So, if you’re new to GA4 or want to explore its full potential, keep reading.

What Are Explorations in GA4?

Explorations are a tool in Google Analytics 4, offering a set of advanced methods that go beyond basic reports. They allow you to dig deeper into your customers’ behavior.

With Explorations, you can:

• Swiftly run on-the-fly queries.
• Easily customize and switch between various techniques.
• Organize, reshape, and dive deeper into your data.
• Concentrate on essential data through filters and segments.
• Craft segments and audiences.
• Collaborate by sharing your explorations with fellow users in your Google Analytics property.
• Export your exploration data for use in other applications or tools.

Getting Started With Explorations

To access Explorations, click “Explore” on the left side of the interface. When you go into the Explore section, you will see a few options at the top of your screen.

You can use the “Blank” option to create a brand-new exploration. Additionally, you can use predefined possibilities to evaluate your data from various perspectives while utilizing a collection of standard dimensions and metrics. 

These are the explorations you can use: 

• Free-form exploration: Analyze your data in a familiar crosstab layout. You can also apply different visualization styles, such as bar charts, pie charts, line charts, scatter plots, and geo-maps.
• Cohort exploration: Discover patterns in the performance and behavior of user groups that share characteristics.
• Funnel exploration: Visualize people’s steps to complete tasks on your website or app.
• Segment overlap exploration: See how different user segments relate to each other. This is useful for identifying new user segments that meet specific criteria.
• User exploration: Examine the users within the segments you create or import. You can also delve into individual user activities.
• Path exploration: Visualize the user paths on your website and app.
• User lifetime exploration: Explore user behavior and value over their entire customer journey.

GA4 Explore Report Structure

GA4 Explore reports follow a consistent structure, comprising three main sections:

1. Variables

The first section allows you to:

• Name your report.
• Define the time frame for analysis.
• Create user segments for specific analysis, like users from Google Ads campaigns or desktop users.
• Import the dimensions and metrics you intend to use in your report.

2. Settings

The second section varies across reports but generally offers the following options:

• Switch between GA4 Explore templates (e.g., User Explorer, Cohort Explorations, Free Form, Funnel Report, etc.).
• Select the visualization type for your report, particularly for Free Table reports (options include donut charts, line charts, bar charts, etc.).
• Apply previously created user segments, such as Google Ads campaign users.
• Using a drag-and-drop system, Configure dimensions and metrics for columns, rows, values, and axes.
• For Free-form reports, pivot your data to improve readability.
• Change the cell type from plain text to a bar chart or heat map (usually, a bar chart is the default).
• Create filters and apply them based on your selected dimensions (e.g., filter data to display only “page_view” event data).

3. Report View

The third section displays your report data. Here, you can:

• Add more reports to your GA4 explorations for context.
• Undo or redo recent changes.
• Export the report in various formats, including CSV, .PDF, and Google Sheets.
• Share your GA4 explorations with others.

These sections provide the tools you need to delve into your data and extract valuable insights in a structured manner.

Now, let’s check out how to use each of the Explorations mentioned. 

Free-Form Exploration

Free-form exploration in GA4 is a versatile tool that helps you analyze your data in a user-friendly way. It allows you to visualize data in tables or graphs, giving you different ways to look at your information. You can customize how your data is organized, almost like arranging puzzle pieces to fit your preferences. 

It also lets you compare different aspects of your data side by side and group related information together neatly. Filters allow you to zoom in on specific parts of your data for a closer look. If you find something interesting, you can save it for future reference. It’s like having a tool that tells you a data-driven story, making it easier for you to make informed decisions without overwhelming complexity.

Cohort Exploration

Suppose you’re curious about how a specific set of users, defined by their shared characteristics, behaves over days, several weeks, or a couple of months. In that case, this GA4 exploration report is just what you need.

Cohort exploration provides valuable insights into how these user groups respond to various strategies and how their engagement patterns evolve.

You can select the event that best fits your needs according to the Cohort Inclusion criteria, whether from predefined options or custom events tailored to your specific objectives. 

Moving on to the Return Criteria, you can select from a range of predefined events or define custom events to suit your needs.

The following crucial aspect of this exploration is the Cohort Granularity, which can be conducted daily, weekly, or monthly. 

To wrap it up, you can also choose the Calculation method you wish to employ, with three options: Standard, Rolling, and Cumulative.

