting data in GA4.
Website-only Clients
- View our support article for Website-only clients with a step-by-step guide to get your GA4 account setup.
Q4 2022
Digital Marketing Clients
- For any Digital Marketing clients using third-party platforms to collect additional data, like phone call conversions, contact form conversions, save my spots, online appointments and more, we will reach out with additional information and a plan for how to transition that tracking to GA4.
Q1 2023
Digital Marketing Clients
- Right now, GA4’s integration with Google Data Studio, Full Media’s reporting platform, is in beta. We hope that by 2023, this integration will be out of beta. At this time, we will begin transitioning over all of Full Media’s Digital Marketing reports to pull data from the new GA4.
Q2 2023
Digital Marketing Clients
- Full Media’s new Digital Marketing reports will go live and we will assist you and any stakeholders in understanding the new reports and any changes to the data based on GA4’s unique data collection model.
July 1st, 2023 – GA4 goes live
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Google doing this?
Over the past several years, both consumers and governments have become more concerned about online privacy and the responsibility of large technology companies to ensure that users have control over how their online data is collected and used. Google Analytics 4 is built with increased privacy controls for both consumers and businesses, and it’s also a transition away from cookie-based user tracking.
I’m happy with my current analytics and reporting. Do I have to move to GA4?
This transition isn’t optional – it’s required. All data collection in old Google Analytics properties will stop on July 1, 2023.
What will be different in GA4 compared to my current Google Analytics account?
A lot! The interface and reporting tools in GA4 look and function differently than your current Google Analytics account.
Some key changes:
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Instead of tracking users via cookies and IP addresses, it will use machine learning and predictive analytics to piece together the customer journey
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Easier event tracking for many of the types of interactions you might want to track, like clicks, page-scrolls, etc.
Will the data that I report on change?
Yes. Your reporting will change and the data that you report on may change too. Full Media is here to help update your reports, explain those changes and ensure that your organization will still understand the value of its marketing investments.
What will happen with my old data?
Google reports that after July 1, 2023, you’ll be able to access historic data in your old Google Analytics accounts for up to 6 months. At some point, however, your historic data will no longer be accessible.
Here are some ways you can preserve your historic data:
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If you are a Digital Marketing client, archive your reports from Full Media in an accessible folder to refer back to as needed.
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Finally, Full Media is also actively researching the Google Analytics Reporting API and Big Query to see if we can assist with importing historic data into our Digital Marketing clients’ GA4 properties.
I’m not a current client of Full Media’s, but I’m concerned about GA4 for my business. Can you help?
We may be able to! Feel free to reach out to us and let us know about your marketing and analytics needs.