Navigating GA4 and the New Era of Google Analytics

The Guest

Steve Lamar is a consultant specializing in Google Analytics 4 implementation, training, and workshops. Steve has worked every possible job in marketing including analyst, account director, SEO manager, and also as founder and CEO of PromoPrep, a marketing calendar and promotion management platform. He is an informative delight to follow on LinkedIn and he came on the podcast to talk about the new era of google analytics.

Why the switch to GA4?

The interview starts with a simple question, why did Google decide to make the switch from Universal Analytics to GA4 at all? Steve observes that the transition to GA4 to UA, and some of the initial frustrations users have been experiencing, stem from the evolving web landscape.

“UA has been around for a while, and the way the web is today is different than when UA was first developed,” says Steve. “GA4 emerged from Google's acquisition of Firebase, which had a strong emphasis on mobile, and this could be a contributing factor to some challenges, particularly in report generation, where more effort is needed compared to UA.”

What are the differences between UA and GA4?

When it comes to the key differences between UA and GA4, Steve emphasizes that metrics such as pages, views, actions, and conversions remain, but their setup and access in GA4 differ.

“Every business is different,” says Steve. “There’s so many different types of websites; DTC, e-commerce, content-driven, so figuring out your unique KPIs is the best way to guide you to the insights you’re looking to glean from GA4. The common metrics are available; pages, views, actions, conversions - that’s all still there, but it’s a little different in the backend how you set it up and access the reports. 

The Shift from Conversions to Key Events

In a notable change, GA4 recently moved from Conversions to Key Events, reflecting the platform's ongoing development and potential for future shifts.

“In December, GA4 announced they were switching Conversions to Key Events,” explains Steve. “There is a long list of Events, like clicks and engagement metrics, which is then parsed with Google Tag Manager to measure micro-actions, whereas conversions are last click things, purchases, form fills, which is a shorter list. UA had Goals, which could be interpreted and reported differently. But this switch might not stick. Because GA4 is a new product, there are going to be more starts and stops, as compared to UA – fundamental shifts can still happen overnight, and the real work is understanding how any changes will impact use.”

The changes to GA4 are so rapid, hours after we recorded the interview with Steve, there was a section of our conversation about Google Signals that was already out-dated, due to Google’s decision to sunset Signals. 

Bridging Data Between UA and GA4

Steve highlights the foundational differences in data tracking between UA and GA4. While basic tracking elements are similar, discrepancies arise in data interpretation, particularly in channel and source attribution.

“It’s tricky,” says Steve, “Because foundationally the two platforms track things differently. At a high level, it’s the same - users, traffic, views - it’s pretty similar. So those Core Events have not changed. Where you’re gonna see shifts is how the data is interpreted in GA4, once its captured, because attribution for sources and channels is different. Understanding shifts at the channel level is important. GA has never been accurate, so the real work is comparing and contrasting to find directionality.”

Analyzing with GA4

The focus, Steve suggests, should be on understanding the events occurring between a user's initial visit and their final action. This deeper analysis of the user journey is a key advantage of GA4.

“Some of the exciting things to look at are the events that happen between the first visit and final action,” says Steve. “Does someone watch a video you want that’s linked to a paid ad, how long did they watch? In GA4 there are lots of different ways to break down the in-between events and uncover these insights.” 

Conversion Tracking in GA4 vs UA

Steve points out that GA4 offers improved conversion attribution at the channel level, though with more complexity in attribution. He contrasts this with UA's approach, where a change in traffic source mid-session would reset the session.

“How GA4 brings conversions back to the channel level is good,” admits Steve, “But attribution is a bit more clouded. Imagine this scenario; a user comes to the site from a paid ads, before they check out they go looking for a coupon on an affiliate site, then they click on a link there, then it brings it back to your site and they check out. In UA, if the source of traffic changes mid-session, the session would break and start over. In GA4 all of that is contained in the Session/User, and the paid ads (first point) would get credit. 

For accurate conversion tracking in GA4, Steve advises using the Conversion Admin section and tools like Tag Manager to control event firing.

Data Storytelling with GA4

Businesses should use the transition to GA4 as an opportunity to reassess their data goals, focusing on what truly matters, whether it's engagement, conversions, or other metrics.

“It’s a good opportunity to reassess what kind of data and insights you are hoping to get from this,” says Steve. “A lot of times, with clients, I start with business questions first, then data management second. Less is more. Maybe you want to track engagement and interest more than conversions, if that’s important, then you can set those events up.”

To hear Steve’s one piece of advice for GA4, how he suggests agencies communicate the liquid landscape of GA4 to their clients, and if Steve prefers Barry Manilow or Neil Diamond, listen to the full show at the links provided above. 

The Links

Really Good Data (Steve’s GA4 Workshops)
Steve on LinkedIn
#Measure Slack Community

LISTEN TO THE FULL SHOW -> Stay tuned, stay curious and subscribe to What Gets Measured on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or add it as a Favorite on your podcast player of choice.