The sunset date for Universal Analytics 360 properties has been moved from October 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, as Google prepares to sunset the feature.
Google has just made several updates to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), including a new homepage design, real-time behavioral modeling reports, and custom channel categorization.
Machine Learning Provides Insights
With real-time reporting, advertisers can view a complete picture of client behavior as it happens, preserving user privacy. With machine learning, behavior modeling fills in the gaps in your familiarity with customer behavior when cookies and other identifiers are unavailable.
Advertisers will soon be able to receive real-time updates to track customers across devices and channels as they happen.
Customers will now see a tailored home page experience when they visit AdWords. It includes real-time behavior and the most popular reports, machine-learning-driven trends, and idea generation.
Achieve Better ROI Through Integrations
Data-driven attribution (DDA)
Google Ads has been using data-driven attribution (DDA) since the beginning of GA4. Custom channel grouping will be released soon, which allows advertisers to combine various channels and evaluate cost-per-acquisition and return on ad investment using data-driven attribution. For example, paid search brand performance will be comparable to non-branded campaign performance.
Integration with Campaign Manager 360
This integration will give you a more comprehensive picture of your campaign performance and web and app behavioral metrics.
The GA4 Setup Assistant Process Updates
To make the migration to GA4 as painless as possible, Google will automatically set up standard UA users’ GA4 properties next year. You can opt-out of using the Setup Assistant if you wish. Google has created a step-by-step guide to help you migrate to GA4 if you prefer not to use the Setup Assistant. If you want to use the Setup Assistant, you can access it in the Admin area of your UA account.
Google says Setup Assistant, due to be released early next year, will create a new Google Analytics 4 property for each standard UA property that does not already have one. You should also note that the new GA4 properties will be connected with the corresponding UA properties to match their privacy and collection settings and offer the same basic features, such as goals and Google Ads links.
360 Customers Have to Meet New Migration Deadlines
Google is urging 360 customers to push the migration deadline from October 2023 to July 2024 so that the migration will be successful:
“We understand that configuring Google Analytics 4 to fit your requirements takes time and resources, particularly for large businesses with complex Analytics 360 setups. To allow enterprise customers more time to transition to Google Analytics 4, we are delaying the sunset date of Universal Analytics 360 properties from October 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024.”
Dig Deeper – More information about the new features is available on the Google Marketing blog.
Most advertisers are delaying the implementation of the new Analytics property in GA4 until the last minute. That may be an overstatement, but it’s an inconvenient thorn in the marketing garden.
It’s time to get started on GA4 if you haven’t already. Start collecting data using the Setup Assistant immediately, and come back later to create new dashboard and view combinations. These new features are only beneficial if you use the product.
You might also like: Google Creates Ads Distinguishable From Organic Results.
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