Funnel Exploration

If your website has a well-defined funnel, pinpointing where users drop off within the funnel can enhance conversion rates and guide users further down the pathway. Reports that delve into funnel analysis, complete with visual representations and segmentations, prove invaluable for gaining this insight.

Furthermore, you can create audience segments for each step of the funnel and leverage them for remarketing efforts or A/B tests tailored to optimize conversions for these specific audience segments. In addition to exploring user pathways, you can conduct qualitative research to unearth any obstacles preventing users from progressing to the subsequent steps.

Segment Overlap Exploration

It’s a common practice to categorize your website traffic based on factors like geographic regions or device types. However, exploring the interactions between these audience segments is equally essential.

Using GA4 exploration reports that emphasize segment overlap, you can delve deeper into the connections between your diverse audience segments.

This data can be valuable in identifying shared characteristics and strategically prioritizing segments that demonstrate higher conversion rates, giving preference to one combination over another.

User Exploration

In GA4 Explorations, you can dive deep into individual users’ details. If you have the client_id or user_id, you can utilize the filter in this report to locate the specific user and access their user profile. 

The user profile page displays the user’s events and any user and event properties you’ve designated as custom dimensions. Remember, if you haven’t registered a property as a custom dimension, you won’t be able to view it in the GA4 User Explorer report.

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Path Exploration

This report offers insights into how users navigate your website and move between pages, focusing on guiding them to key pages like the lead form or checkout.

As a result, you can identify pages or actions that make users leave the site. If you see users going back and forth frequently, it might be due to confusion. To address this, you can use tools like heatmaps and session recordings on these pages to uncover and fix any sources of user confusion.

User Lifetime Exploration

This report offers a detailed analysis of user data, including their anticipated lifetime value. It’s a valuable resource for gaining insights into distinctive user behaviors, such as their recent purchase history and the campaigns influencing purchase decisions.

For instance, by identifying the traffic sources contributing significantly to user lifetime value, you can strategically allocate more resources to these channels, optimizing your marketing budgets. Additionally, this report aids in recognizing the effectiveness of your campaigns and ways to attract more valuable customers.

Furthermore, including demographic segments provides another avenue for understanding which demographic groups are your most valuable users. This information can be harnessed to fine-tune your creative content, messaging, and other marketing strategies, tailoring them to this lucrative audience.

Sharing and Exporting Your Exploration

When you initially create an exploration, it’s for your eyes only. But you can easily share your findings with colleagues:

1. To share an exploration, click “Share exploration” in the top right corner and choose “Share analysis.” Remember, you need at least an Analyst role in the property.
2. Others can view the explorations you share but can’t make changes if they have the Viewer role in the property. To make edits, you must duplicate or copy the shared exploration first.

For exporting your data for use in other tools:

1. Go to “Export data” in the upper right corner.
2. Choose your preferred export format from the options:

• Google Sheets
• TSV (tab-separated values)
• CSV (comma-separated values)
• PDF
• PDF (all tabs)

What are the Limitations of the GA4 Explore Section?

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), there are certain limitations to be aware of: 

1. You can create a maximum of 200 individual explorations per user per property.
2. You’re allowed to make up to 500 shared explorations per property.
3. The maximum number of segments you can apply to a single exploration is 10.
4. You can use up to 10 filters per tab.

These limitations are typically minor and are unlikely to be a concern in most cases. So, you can make the most of GA4 Explore without worrying about hitting these constraints.

GA4 Explorations: Final Words

As you can see, Explorations are a valuable addition to the somewhat limited standard reports. They feature visually engaging presentations that simplify data interpretation. Each exploration technique has a specific purpose, and it’s essential to understand their applications. 

You don’t need to master every report type, as you may not use them regularly. The primary goal is to extract actionable insights and collaborate with stakeholders. These GA4 exploration reports can help you achieve this effectively. Don’t be overwhelmed by the variety; concentrate on the insights and their potential to deliver results.

If you need help digging deeper into setting up explorations, don’t hesitate to contact our team! We’re here to share our GA4 expertise and guide you along the way.

Good luck!

The post GA4 Explorations – Use Cases appeared first on Play Media.

To further enhance your data analysis and marketing efforts, it’s crucial to link GA4 with other Google services like Google Ads and Search Console.

