Google Analytics 4 hasn’t had the best start with marketers.
In fact, it’s getting pretty awkward: some advertisers are so disappointed with the new program that they’ve even held funerals for its predecessor, Universal Analytics.
But what is it about GA4 that has the digital marketing world so angry?
We decided to ask our readers in a GA4 readiness survey to find out. We have compiled a list of the most common complaints below. Let us know if you and your team can relate…
1. User interface
GA4’s user interface was by far the biggest issue reported by our readers.
The user interface was described as “slow”, “laughable” and a few other adjectives that we choose not to publish.
Independent sales and marketing contractor John Erikson told us:
“When selecting segments/dimensions in GA4, instead of the ability in Universal to select/deselect one or more segments in a single list and click ‘apply’, you must open the customization or add a comparison, click add filter, select a dimension. from a long drop-down menu, then select the dimension value from another drop-down menu, then apply (and you can only select one). “Of course, there’s only a difference of a few seconds, but when you look at many different patterns every day, it becomes frustrating to repeat these excessive UI movements over and over again when it used to be faster.” “This same drop-down structure used to create/edit GA4 reports. The dropdown lists are long and it’s hard to find what you’re looking for. You can type in partial names and find them faster once you know them, but initially it’s very difficult to scroll through them all and find what you want. “Also, you can only select one, so it’s hard to look at multiple dimensions/values. I don’t know the answer to fix this, but it seems clunky to use.
2. Data layer
Another major concern for vendors has been the same-day data lag in GA4.
Advertisers have stressed that they need the ability to constantly monitor performance and are confused as to why the new analytics platform does not appear to have this feature.
Ron Weber, Principal Director of Actian, explained:
“Data latency is a joke, taking 12 to 24 hours to report what’s going on prevents this from being an actionable tool.” “I wish I hadn’t been behind for the last few years so I could/would have noticed this sooner.” “Maybe Google will just move the compute power from UA -> GA4 to change that? [praying]!”
3. Data discrepancies
Vendors also expressed concern about discrepancies in GA4.
The differences in information had led to concerns that the data being published could therefore not be accurate, leading people to question whether they can trust GA4.
Sabine Walton, Senior SEO Manager at Handlerbund Marketplace, told us:
“What I find problematic is the discrepancy between the GA4 API and the respective Looker Studio plugin. Dimensions that are present in the API and even by default in the GA4 reporting interface are apparently missing in the Looker Studio plugin , for example, the dimension of the landing page.” “The Google team seems to be working on this, because at least the landing page dimension is present. But this also means that I have less than two days before the UA data collection ends; then adjust and check my many reports over and over again. “I’m as ready as the tool, but I certainly don’t feel like working with GA4 alone. I’m also thinking about looking into alternative tools to GA4.”
4. Difficult to use
Marketers have been reporting that GA4 is incredibly difficult to use.
Even seasoned advertisers find it challenging trying to navigate the new platform.
Marketing and SEO consultant Jason McDonald told Search Engine Land:
“GA4 is a disaster. It’s much more difficult to use than UA and completely unintuitive.” “It’s almost impossible to drill down by clicking like UA was possible. “It’s the Windows Vista of Google Analytics, and everyone in the know is afraid to publicly say it’s garbage. But everyone knows it’s rubbish.”
5. Lack of resources
With so many marketers struggling as they try to figure out GA4, many are wondering why Google hasn’t provided more educational resources explaining how the new tool works.
The Storis marketing team told us:
“I found most of the answers I was stuck on from taking private courses through SMX or eventually reaching a knowledgeable Google team member. “Their documentation was really lacking, especially where there were major changes or functional gaps. I kept trying to figure out how to replicate things that weren’t ported. “Also, many of the people on Google’s own team aren’t up to speed making support calls confusing.”
6. No basic option
Some advertisers explained that marketing does not wear a one-size-fits-all hat.
While some of the more complex settings may suit some, other professionals such as bloggers would like access to basic tools in GA4 and are wasting time and money trying to understand features they don’t need to use.
