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The totally free model of Google Analytics, Universal Analytics, is the most greatly applied net analytics option. The system is so well known that it dominates 86% sector share, creating Google the sector chief. But even nevertheless lots of take into account Google Analytics the standard, there are causes to inquire if it is the great preference for your marketing setup—especially due to the fact Google announced the sunset of Common Analytics.
On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics attributes will cease processing new hits, forcing buyers to switch to its successor, Google Analytics 4. Although this may well seem to be like a pure development, entrepreneurs should not be fooled.
The studying curve will be steep—Google Analytics 4 is almost an fully new system and nevertheless producing. On prime of that, Google Analytics dangers shedding the users’ have faith in due to gray parts about the likes of privateness and knowledge ownership.
With a privacy-targeted long run forward, now is the time to seek out solutions that far better balance details collection with compliance. With a appropriate analytics platform, marketers make your data assortment as it should be: predictable and sustainable. After all, marketers and analysts want to approach consumer-degree data even though developing believe in with their visitors.
In this posting, we will dive into the challenges with Google Analytics 4 from a user standpoint and from a privacy and compliance standpoint, so you can make an informed decision in advance of switching platforms.
Person viewpoint: Google Analytics 4 is a move in the wrong way
Google Analytics 4 introduces an altered reporting and measurement technological innovation that is neither well recognized nor commonly accepted by the marketing community.
From a consumer encounter point of view, a lot of find GA4 demanding to navigate. But past that, there are a host of problems with the function sets. Enable us dig further into those people restrictions:
There is no uncomplicated way to migrate your facts
Migration is a advanced system and should really be planned diligently. Regretably, Google Analytics 4 does not make it any easier. Without having info or tag migration, all historical details from Universal Analytics will not be transferred to the new system.
The problem only grows with the organization’s size—you can have hundreds of tags to move. So, if marketers have to start out collecting info from scratch, they may well as very well switch to a new analytic software program.
Not-so-intuitive consumer interface
The most well known obstacle entrepreneurs and analysts will probably experience with Google Analytics 4 is the unfamiliarity with the new interface.
A new dashboard has quite a few straight away evident variations from what entrepreneurs are utilized to working. Hit sorts are vital to how Common Analytic qualities deal with all stats. Strike types consist of site hits, celebration hits, eCommerce hits, and social conversation hits.
GA4 does not have any idea of a hit variety like Universal Analytics takes advantage of. Every thing in Google Analytics 4 is categorized as an “event.” This is a massive change.
In order for marketers to have achievement on the new platform, they will have to adapt quickly to maintain the similar momentum they experienced with this previous platform.
Limitations on custom dimensions
A personalized dimension is an attribute that marketers can configure in their analytics resource to dive deeper into their information. It provides the selection to pivot or section this facts to isolate a specific viewers or targeted traffic for further investigation.
GA4 indeed permits for custom made proportions to segment studies, but there is a demanding limit. You can only have up to 25 consumer-scoped customized dimensions and up to 50 celebration-scoped personalized dimensions for each residence.
Absence of tailor made channel grouping
Channel groupings are rule-dependent groupings of marketing channels. When personalized, these groupings permit marketers to observe the overall performance of those people channels successfully.
Unlike Common Analytics, GA4 does not let you to develop personalized channel groupings in the new interface. Instead, marketers will only be capable to use their default channel groupings.
Motivations powering the quick deadline
The deadline Google has left the analytics community to act is startling. There are a lot of speculations as to why this may be, which includes:
- Google may perhaps have been upset with the pace of adoption for Google Analytics 4 and made a decision to act decisively.
- Google circumventing some of the authorized heat that Universal Analytics is struggling with in the EU.
- Google wanting to slash prices and rid alone of specialized personal debt affiliated with 1000’s of internet websites with legacy methods set up. Considering that GA4 is built to help Google’s advertising community, it guarantees more earnings than the competitiveness.
Now there is a concrete deadline to make the switch, marketers will need to have to make your mind up whether or not they want to commence changing to Google Analytics 4 or start afresh with a new system.
Privacy and compliance: Google Analytics 4 has a extensive way to go
If a firm operates in multiple nations, marketing teams will will need to be mindful of the quite a few troubles ensuing from the obligations of each community facts privacy regulations and intercontinental laws.
Details defense legislation continually altering and limited security restrictions only complicate points further. Looking through the tea leaves, we imagine GA4 will not very last very long in Europe. Here’s why:
Google Analytics violates European legislation
Google tends to make it tricky to collect data in line with the Typical Details Protection Regulation (GDPR), which aims to restore management of individual facts to end users and consumers. The regulation involves you to get hold of express consent when processing individual data. Failure to comply with this provision can result in significant fines or even prosecution.
The new conclusion of the Austrian Information Defense Authority (DSB), states that the use of Google Analytics constitutes a violation of GDPR. This means that corporations engaged in accumulating, storing, and processing data about EU citizens have to modify their guidelines and introduce really serious technological alterations to be GDPR-compliant.
There is no clear guideline exactly where the information is connected via Google Analytics
A Google tutorial implies knowledge is transferred to the closest Google Analytics server hub. However, the information may well be saved in a geographic place that does not have ample privacy protection to the EU.
Freshly released characteristics in GA4 partly handle this problem by letting the very first aspect of knowledge collection (and anonymization) on European servers. Nevertheless, data can, and most likely will, be despatched to the U.S.
The long term of marketing requires users’ consent
Regardless of whether it be the knowledge quality, device restrictions, absence of privacy-helpful options, or transparency in handling data, we imagine entrepreneurs will likely look at switching platforms.
Piwik Pro excluds the privacy and compliance concerns connected with Google Analytics, enabling marketers to acquire data predictably and sustainably. The consumer interface and function sets are equivalent to Universal Analytics, so marketers and analysts really feel at dwelling when switching to our system.
If you would like to learn far more about Google Analytics possibilities or get far more information and facts on the Piwik Pro Analytics Suite, check out piwik.pro.
Still undecided? Check out out our article on addressing the concerns about switching to an different analytics remedy and the analytic way of thinking you should be having: Switching from Google Analytics—here’s what you have to have to know.
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