In this article, we’ll dive into the benefits of connecting GA4 with Google Ads and Search Console and provide a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

Step-by-Step Guide to Linking GA4 with Google Ads

Let’s break down linking GA4 with Google Ads into simple steps:

1. Log in to your GA4 account.
2. Navigate to the Admin section.
3. Locate “Google Ads Links” under the Product Links section.
4. Select the Google Ads account that needs to get linked to your GA4 property.
5. Ensure that you have the necessary permissions in both your Google Ads and Analytics accounts to complete this process.
6. Click “Choose Google Ads account” to make your selection.
7. A list of accounts with manager permissions will appear. Choose the account you wish to link and click “Confirm.”
8. Once you’ve configured these settings, click “Next.”

In the end, review your setup. If you are satisfied with the selections you’ve made, click “Submit” to create the link.

Google Ads Reports in GA4

Once you’ve successfully linked your Google Ads account to GA4, you might wonder what kind of reports you can expect. In your GA4 account, you won’t immediately find new reports related to Google Ads. On the Google Ads Links page, you’ll be able to view the accounts you’ve added. 

Under the side menu, navigate to Acquisition Overview reports, and you’ll discover a new section dedicated to Google Ads, containing a wealth of reports. Please be aware that it might take up to 24 hours for your data to start showing up in the reports.

The Benefits of Linking Google Ads with GA4

While the benefits of this integration are evident for Universal Analytics users, GA4 users can also expect advantages in the future. The linkage empowers businesses to understand the true impact of their advertising campaigns, track ROI, and optimize their strategies for better results.

As the digital landscape evolves, having a comprehensive view of your online advertising efforts becomes increasingly critical, making the connection between Google Ads and GA4 an essential step in your marketing journey.

How to Link GA4 with Google Search Console

To connect Google Search Console and GA4, you must have editor rights to your GA4 property, and the same email ID should be a certified site owner of your Google Search Console property.

1. In your GA4 property, navigate to Admin and then to Search Console Links.
2. Go to the Link located in the upper right corner.
3. Next, select Google Search Console Property and click on Choose Accounts.
4. A list of properties where you’re a certified site owner will appear. Pick a property and click Confirm. It’s important to note that only one GSC property can be linked with one GA4 property/web stream.
5. After that, you’ll need to choose a web stream to link with the selected Search Console property. Click Select and pick the stream.
6. In the end, verify all the details and click on submit.

This will kick start the linking process between Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4.

Upon completion, you’ll see a green “Link Created” badge, signifying the successful linkage of the two properties.

Please be aware that it might take up to 24 hours for your data to start showing up in the reports.

Finding Google Search Console Data in Google Analytics 4

Insights form GSC will be presented in GA4 through two widgets under “Acquisition Overview”:

Find “Acquisition Overview” under “Reports” > “Acquisition.” Data will appear under these two categories: 

1. Google organic search traffic.
2. Organic google search query.

If you want more detailed reports, there’s a link you can tap at the bottom of each widget. It’s important to note that this data is available from the time you link the two properties and includes historical data.

Google Organic Search Traffic

Diving into the “Google Organic Search Traffic” section unveils a treasure trove of data, categorized into the following insights:

• Landing Page: Discover where your audience lands.
• Country: Uncover the geographical origins of your visitors.
• Device Category: Explore which devices your users prefer.

Metrics of significant importance await your scrutiny, such as:

• Organic Google Search Clicks: How often users click on your organic search results.
• Organic Google Search Impressions: The frequency with which your content appears in search results.
• Organic Google Search Click-Through Rate: A key indicator of your content’s clickability.
• Organic Google Search Average Position: Understand where your content typically ranks in search results.

Beyond the basics, more metrics paint a comprehensive picture:

• Users: The number of individuals engaging with your content.
• Engaged Sessions: A metric revealing user engagement duration.
• Engagement Rate: A percentage showcasing user interaction.
• Average Engagement Time: The average duration users spend on your content.
• Event Count: Counting valuable user interactions.
• Conversions: Tracking actions that matter.
• Ad Revenue: Measuring the financial fruits of your efforts.
• Uncover these insights to fine-tune your digital strategy and enhance user engagement.

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Play Media

Google Organic Search Queries Report

In the “Google Organic Search Queries” report, you’ll investigate essential aspects, including:

• Search Queries: Identify the actual terms people use to find your content.
• Country: Understand where your audience is located.
• Devices: Learn which devices your users prefer.

In this report, you’ll discover similar metrics as in the Google Organic Search Traffic report, like:

• The number of times users click on your organic search results (Organic Google search clicks).
• How often your content shows up in search results (Organic Google search impressions).
• A measure of how often people click on your search results when they see them (Organic Google search click-through rate).
• Where your content typically ranks in search results (Organic Google search average position).

