Google Analytics 4 & organic traffic data: A quick discussion with Marie Haynes and Dana DiTomaso

1 year ago 256
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About Dana Ditomaso

Dana is President & Partner astatine Kick Point, wherever she helps radical and teams bash amended marketing. Alongside the squad astatine Kick Point, Dana pushes radical and teams to acceptable goals and way information truthful that they recognize what strategies and tactics bring worth and what is conscionable a discarded of money. Dana speaks astatine conferences astir reporting and analytics, SEO, and marque gathering and is the play exertion columnist connected CBC Edmonton AM. 


About Marie Haynes

marie haynes successful  achromatic  and white

Marie is the laminitis of MHC, a integer selling bureau that specializes successful knowing and improving website prime successful Google’s eyes. MHC is known for their enactment connected improving E-A-T and each different aspects of tract quality.

How bash you replicate the integrated postulation illustration successful Google Analytics 4?

Marie: In Universal Analytics, we could easy look astatine integrated postulation to a website and pinpoint whether it changed connected the day of a known Google update. Can we replicate this illustration oregon thing akin successful Google Analytics 4?

Dana: Yes, if you spell to Reports > Acquisition > User oregon Traffic Acquisition and past click connected the Organic Search dot beneath the “over time” illustration to item that line.

The quality betwixt User Acquisition vs Traffic Acquisition – idiosyncratic is users (if you person a login oregon if Google Signals is really capable to place users), and postulation is sessions.

If you privation to lone amusement organic, click the “Add Comparison” fastener astatine the top, prime Include Dimension “Session Medium”, prime organic, and past apply. You tin past region the “All Users” fastener astatine the apical if you lone privation to spot organic.

Additionally, you tin customize immoderate study successful Google Analytics 4 by clicking the pencil icon astatine apical close and past selecting what dimensions/metrics and charts you privation to see. That tin marque this process a spot easier for repetition visits.

How bash you comparison twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth information successful Google Analytics 4?

Marie: In Universal Analytics, we often comparison fluctuations successful postulation with the erstwhile year’s postulation to find if the tract was impacted by an algorithmic update oregon immoderate different imaginable mentation successful twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth postulation changes. Can we comparison year-over-year information successful Google Analytics 4 the aforesaid mode we would successful Universal Analytics?

Dana: Yes you can! In the day power determination is simply a “compare” slider, click that and past prime your examination period. I peculiarly bask the “match time of week” enactment which was not successful Universal Analytics.

The instrumentality present is that you request to acceptable up Google Analytics 4 ASAP truthful that you tin commencement gathering information for a year-over-year comparison!

Can we inactive usage our downloaded information from Universal Analytics?

Marie: If we downloaded our information from Universal Analytics, volition we beryllium capable to really usage it erstwhile the Universal Analytics interface goes away?

Dana:  The question is “use it where” — determination are immoderate analytics alternatives who are offering oregon volition connection Universal Analytics imports, but who you prime volition beryllium connected what you privation to do. Likely the astir flexible method is to get the information into BigQuery and study successful Google Data Studio.

There are decidedly respective instrumentality providers retired determination close present moving connected solutions for the Universal Analytics information problem, and I volition beryllium definite to station astir them arsenic we trial them retired oregon perceive affirmative experiences astir them from different people.

How bash you link Google Analytics 4 with Google Search Console?

Marie: Can we link Google Analytics 4 and Search Console? If so, what tin we bash with this data?

Dana: Yes you can! Go into the admin (wheel astatine the bottommost left), prime “Search Console Links”, click Link, find your profile, prime your web watercourse (you’ll astir apt lone person one!), and past Submit. After a delay, you should spot a caller Search Console conception successful your Reports tab.

Right present the lone 2 reports provided by default are Queries and Google Organic Search Traffic. There’s much accusation astir the information successful these reports here (However, I inactive truly similar blending GA information with GSC information successful Google Data Studio.)

What are immoderate alternatives to utilizing Google Analytics 4?

Marie: I’ve heard respective radical accidental that Google Analytics 4 is not designed for SMBs. Will you beryllium recommending a determination to a antithetic bundle for analytics for immoderate of your clients? If so, which one(s) are you considering?

Dana: I would hold with that – I deliberation SMBs are going to conflict with this interface and astir concern owners volition request idiosyncratic internally / an bureau that tin assistance them out. We are investigating Fathom and Matomo but I’m definite much recommendations volition travel up arsenic well. 

Keep successful mind: tracking is getting harder, not easier and the analytics instrumentality you usage won’t hole that. Between ITP (Safari, Firefox), advertisement blockers, etc — radical bash not privation to beryllium tracked, truthful you’re making decisions based connected little data. Look astatine trends, not absolutes!

Marie: Thank you Dana for chatting! You tin get her people to assistance you migrate to Google Analytics 4 here.

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