How To Use GA4 : Your Questions Answered

A few weeks ago, I surveyed my audience about GA4. I decided to answer the questions and comments about how to use GA4 in this post to help everyone.

What is GA4? Do I Need It?

GA4 is the latest free version of Google's web analytics platform, which provides website owners and digital marketers with valuable insights about website traffic, user behavior, and performance.  Honestly, if you have a website and want to know which of your online marketing efforts are working, having Google Analytics installed on it is a must.

What Are The Difference Between UA (the old analytics) And GA4?

Per Google, GA4 provides several benefits over the previous version (Universal Analytics), including:

• Enhanced cross-device tracking (since mobile is becoming more and more common)
• More accurate data tracking and reporting
• Integration with Google Ads (although Universal Analytics also did this)
• Simplified event tracking and measurement
• Enhanced data privacy controls

Setting Up GA4 & Metrics To Review

I've written blog posts on these already. You can find them linked below:

Guide To Setting Up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) On Your Website

Metrics To Review In Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

How To Create Conversions In GA4

Learn how to set up conversions in GA4 like a pro in the video below. I tested this process on multiple sites, so I know it works. Make sure to have two tabs of Analytics open – one with Universal Analytics and one with GA4 – and pause my video as much as needed while you set up conversions.

How To View Social Media Data

GA4 doesn't (yet) offer a straightforward way to see which social media platforms are driving traffic to your site. But don't worry, I've got you covered! In this video, I share a clever workaround that lets you set up your own custom report. You'll be able to dive deep into your social media analytics and uncover valuable insights.

Reports & Dashboards – Where To Find The Info

If you know me, you know I have not been a fan of GA4, but I understand how important the data is to my business (and my clients), so I am adapting. I don't think that GA4 is very intuitive, and I believe it hurts small business owners (where it was designed to help large corporations and companies with multiple websites/apps).

The section above this shows you how to create a social media report in GA4. However, if you are anything like me, you want to see everything in one place in an easy-to-read format.

That's exactly why I created the GA4 Monthly Metrics report. I want to make reading and understanding the GA4 data as easy as possible for you, so that you can make data-driven marketing decisions for your business – in a timely manner. Click the image below for more info.

In conclusion . . .

The final question on the survey was – do you have any questions about GA4? And one of the comments was:

No – because I have you!

– email subscriber and client

All of my clients automatically receive the GA4 Monthly Metrics report as part of their package.

Want to know more about working with me? Check out my services and schedule a discovery call here.

Additional questions on GA4? Complete the contact form or DM me on Instagram.