Google Analytics 4 now runs at full speed. Users still face missing leads, gaps in events and confusing reports. GA4 brings fixes.
It tracks leads automatically when you mark “lead generation.” It lets you add colored notes inside reports, so you never miss site changes.
GA4 tracks many user actions automatically. It follows scrolls and clicks. It records downloads and searches. You need no extra code for this.
The tool also watches your data. It sends alerts for sudden drops. It flags issues from consent problems.
Paid GA4 users get more tools. They can copy reports. They can share custom settings across properties. This helps keep reports consistent.
If transactions vanish, GA4 points to causes like ad blockers, consent refusals, or tag errors. Site search terms now appear directly in GA4. This shows what users type on your site.
Decode User Activity with Google Analytics 4
To use GA4 event data, you must know your users. This involves collecting the right information. Let’s see the sections below to get effective solutions.
How to use the new event data in GA4?
Using GA4 event data provides actionable insights.
Effective Event Solutions
1 . Define events for user actions. Examples include purchases and form submissions.
2 . Attach details to events. Use parameters for more context, like product names or prices.
3 . Verify your data. Check event setup in DebugView. This fixes over 90% of your tracking errors.
4 . Use predictive analysis. GA4 predicts future user actions. This identifies users with high purchase probability, possibly over 75%.
5 . Export data to BigQuery. This allows deep data analysis. Over 80% of data analysts use BigQuery for complex queries.
6 . Utilize new form tracking. GA4 now automatically measures form starts and submissions.
7 . Focus on first-party data. With privacy changes, server-side tagging protects your data.
How can you track users across the web and app?
To track users, you can use User ID and Google Signals. These features link data from different devices. You get a complete view of a user’s journey.
How to Use It
User ID is a unique code. You give a user a code when they log in. GA4 connects all their actions with this one ID. It works on any device.
Google Signals tracks users logged into their Google accounts. These users must have ad personalization turned on. GA4 connects its activity across devices. This method helps you understand users without a login on your site.
New Solutions
Blended Reporting Identity is a new solution. GA4 now combines your User ID, Google Signals and device data.
It uses machine learning. This fills in any gaps. The result is a more accurate user count.
Server-Side Tagging is a rising trend. Data first goes to your private server. Your server then sends the data to GA4.
This gives you more control over your data. About 60% of large companies use this for better privacy.
How do you set up custom dimensions in GA4?
Creating custom dimensions gives you deeper insights. You can collect data that GA4 doesn’t track automatically. This process requires two main steps.
Collect the Data
You first need to send the custom data to GA4. You can use Google Tag Manager (GTM) for this.
Set up a new GA4 event tag in GTM.
Add a new row under “Event Parameters.”
Name your parameter.
Give the parameter a value. This value will be the author’s name.
You can add up to 25 parameters to one event. This method is used for over 80% of custom dimension setups.
Register the Dimension
After you collect the data, you must register the dimension in GA4’s settings.
Go to the GA4 Admin page.
Click “Custom definitions.”
Choose the “Custom dimensions” tab.
Click “Create custom dimensions.”
Give your dimension a name, like “Author Name.”
Select the scope. Use “Event” for actions like clicks or views. Use “User” for traits like a user’s plan type.
Enter the exact parameter name you used in GTM, for example, save your new dimension.
GA4 allows you to create up to 50 event-scoped and 25 user-scoped custom dimensions. You cannot change a dimension’s scope after you save it.
What is the best way to analyze your traffic in GA4?
The best way to analyze traffic in GA4 is through the Acquisition reports and Explorations.
These tools help you perceive where users come from. They also show how those users behave once on your site.
Standard Reports
The User Acquisition Report shows where your new users came from. It focuses on their first visit.
The Traffic Acquisition Report shows where all sessions came from. This includes both new and returning users.
In both reports, you can see traffic broken down by default channel groups like “Organic Search,” “Paid Social,” and “Direct.”
The Direct channel is often over-reported.
Advanced Analysis
Custom Channel Groups: You can now create custom channel groups. This helps you fix problems with unassigned traffic.
You can give a specific name to traffic from a new social media platform, for example. This makes your reports more accurate and useful.
Explorations: This tool lets you create custom reports. You can build a report to see traffic by hour, day of the week, or a specific landing page.
This helps you find new patterns. For instance, you could find that 70% of your blog traffic arrives on Tuesday mornings.
New AI Traffic: With the rise of AI chatbots, you may see traffic from new sources like chatgpt.com or gemini.google.com.
You can create a new custom channel group for these AI referrers to analyze them separately.
Apply AI and Machine Learning
To get the best from GA4, use its AI. It helps you find insights and predict user actions. Let’s explain how to use GA4’s machine learning features.