Supercharge Your Marketing with GA4 Integrations

Linking Google Analytics 4 with Google Ads and Google Search Console is a strategic move for digital marketers and website owners. It provides a comprehensive view of your data, empowers better decision-making, and enhances the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns. 

By following these steps, you can fully harness these tools and use data to improve your online presence. Take advantage of these integrations to gain a competitive edge in the digital landscape.

And if you ever need help, our data analytics team is just a click away. 

Good luck!

The post Linking GA4 with Google Ads and Search Console appeared first on Play Media.

In this article, we’ll be your guide as we unlock the potential of custom dimensions and their impact on your business. Whether you’re new to GA4 or aiming to elevate your data analysis, join us on this journey to uncover hidden insights. 

Let’s get into it!

What is A Custom Dimension in GA4?

A custom dimension is a tool for getting specific data about your website or business. It’s a unique feature you can add to your GA4 data to gather extra info that the default measurements don’t cover. For example, while GA4 gives you essential data like page views, sessions, and user numbers, custom dimensions allow you to dig deeper into user details, interests, and behavior. 

You can slot these custom dimensions into your GA4 data using different methods, like the Measurement Protocol, Google Tag Manager, or other compatible integrations.

In GA4, there are two main flavors of custom dimensions:

User Dimensions

These dimensions focus on capturing user information, like age, gender, interests, or any data that helps you categorize your audience. User dimensions come in handy when you want to dive into the behaviors and preferences of your website visitors. 

Event Dimensions

When you need to monitor specific activities or events on your website, event-scoped custom dimensions come into play. This includes page views, downloads, button clicks, and more. This dimension type empowers you to refine your reports, providing insights into the performance of different events on your site. For instance, you can employ an event-level custom dimension to monitor how many users click specific buttons or links on your site. 

How to Set GA4 Custom Dimensions

Here’s how to create a custom dimension in GA4:

1. Go to your GA4 property and select “Custom definitions” in the “Admin” section. 
2. In “Custom dimensions,” choose “Create custom dimension.”
   
   
3. Decide the dimension scope (user, event, item) and select the appropriate user property, event, or item parameter accordingly.
4. Provide a name and description for your custom dimension.
5. In the end, click “Save.”

How to Edit GA4 Custom Dimensions

To modify a custom dimension in GA4, here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Go to your GA4 property and choose “Custom definitions” in the “Admin” section.
2. Click “Custom dimensions” and select the custom dimension you wish to edit. 
3. Next to the custom dimension, click the three-dot icon, then select “Edit.”
4. Make the required adjustments for your custom dimension, like changing the name or editing the description. 
5. Finally, save your changes by clicking “Save.

How to Delete GA4 Custom Dimensions

In GA4, you can craft a maximum of 25 user-scoped custom dimensions, while event-scoped dimensions are limited up to 50 for each property. However, it’s important to note that once you’ve hit this limit, you won’t be able to create additional custom dimensions. In such cases, you’ll have to remove the ones you no longer need.

Here’s how you can do that:

1. Go to your GA4 property and click “Custom definitions” under the “Admin” section. 
2. Locate the custom dimension you want to delete and click on the three dots icon next to it. 
3. Choose the “Archive” option.
4. Finally, confirm the action by clicking the “Archive” button.

How to Work with Custom Dimensions in GA4?

To leverage custom dimensions within GA4, here’s a straightforward guide:

Define Your Custom Dimension

To kick things off, you’ll want to set up your custom dimension. This process involves selecting the dimension type (either user or event), giving it a name, and deciding whether it should have a user or hit scope.

Put Your Custom Dimension into Action

Once you’ve nailed down your custom dimension’s specifics, it’s time to make it active on your website. This can be done using the Measurement Protocol, Google Tag Manager, or any other integration method that meshes well with GA4.

How to Make the Most Out Of Custom Dimensions?

Let’s dive into how you can use custom dimensions to get to know your website’s visitors and make their experience even better. 

Ecommerce custom dimensions: 

• Product Category: Create a custom dimension to track the product category of items sold on your ecommerce website. This can help you analyze which product categories are most popular.
• Product SKU: You can establish a custom dimension to track the sales and performance of each individual product if it has a distinct SKU.
• Promotion Code: If you run promotions or discounts, track the effectiveness of different promotion codes by creating a custom dimension to record which code was used for each transaction.
• Customer Loyalty Level: For businesses with customer loyalty programs, you can create a custom dimension to track the loyalty level of each customer (e.g., silver, gold, platinum).
• Payment Method: Analyze which payment methods (credit card, PayPal, etc.) are most commonly used by customers by creating a custom dimension to capture this information.

