Google Analytics 4: drawbacks and limitations—is it worth sticking around?
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The totally free version of Google Analytics, Common Analytics, is the most widely employed world-wide-web analytics alternative. The system is so well-known that it dominates 86% current market share, earning Google the market place leader. But even while several look at Google Analytics the common, there are reasons to ask if it is the excellent decision for your marketing setup—especially due to the fact Google announced the sunset of Universal Analytics.
On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics houses will cease processing new hits, forcing buyers to change to its successor, Google Analytics 4. Even though this might appear like a pure development, marketers should really not be fooled.
The finding out curve will be steep—Google Analytics 4 is pretty much an solely new platform and even now developing. On best of that, Google Analytics pitfalls shedding the users’ trust because of to grey spots about the likes of privateness and data ownership.
With a privateness-targeted foreseeable future in advance, now is the time to request possibilities that much better harmony facts assortment with compliance. With a suitable analytics system, entrepreneurs make your knowledge selection as it should be: predictable and sustainable. Immediately after all, entrepreneurs and analysts want to approach person-level facts although building have faith in with their website visitors.
In this posting, we will dive into the challenges with Google Analytics 4 from a user perspective and from a privacy and compliance standpoint, so you can make an informed selection right before switching platforms.
Person standpoint: Google Analytics 4 is a step in the completely wrong way
Google Analytics 4 introduces an altered reporting and measurement technological know-how that is neither very well comprehended nor broadly recognized by the advertising community.
From a person expertise viewpoint, quite a few uncover GA4 complicated to navigate. But outside of that, there are a host of challenges with the function sets. Let us dig deeper into those restrictions:
There is no uncomplicated way to migrate your information
Migration is a sophisticated process and should be planned meticulously. Sadly, Google Analytics 4 does not make it any a lot easier. Without the need of data or tag migration, all historical info from Common 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 transfer. So, if entrepreneurs need to start off collecting data from scratch, they may possibly as nicely swap to a new analytic software program.
Not-so-intuitive user interface
The most distinguished problem entrepreneurs and analysts will probable come upon with Google Analytics 4 is the unfamiliarity with the new interface.
A new dashboard has quite a few straight away clear variations from what marketers are utilized to functioning. Hit sorts are vital to how Common Analytic qualities tackle all stats. Strike types involve page hits, function hits, eCommerce hits, and social interaction hits.
GA4 doesn’t have any concept of a strike type like Universal Analytics utilizes. Every thing in Google Analytics 4 is classified as an “event.” This is a large change.
In buy for marketers to have accomplishment on the new system, they will have to adapt rapidly to maintain the exact momentum they experienced with this former platform.
Limits on custom proportions
A personalized dimension is an attribute that marketers can configure in their analytics device to dive further into their info. It gives the solution to pivot or section this data to isolate a certain audience or visitors for deeper evaluation.
GA4 indeed allows for customized proportions to section experiences, but there is a rigid restrict. You can only have up to 25 person-scoped custom dimensions and up to 50 occasion-scoped personalized dimensions per assets.
Deficiency of custom channel grouping
Channel groupings are rule-centered groupings of marketing and advertising channels. When customized, these groupings permit entrepreneurs to monitor the overall performance of individuals channels effectively.
Not like Common Analytics, GA4 does not allow you to make customized channel groupings in the new interface. Rather, entrepreneurs will only be able to use their default channel groupings.
Motivations behind the short deadline
The deadline Google has left the analytics community to act is startling. There are many speculations as to why this may possibly be, including:
- Google may perhaps have been upset with the velocity of adoption for Google Analytics 4 and determined to act decisively.
- Google circumventing some of the lawful heat that Universal Analytics is going through in the EU.
- Google wanting to lower charges and rid by itself of complex personal debt involved with countless numbers of sites with legacy remedies set up. Considering the fact that GA4 is built to assistance Google’s advertising and marketing network, it assures more earnings than the competition.
Now there is a concrete deadline to make the switch, marketers will will need to make your mind up whether or not they want to start adjusting to Google Analytics 4 or begin afresh with a new system.
Privateness and compliance: Google Analytics 4 has a extended way to go
If a firm operates in several countries, internet marketing teams will have to have to be aware of the several challenges ensuing from the obligations of both of those neighborhood facts privacy regulations and global rules.
Data safety legislation consistently shifting and restricted safety rules only complicate items additional. Examining the tea leaves, we consider GA4 will not final lengthy in Europe. Here’s why:
Google Analytics violates European law
Google tends to make it difficult to acquire information in line with the General Information Protection Regulation (GDPR), which aims to restore control of private knowledge to end users and prospects. The regulation involves you to acquire express consent when processing personal data. Failure to comply with this provision can outcome in hefty fines or even prosecution.
The modern conclusion of the Austrian Facts Safety Authority (DSB), states that the use of Google Analytics constitutes a violation of GDPR. This usually means that organizations engaged in collecting, storing, and processing data about EU citizens have to change their guidelines and introduce serious technological adjustments to be GDPR-compliant.
There is no clear guideline wherever the data is connected by way of Google Analytics
A Google tutorial implies info is transferred to the closest Google Analytics server hub. On the other hand, the information may well be saved in a geographic location that does not have suitable privacy security to the EU.
Recently introduced characteristics in GA4 partially handle this problem by making it possible for the initial component of details collection (and anonymization) on European servers. Nonetheless, info can, and most probable will, be sent to the U.S.
The long run of advertising demands users’ consent
Whether or not it be the details excellent, resource limitations, deficiency of privacy-friendly options, or transparency in handling facts, we consider entrepreneurs will probably take into consideration switching platforms.
Piwik Pro excluds the privateness and compliance challenges involved with Google Analytics, making it possible for entrepreneurs to obtain knowledge predictably and sustainably. The person interface and attribute sets are similar to Common Analytics, so marketers and analysts experience at residence when switching to our platform.
If you would like to study much more about Google Analytics possibilities or get a lot more information and facts on the Piwik Professional Analytics Suite, pay a visit to piwik.professional.
Still undecided? Test out our article on addressing the fears about switching to an different analytics alternative and the analytic attitude you need to be using: Switching from Google Analytics—here’s what you require to know.
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