Eb Gargano of Productive Blogging told us:
“One of the things I’ve noticed is that many bloggers and online businesses have been completely losing their minds with GA4, wasting days (and in some cases weeks) stressing over it, when their time could have been much better spent somewhere else.” “The truth is that most bloggers and online businesses only need a simple setup and an understanding of basic reporting. But no one says that, and online business owners are afraid to believe that they need to spend a lot of money on expensive courses and plenty of time to create multiple custom reports.” “I think it’s a real shame that there isn’t a ‘GA4 Lite’ for users who just need basic data.”
7. Lack of features
Another common complaint from marketers who responded to our survey was the lack of features that GA4 offers compared to Universal Analytics.
Marketers seemed particularly concerned about the removal of attribution functions.
Elizabeth Rule, Account Manager and Local SEO Analyst at Sterling Sky, told us:
“I’ve been using GA4 as much as possible for the last month to get used to it, but it honestly feels like a nastier version of GA3 with less features that I really want to use. “I find myself wanting to go back to GA3 every time I use GA4, and it’s not because I’m too used to it. Some of the features I use every day are missing or extremely difficult to find in GA4.”
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8. Difficulty recreating reports
Customers and vendors alike have been desperately trying to recreate reports in GA4 that they previously relied on when using Universal Analytics.
Unfortunately, for many it seems that this task has turned out to be much more difficult than it should have been.
Tom Demers, co-founder and managing partner of SEO and PPC agency Measured SEM, told us:
“Customers are frustrated with recreating their existing reports in GA4, especially for specific cases, by recreating dashboards in third-party reporting tools, including Looker Studio.” “There is also a lot of work to recreate events/targets within GA4 (and confusion about not seeing these events in certain reports).”
9. Reports
Vendors also complained that they had difficulty creating reports in GA4, a problem that did not affect them when working with UA.
According to many marketers who participated in our survey, Google has made many unnecessary changes when creating reports, which makes their workload difficult.
Eric Bushaw, Search Engine Optimization Manager at G5, told us:
“Over time, I believe GA4 will enable greater vision than UA.” “That said, some of the seemingly arbitrary changes to how reporting can be done are frustrating. “Removing views, restrictions on how custom segments can be used, and other seemingly unnecessary changes will make life difficult for us once UA is real. disappeared”.
10. Errors
Several vendors contacted Search Engine Land to report bugs within GA4, claiming that many features did not work as intended. Issues flagged include sync issues with Looker Studio Dashboard and the new AMP script not working.
SEO consultant John McAlpin told us:
“The platform still has a lot of bugs and we find ourselves spending more time figuring out why attribution isn’t properly tagged and why the data is inconsistent.”
We don’t get scared
Marketers have found the forced migration from Universal Analytics to GA4 difficult, so it can be reassuring to know that this challenge is being felt across the industry.
But regardless of how difficult the adjustment has been, search marketing expert and SMX Advanced speaker Kayle Larkin told Search Engine Land that it’s important for marketers to get on board with the latest analytics program of Google, as it probably will be for a long time. She said:
“There’s an old saying that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.” “People use the Internet in completely different ways than they did in 2012, and I see GA4 as Google’s answer to future-proofing website analytics. The industry needs a free option.” “Marketers need to pause for a moment and think about what information is really helpful and useful, what they need to know.” “Himanshu Sharma said it well on LinkedIn: “It’s important to remember that we’re not in the business of data recovery. We’re in the business of analyzing data to improve ROI.” “Either way, you need to understand your data and how it supports your marketing initiatives.”
Larkin went on to explain that change within any platform and any industry can cause people to panic. But as time goes by, trust and familiarity builds, causing attitudes to change. She concluded:
“Everyone got mad when Facebook updated their interface and ‘couldn’t find anything’. It was ‘horrible’ and ‘the end of Facebook’.” “Since we use Facebook daily, this was quickly forgotten, and no one even remembers what it is. the old interface looked like.” “The response to the GA4 interface: You see the same reaction when any platform changes its interface. People don’t like change.” “But GA4 is highly customizable, and with LookerStudio, there are many options for getting your reports to visualize information and insights in a meaningful way.”
It went deeper
If you’re struggling to navigate GA4, why not sign up for a GA4 training course?
Alternatively, for information and free resources on how to use GA4, read the Google Analytics 4 Account Training Guide and Support guide
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