Lead Generation Custom Dimensions:

• Lead Source: Track the source of leads by creating a custom dimension to identify where the leads originated (e.g., organic search, paid search, social media, email).
• Lead Type: Differentiate between the types of leads, such as contact form submissions, newsletter sign-ups, or quote requests.
• Lead Quality: Use a custom dimension to categorize leads as low, medium, or high quality based on lead scoring criteria.
• Lead Conversion Path: Analyze the path leads take on your website by creating a custom dimension that captures the sequence of pages they visit before converting.
• Lead Follow-up Status: Track the status of lead follow-up activities, such as contacted, not contacted, or converted, by creating a custom dimension.
• Lead Originating Department: If different departments handle leads, you can create a custom dimension to determine which department received the lead (sales, support, marketing, etc.).

Benefits of Using Custom Dimensions

Leveraging custom dimensions in GA4 offers several notable advantages, such as:

1. Customization

Custom dimensions empower you to gather website or business-specific data, facilitating the creation of tailor-made reports and dashboards to meet your unique requirements.

2. Segmentation

Custom dimensions enable audience segmentation based on specific criteria, such as demographics or behavior. This segmentation can enhance the precision of your marketing strategies.

3. Analysis

Custom dimensions provide supplementary data that can uncover trends, patterns, and opportunities within your website’s performance.

4. ROI Maximization

With custom dimensions, you can gauge the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, track your sales funnel, and pinpoint areas for improvement. This data-driven approach helps you optimize your return on investment (ROI).

What Are the Limitations?

While custom dimensions provide a powerful tool for collecting and analyzing data in GA4, there are some limitations to be aware of:

• Quota limits: As mentioned, GA4 limits custom dimensions to 50 per property, and you can only have up to 20 active custom dimensions at a time. This means you must prioritize which custom dimensions to collect data for and regularly review and update your custom dimensions as needed.
• Implementation complexity: Implementing custom dimensions in GA4 can be more complex than in Universal Analytics, as it requires more configuration and integration with other tools, such as Google Tag Manager.
• Data Accuracy: Custom dimensions are only as accurate as the collected data, and there may be issues with data quality or completeness that can affect the accuracy of your reports.

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Play Media

Considerations for Using Custom Dimensions

Here’s some additional info to keep in mind when using custom dimensions: 

• Each custom dimension is exclusive to a particular GA4 property, and they cannot be shared across properties.
• Once a custom dimension is created, its scope cannot be altered. If you need to change the scope, you’ll have to create a new custom dimension with the desired scope.
• You have the flexibility to utilize custom dimensions for tracking ecommerce data, including product categories, order IDs, and transaction IDs, enhancing your ability to analyze and optimize your online store’s performance.

Custom Dimensions: Your Path to Deeper Insights

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital analytics, custom dimensions in Google Analytics 4 emerge as invaluable allies. They empower you to uncover nuanced insights about your website visitors, setting the stage for informed decisions.

However, with great power comes the need for careful consideration. Remember, custom dimensions have their limits, and their setup may pose some challenges. But armed with the right choices and the flexibility to adapt, you can harness their potential effectively.

If you ever find yourself in need of guidance, our team is here to assist you on this path to data-driven success. Your website visitors have stories to tell—let custom dimensions help you listen and respond!

The post Custom Dimensions in GA4 Explained appeared first on Play Media.

These audiences can be broad, such as including all your customers, but you can be as specific as you’d like. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up audiences in GA4, helping you make the most of its features and refining your business strategies. 

Let’s dive in!

Understanding Google Analytics 4 Audiences

Audiences are a critical tool in helping you target specific user groups for improved business strategies and personalized marketing.

Audiences can be broken down by various factors, such as:

• Demographics: Age, gender, region, and interests provide significant target audience insights, allowing you to tailor your marketing campaigns to their preferences and traits.
• Acquisition channels: Social media, paid advertising, podcasts, and campaigns represent the various avenues customers discover your brand. Analyzing these channels helps you allocate your marketing resources effectively for maximum exposure and engagement.
• Purchasing behavior: This includes actions like making a purchase, adding items to a cart, or abandoning a cart during the buying process. Understanding purchasing behavior helps you optimize the customer journey and enhance the overall shopping experience.
• Other behavioral data: User interactions, such as scroll tracking, offer valuable information about how users engage with your website or content. This data assists in refining user experience and content engagement strategies to keep users interested and involved.

