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Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Addressing Complaints and Upcoming Developments

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has been met with some complaints from users since its launch. To get to the bottom of these issues, MarTech interviewed Russ Ketchum, product director of Google Analytics. In this three-part series, Ketchum discussed how to recreate Universal Analytics' reports, how to use the UA 360 features in GA4, and address the complaints around GA4. The most common complaints around GA4 include that it does not do as much as Universal Analytics (UA), it is only for analytical experts and big businesses, and the learning curve is too steep. Ketchum clarified that businesses' impression of GA4 is heavily informed by when they started using it. He also mentioned that the Explore Module has design characteristics similar to UA, and can give businesses the wrong impression. Ketchum further elaborated that the goal of GA4 was to create “use case parity” over “feature parity”. This means that there should be one way to accomplish one use case, which makes it simpler to use. He also mentioned that GA4 is designed to be more realistic about the business environment and be flexible enough to adapt to new privacy expectations and regulations. To make the transition from UA to GA4 smoother, Google has created a range of help materials such as the help centre, training videos, and the Analytics Academy. Additionally, businesses can customise their GA4 to bring back familiar metrics and dimensions. Ketchum also shared some of the areas Google is investing in for GA4. This includes API-UI parity, new data import options, advanced machine learning, and greater dimensions and metrics flexibility. For those who are interested, Ketchum also noted that Google is working on updates to attribution modelling within connected platforms. Overall, Google is aware of the complaints around GA4 and is actively working to address them. With the updates and resources available, businesses can look forward to a smoother transition and more powerful features in GA4.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has been met with some complaints from users since its launch. To get to the bottom of these issues, MarTech interviewed Russ Ketchum, product director of Google Analytics. In this three-part series, Ketchum discussed how to recreate Universal Analytics' reports, how to use the UA 360 features in GA4, and address the complaints around GA4. The most common complaints around GA4 include that it does not do as much as Universal Analytics (UA), it is only for analytical experts and big businesses, and the learning curve is too steep. Ketchum clarified that businesses' impression of GA4 is heavily informed by when they started using it. He also mentioned that the Explore Module has design characteristics similar to UA, and can give businesses the wrong impression. Ketchum further elaborated that the goal of GA4 was to create “use case parity” over “feature parity”. This means that there should be one way to accomplish one use case, which makes it simpler to use. He also mentioned that GA4 is designed to be more realistic about the business environment and be flexible enough to adapt to new privacy expectations and regulations. To make the transition from UA to GA4 smoother, Google has created a range of help materials such as the help centre, training videos, and the Analytics Academy. Additionally, businesses can customise their GA4 to bring back familiar metrics and dimensions. Ketchum also shared some of the areas Google is investing in for GA4. This includes API-UI parity, new data import options, advanced machine learning, and greater dimensions and metrics flexibility. For those who are interested, Ketchum also noted that Google is working on updates to attribution modelling within connected platforms. Overall, Google is aware of the complaints around GA4 and is actively working to address them. With the updates and resources available, businesses can look forward to a smoother transition and more powerful features in GA4.

Originally reported by Martech: https://martech.org/separating-fact-from-fiction-how-real-are-the-problems-with-ga4/
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