Future-Proofing Measurement: Embracing Google Analytics 4

By Francis Kuttivelil, Head of Technology, and Gauthier Rochas, Analytics Director

Recently, Google made headlines by further delaying its cookie deprecation timeline, leaving the industry uncertain about when, or even if, it will happen. Read our view on this U-turn from Dane Buchanan, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, here.

Despite this ambiguity, other privacy-first measures are still moving full steam ahead. Case in point: the transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and deprecation of Universal Analytics (UA). While fairly straightforward, this shift is necessary to help advertisers thrive in an increasingly data-driven and privacy-centric world.

What is GA4, and Why Was the Shift from UA Necessary?

Google Analytics 4 is not a new product, but the shift to 100% compliance represents an important shift in how advertisers approach analytics.

Unlike its predecessor, GA4 is designed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the customer journey across devices and platforms. The solution offers several enhanced capabilities, such as more sophisticated data models, better integration with Google Ads, and advanced machine learning capabilities. These features allow marketers to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and make more informed decisions about their marketing strategies.

That said, GA4 is built on the foundation of UA, so most core functionalities and data tracking methods remain familiar. This ensures a fairly seamless transition, as marketers maintain access to many of the same metrics and reports they are accustomed to, albeit with enhanced capabilities.

The key differences fall into three categories: data models, conversion and attribution, and cross-platform event collection.

1. Data Models

While Universal Analytics follows a session and hit-based data model, GA4 follows an event-based model, wherein events serve as the primary unit of measurement and analysis. Events are much more granular and specifically capture user actions and interactions, like clicks, checkouts, and purchases.

Unlike Universal Analytics, events in GA4 don’t include predefined category, action, and label fields, which gives advertisers more flexibility in defining user tracking frameworks.

2. Conversion & Attribution

Universal Analytics offered several pre-defined attribution models and relied on a last non-direct click model by default. Under this model, full credit for each conversion was assigned to the last channel that referred the user, excluding direct traffic.

Google Analytics 4 allows advertisers to create custom attribution models and define their own rules for assigning credit to different touchpoints. By default, it relies on data-driven attribution, which uses probabilistic statistical modeling to attribute credit to all touchpoints along a user journey.

3. Bridging Web + App

Before GA4, web and app measurement were separate on Google. Universal Analytics was used for websites and measured goals, while Firebase was used for apps and measured events. UA also measured screen views in separate mobile-specific properties. All of this made it more difficult to track single-user movements across devices.

Google Analytics 4 combines both web and app data within the same property, and events and conversions are reported the same whether they happened in an app or on a website. GA4 also offers a User ID feature to associate identifiers with individual users and connect their behavior across sessions, devices, and platforms.

What’s Next? Fully Embracing GA4

On July 1, 2024, Universal Analytics was fully sunset and the migration to GA4 for all advertisers was complete.

However, UA deprecation and the transition to GA4 shouldn’t be a major disruption for marketers. The most significant change will come from how brands utilize the new data and integrate it into their overall media strategy.

At M&C Saatchi Performance, we understand the nuances of this transition and offer tailored solutions to support our partners every step of the way.

• Seamless transition support: 

Ensure easy setup of new Google properties and comprehensive training and support.

• Campaign analysis & optimization: 

Integrate GA4 into new and existing campaigns to provide deeper insights and improve performance. By leveraging new GA4 insights, we can also support real-time optimization across all media sources and marketing efforts.

• 360 media strategy: 

Google Analytics 4 is most powerful when integrated within a full 360-degree strategy. Combining GA4 data with other media channels and data sources ensures that every touchpoint is optimized and aligned with overall business goals. M&C Saatchi Performance can help connect the dots to ensure that all analytics, media channels, and marketing efforts work harmoniously.

The shift to GA4 is a significant milestone in the world of digital analytics, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right support and strategy, this change can be a major opportunity for growth and success across channels and media.

Watch our Future Proofing Measurement Video series.

Interested in finding out how we ensure holistic media measurement for clients? Watch a series of videos from the Data & Analytics team explaining various elements of their approach to media measurement.

• What is the Measurement Trifecta?
• How Attribution fits into a Measurement Framework
• What is Incrementality Testing
• Attribution & Incrementality Testing, what is the difference?
• The Importance of Media Mix Modeling
• The Importance of a Unified Measurement Framework
• Key Measurement Takeaways

Contact us for more insights and to learn how M&C Saatchi Performance helps advertisers navigate GA4 and ensures their measurement is future-proofed.