In recent episodes, we’ve discussed the SEO and organic tracking implications of the switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, but how GA 4 helps with paid campaigns, affiliate campaigns, Google Ads, campaign tracking with IDs, etc. ?
Krista Seiden of KS Digital and former VP of Quantcast joined me at the SEJ Show to discuss the ins and outs of GA 4 for paid campaigns and other opportunities digital marketers will face with the output of Google Analytics UA.
One of the misconceptions is that this product isn’t there yet, and I’d go back a little bit and say that it’s constantly evolving and a lot of new stuff has come out. So take the time to learn how to use the tool and understand what’s really there. –Krista Seiden, 4:55
Don’t expect your data to be exactly the same between UA and GA4. So even things like sessions and user accounts will be different because GA4 calculates these things in different ways in Universal Analytics. –Krista Seiden, 44:41
I don’t think this term will change. I would suggest you take this seriously. If you don’t start moving now, you probably won’t be able to pull your data from a year into GA4. The sooner it is applied, the more historical data you will have in GA4 to compare against. – Krista Seiden, 10:09 p.m
[00:00] – About Krista and her internal background at Google Analytics.
[03:23] – Common misconceptions about GA4.
[05:20] – Is there more customization with GA4?
[07:10] – Hesitations with the transfer.
[08:42] – New feature releases with GA4.
[12:57] – Why create reports with GA4 when you can use Google Data Studio?
[16:08] – How is GA4 in regards to GDPR?
[19:33] – Transition differences with GA360 and GA4360.
[24:30] – What to expect with GA4.
[26:18] – Can you better define direct traffic with GA4?
[27:22] – Changes affecting PPC.
[30:53] – Differences between goals and conversions.
[34:15] – Reason why the data retention period is only two months by default in GA4.
[35:18] – Recommendations for getting started with GA4.
[41:04] – Does Krista recommend an alternative?
Resources mentioned:
https://ksdigital.co/academy/
https://join.measure.chat
It’s nice that we now have this ability to really customize the GA4 UI. So, for example, we can choose which reports to show or not for people in our organizations. –Krista Seiden, 5:44
GA4 is much more privacy focused than Universal Analytics. –Krista Seiden, 4:41 p.m
I’m sure there will be a lot of people waiting until the last minute. So don’t wait until the last minute. Like we said, if you need to, just go ahead and drop that tag on your site now. –Loren Baker, 49:18
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Connect with Krista Seiden:
Krista Seiden is a skilled and experienced analytics leader who has led teams at Adobe and Google. Additionally, he has led optimization initiatives for companies such as The Apollo Group and Quantcast. As an expert in analysis and optimization methodology, she has become one of the most sought-after consultants in the sector.
Her experience led her to start KS Digital, an analytics consultancy in 2019, helping companies optimize their investments in digital marketing and analytics.
In addition to being dedicated and hardworking, she also contributes occasional guest posts to leading industry publications such as the Google Analytics blog. When not working, she likes to travel as much as possible!
Connect with Krista on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristaseiden/
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristaseiden
Visit their website:
Connect with Loren Baker, founder of Search Engine Journal:
Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker
Connect with him on LinkedIn:
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