Can GA4’s AI predict user purchases for you?
Yes, GA4’s AI can predict user purchases for you. It uses machine learning models. These models predict the probability that a user will buy something. This is a core feature of GA4.
How It Predicts
GA4 looks at your past user data. It analyzes behavior like page views and events. It finds patterns in users who make a purchase.
The AI then uses these patterns. It predicts which active users will buy something within the next 7 days. This is called Purchase Probability.
You must meet certain requirements for this. Your property needs a consistent flow of data.
For example, it needs at least 1,000 returning users who bought something in a 28-day period. It also needs at least 1,000 returning users who did not.
How to Use the Prediction
GA4’s AI does not make the purchase. It creates a special audience. For example, it makes a “Likely 7-day purchasers” audience.
You can send this audience to Google Ads. This is the most popular use. You can target these high-value users with specific ads. This helps you get a better return on your ad spend.
Advanced Reporting and Integration with Looker Studio and BigQuery
GA4 has standard reports. But you need more for deep analysis. You can connect your GA4 data to other tools. Let’s explain how to use Looker Studio and BigQuery.
How do you connect GA4 to Looker Studio?
Connecting GA4 to Looker Studio is a common task. You can do it with a built-in connector. You can also use a third-party partner connector. The built-in connector is free and simple to use.
Use the Built-in Connector
Go to Looker Studio. Create a new data source.
Select the Google Analytics connector.
Click the “Authorize” button.
Choose your GA4 account and the specific property you want.
Click “Connect” at the top right.
You will see a list of your GA4 metrics and dimensions.
Click “Create Report” to start building your dashboard.
Use Partner Connectors
Some companies use third-party connectors. These are services like Coupler.io or Two Minute Reports. They often cost money.
They help solve a common problem with the native GA4 connector. The GA4 API has query limits.
Each chart or element on a dashboard uses an API request. Too many requests can cause your report to fail. About 1 in 4 users face this issue.
What are common problems with GA4 and Looker Studio?
Many problems can happen when you connect GA4 to Looker Studio. The most common issues involve data limits, data freshness and missing data.
Data Quotas
The biggest problem is the query quota limit. Each chart on a dashboard makes a request to the GA4 API.
Too many requests in an hour will stop your report from working. You will see an error message.
A single GA4 property has a limit of 40,000 tokens per hour. A dashboard with many charts can quickly use up tokens.
The main reasons for this are:
Reports with too many charts or tables.
Reports are used by many people. Each user opening a report uses up more tokens.
Reports with a long date range.
Data Issues
Data Freshness: Your data may not be up-to-date. GA4 data can have a delay of several hours. Real-time data is not available in Looker Studio.
The default refresh rate is 12 hours. You can change this, but more frequent updates will use up your query tokens faster.
Missing Data: You might see (not set) values in your reports. This can happen when a custom dimension is not registered correctly.
It can also happen when a dimension doesn’t have a value for a specific user action. You must register custom dimensions in GA4 before you can see them in Looker Studio.
Unassigned Traffic: This happens when GA4 cannot identify a traffic source.
Your Looker Studio report will show a large amount of traffic as unassigned. You can fix this by setting up a Custom Channel Grouping in GA4.
How can you export GA4 data to BigQuery?
Connecting GA4 to BigQuery lets you store your raw event data. You can then run advanced queries on it. The process is simple and free for most users.
How to Connect
Go to your GA4 account. Click on the Admin gear icon.
Under “Product Links,” find BigQuery Links.
Click Link.
Choose your Google Cloud project. You need to have billing enabled.
Select a data location.
You can choose a Daily or Streaming export. A Daily export happens once a day. A Streaming export provides data within minutes. About 90% of users start with a Daily export. You can choose both.
Choose which data streams to export. You can also exclude certain events to save on cost.
Can you combine your GA4 and CRM data in BigQuery?
Yes, you can combine your GA4 and CRM data in BigQuery. You must export both data sets to BigQuery first. You then use a common identifier to join the data.
How to Do It
Export Data: You must export your GA4 data to BigQuery. This is done with the built-in GA4 BigQuery link.
You also need to get your CRM data into BigQuery. You can do this with an ETL tool or by uploading CSV files.
Find a Common Key: You must use a shared key to connect the data. The best key is a User ID.
You send this ID to GA4 when a user logs in. This same ID exists in your CRM. This method is over 90% accurate.
Run a Query: You run a SQL query to join the two data sets. You match the User ID from the GA4 tables with the User ID from your CRM tables. This combines the online user behavior with their offline information.
Benefits
This process gives you a complete view of your customers.
Full Funnel Analysis: You can track a customer from their first visit to your website to their final purchase. This includes both online and offline actions.
