Is user data truly protected in the Google Analytics universe?

Think of your online information similar pieces of a jigsaw. All assembled, these marque a crystal wide representation of you – your IP address, interests, name, and truthful on. Look astatine 1 oregon 2 pieces astatine a clip though, and you can’t get overmuch from it.

This is what is considered just information collection. You’re consenting to stock segments of yourself, but not the full picture.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is partially astir making definite businesses similar Google don’t get capable idiosyncratic pieces to spot the full of you. This is besides wherefore their Analytics work is getting immoderate atrocious property astatine the moment, peculiarly successful Europe. 

The work is utilized to way some quantitative and qualitative accusation astir radical connected a website, specified arsenic however galore progressive users determination are and what their sex whitethorn be. Financial accusation similar gross oregon advertizing ROI is besides disposable if applicable to your website. In presumption of idiosyncratic data, determination is not capable to place idiosyncratic specifically, but determination is capable to assistance businesses recognize their demographics.

However, Italy precocious joined France and Austria successful ruling that Google Analytics is overstepping the boundaries of ‘fair collection’ and breaching GDPR rules.

While Google does anonymize information to a definite extent, determination were ever whispers that the IP addresses of users were easy accessible. These whispers soon became shouts erstwhile the Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA) recovered that Google wasn’t successful information doing capable to disguise these IP addresses, meaning users could beryllium easy identified.

At this point, the empire of exertion they’ve built is astir moving against the hunt giant. When they cod truthful overmuch data, those jigsaw pieces commencement to heap up rapidly and erstwhile they person each the tools to enactment the jigsaw together, that’s erstwhile countries similar Italy person to enactment their ft down.   

The statement of Italy, and soon to beryllium galore different regions, is that Google simply has excessively overmuch accusation that isn’t masked properly. This is acold beyond the emblematic fingerprints, radical permission arsenic they usage the internet. As the information utilized connected Google Analytics indispensable question done servers connected American soil, they besides see this a further usurpation – citing the 2020 Schrems II ruling successful particular. 

A batch of questions inactive remain. How volition this impact the SEO manufacture successful these countries? With GA4 inactive a just mode off, should concern owners enactment successful spot a antithetic solution? Which different countries volition travel suit – Japan, California, oregon immoderate different EU country?

I’ve teamed up with Laura from Ruler Analytics to bring you immoderate tips and facts to assistance you some understand, and woody with, what’s going on.

Move to GA4, the sooner the better

Google Analytics is acceptable for change. As of July 2023, Universal Analytics volition nary longer beryllium available. What precisely Google Analytics 4 volition yet look similar is uncertain astatine this point. 

But what we bash cognize is that you request to make a GA4 relationship sooner alternatively than later. 

By mounting it up now, you’ll person the historical information you request to use caller tools and features excessively down the line.

Remember, Google Analytics 4 volition lone connection you information retention for 14 months. Setting up GA4 present and learning however to usage the level volition wage dividends successful the aboriginal and support you prepared for the change. 

Even though the cooky decease is successful 2024, determination distant now

Invest successful first-party cookies. As we saw with iOS 14.5, advertisers similar Google and Facebook are hugely impacted erstwhile it comes to information tracking with third-party cookies.

First-party cookies are cookies that you own, that unrecorded connected your website. The information you cod and make is your own. And that means you person unbiased information that can’t beryllium removed astatine a whim’s notice.

Data autonomy, portion inactive respecting GDPR rules, is perfectly paramount for marketers. 

Manage the spot of your customers but besides cod the information you request to make personalized, trackable lawsuit journeys. 

Once the cornerstone of paid advertising, third-party cookies volition soon beryllium redundant with platforms similar Facebook and Google scrambling to make a replacement that inactive works for their advertizing models.

Stop relying connected Google Analytics for much than web analytics

Google Analytics is simply a web analytics platform. And a truly bully 1 astatine that too.

What Google Analytics is not, is simply a visitor-level gross analytics tool. 

That means you can’t entree information like: 

• Individual afloat lawsuit journeys
• Accurate selling source 
• Closed gross oregon pipeline generation 

But arsenic Google is continually looked upon unfavorably from a information extortion standpoint, it’s imaginable that we mightiness spot much countries combat against it. 

To hole for this, you request to benignant your data. 

Look astatine the tools you’re presently utilizing and however you tin marque your tools enactment smarter for you.  

Google Analytics volition proceed to beryllium a large instrumentality for knowing your website analytics. While it mightiness spot tighter restrictions connected the information it uses and shares, you should inactive get entree to wide website metrics. So, erstwhile it comes to accurately way users from your website and connecting them to closed leads and revenue, you request to beryllium looking elsewhere.

Marketing attribution is 1 specified instrumentality that tin help. It uses first-party cookies connected your website meaning you person full autonomy implicit your data. 

Summary

To wrapper up, the adjacent steps are clear. How we usage information is changing. And much importantly, however tech giants similar Google are being regulated connected information is changing arsenic well. 

To get up of it, acceptable up a Google Analytics 4 relationship archetypal and foremost. Next, look astatine what information you’re collecting and however you’re collecting it. Revaluate your data-capturing travel and practices. 

If you are tracking information similar pb conversions, oregon crave much penetration connected touchpoint data, past you request to reevaluate your selling tech stack.

Be prepared for the information that you mightiness suffer penetration into website visitant information and commencement looking for alternatives to marque definite you proceed to provender your tools the information they need.

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Matthew Rogers is Head of Campaign Management astatine the apical Manchester-based integer marketplace bureau Add People and has implicit 14 years of selling experience. You tin travel him connected LinkedIn here. He is besides a long-standing subordinate of the Click Z Collective Advisory Board.

Laura Caveney is Head of Marketing astatine Ruler Analytics. Laura has implicit 6 years of acquisition successful delivering end-to-end selling campaigns and discusses the trials and tribulations marketers look time to time connected her LinkedIn channel.

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