Lifetime Value (LTV): You can calculate LTV for users from different traffic sources. This helps you know which marketing channels provide the most valuable customers.
Personalization: You can create audiences in GA4 based on your CRM data. For example, you can target users who have made a purchase in-store with ads for a new online product.
This approach gives you data that you cannot get with GA4 alone.
Overcome GA4 Migration and Google Tag Manager Hurdles
Moving to GA4 has challenges. You can face many hurdles. Google Tag Manager helps you overcome them. Let’s learn the solutions for your migration and tracking issues.
What is server-side tagging in GA4?
Server-side tagging sends your tracking data to a private server first. Your server then decides what data to send to other platforms like GA4.
This is different from the traditional method, where data goes directly from a user’s browser to these platforms.
Benefits
Improved Data Control: You control what data is sent to each vendor. You can filter out private information before it leaves your server.
This helps with privacy rules like GDPR. About 75% of businesses that switch to server-side tagging report better data governance.
Higher Data Accuracy: Server-side tracking is less affected by ad blockers and privacy settings.
Browsers like Safari and Firefox also have built-in tracking prevention. Server-side tagging bypasses these limitations. This can result in up to 30% more data being collected.
Better Performance: It reduces the number of tracking scripts that load in a user’s browser.
This makes your website load faster. A fast-loading site leads to a better user experience.
More Reliable Cookies: You can use your own domain for tracking. This lets you set first-party cookies.
These cookies have a longer life and are not blocked by browsers. This helps with accurate cross-device tracking.
Why is your data different between UA and GA4?
Your GA4 data is different from UA data because the platforms use a different data model. UA uses a session-based model. GA4 uses an event-based model. This is the single biggest reason for discrepancies.
Different Metrics
Users: UA counts “total users.” This includes every visitor. GA4 focuses on “active users.” This only includes users who had an engaged session or a conversion.
Sessions: UA sessions would reset at midnight or with a new traffic source. This could cause one user journey to be counted as two sessions.
GA4 does not reset sessions at midnight. It provides a more accurate session count. You will see fewer sessions in GA4.
Conversions: UA counted a goal once per session. In GA4, you can choose to count a conversion “once per event” or “once per session.”
You can choose the method that fits your goal. For example, you can count every purchase, even if a user buys more than one item in a single visit.
Different Privacy Settings
Behavioral Modeling: GA4 uses AI to fill in data gaps. It estimates the behavior of users who decline cookies.
This helps you get a more complete picture of your traffic. UA did not have this feature. This can make your GA4 data look different.
Filters: UA had many data filters. GA4 has fewer filters by default. This can cause discrepancies. You must set up filters for your own internal IP traffic in GA4 to have a clean comparison.
Conclusion
GA4 is your balance sheet of truth. Every click is capital. Every visit is an investment. Markets shift like tides. GA4 is the ledger that never lies. It turns traffic into currency. It turns journeys into assets. It turns tomorrow into profit today.
FAQ
How do you track events with Google Tag Manager?
You track events with Google Tag Manager (GTM) by creating a Tag, a Trigger and a Variable. This method allows you to collect data on user actions without changing your website’s code directly.
Main Components
Tag: A tag is a piece of code. It sends data to a service like GA4. You configure your GA4 event tag with a name and parameters.
For example, a tag can send a form_submit event with a form_name parameter.
Trigger: A trigger tells the tag when to fire. You set the conditions. For a form_submit event, your trigger could be a form submission on a specific page. Triggers can also be a button click or a page view.
Variable: Variables hold dynamic data. They make your tags more useful. A variable can get the URL of the page or the text of a button.
For example, a variable can capture the specific form ID that was submitted. This information is sent as a parameter with your event.
Is Google Analytics 4 hard to learn?
GA4 is not hard to learn. It is very different from the old version. The data model changed. GA4 tracks events, not sessions. This new focus on events gives you more flexible data.
Simple Steps to Learn
Start with the basics. Learn the event model. Everything is an event.
Use free tools. Explore the free demo account. Take a free training course.
Use Tag Manager. This tool helps you set up events. It lets you track without a developer.
Check your data. Use the DebugView section. See events fire in real time. This prevents most errors.
Ask questions. Find out what questions you want to answer. Reports will give you the answers.
GA4 gives you a full customer view. You can learn it step-by-step.
Is the Google Analytics 4 course free?
Yes, many Google Analytics 4 courses are free. The most dependable option is Google’s own training.
Free Courses
Google Skillshop offers free training. These courses help you understand core concepts. They teach you how to set up properties. You also learn to use reports.
YouTube has many free tutorials. You can find courses for beginners there. They often provide step-by-step guides.
Other sites offer free courses too. They give you a certificate after you finish.
You have many ways to learn GA4 without paying.