You’ve got two types of audiences in GA4: Prebuilt and Custom. The prebuilt ones are ready to go in GA4, but you can create custom ones that give you control based on specific events or parameters. 

Setting Up GA4 Audiences

Now that you’re familiar with the concept and importance of audiences in GA4 let’s dive into how you can set them up.

First, navigate to the ‘Audiences’ section in your GA4 property. Here, you’ll find two types of audiences: prebuilt and custom.

Prebuilt audiences are ready to use based on common user groups. But you’re not limited to these. You can create custom audiences for specific criteria that suit your business needs. You can customize Google’s recommendations and templates, which may offer a convenient starting point tailored to your needs. 

Understanding Pre Built Audiences

The Prebuilt Audiences encompass:

• Predefined audiences (all users and purchasers);
• Suggested audiences;
• Predictive audiences. 

Examples of Custom GA4 Audiences

You can create a user group of individuals who have visited your website more than three times but haven’t completed a lead form.

These include: 

• Cart Abandoners

• Checkout Abandoners

• Active users who are not leads yet (Continue reading to find a step-by-step process explained below.)
• Audience based on inactive purchasers

• Audience based on searchers

To create a group like this, follow the steps outlined below.

Preparation:

Before you get started, ensure you meet the following prerequisites:

• You must have the Editor role for the property where you intend to set up the audience.
• Make sure the ‘generate_lead’ event is properly configured on your website. 

Audience Creation – Active users who are not leads yet

 1. Navigate to the ‘Admin’ section and choose ‘Audiences.’

 2.  Select ‘New Audience.’

 3.  Create a custom audience.

4. Under ‘Include Users when,’ proceed to ‘Add new condition’ and select ‘Events.’

5. Browse the event list and choose ‘session_start.’

6. Next to ‘session_start,’ click on ‘+ Add parameter,’ then ‘Event count.’

7. Set the condition to ‘greater than (>)’ and enter ‘3’ as the Event count.

8. Click ‘Apply.’

9. To exclude a group, click ‘+ Add group to exclude..’

10. Choose ‘Permanently exclude users when.’

11. Select ‘Add new condition,’ then ‘Events,’ and ‘generate_lead.’

12. Give your audience a name and write a memorable description. Then, click ‘Save.’

Exploring Suggested Audiences

While you’re refining your audience with specific conditions, it’s also beneficial to explore the suggested audiences provided by the platform. These are prebuilt audience groups based on common traits or behaviors. They’re a goldmine of insights and can save you time.

Under the General tab, you’ll find such suggestions. Tailor these suggestions to meet your business needs. For instance, you might select the ‘Purchasers‘ audience to target those who’ve made a purchase. But don’t stop there. Refine it further by adding parameters like ‘item_name’ to target customers who bought a specific product.

Remember, as you narrow down, your Summary number will decrease. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s all about precision here, not quantity. You’re aiming for a tailored audience likely to convert again.

Using GA4 Templates for Demographics

There are three templates in GA4 you can use:

• Demographics
• Technology
• Acquisition

Let’s illustrate how to use templates with the demographics templates. 

Using GA4’s Demographics Template, you’ll have a powerful tool for gathering detailed audience information. This template allows you to collect key demographic data such as age, gender, and location. This information is vital to understanding your audience, what they want, and how best to reach them.

You’ll find these templates under the ‘Templates’ tab. To use them, simply select the Demographics Template and apply it to your current audience. 

Remember, templates can save you time and effort, but they’re not one-size-fits-all. You’ll need to adjust and tweak them to fit your business needs. Lastly, remember that your audience size may differ from your remarketing list size, especially if your Google Ads account isn’t linked.

Key Points and Limitations of GA4 Audiences

Firstly, keep in mind that audiences aren’t retroactive, meaning they accumulate users from the moment you create them, not before. You must consider minimum data requirements and inclusion time for setting up audiences.

Also, there’s a limit of 100 audiences per property, which includes both prebuilt and custom ones. Finally, your audience size may differ from your remarketing list size, especially if your Google Ads account isn’t linked.

Audience size refers to the total number of users who’ve interacted with your brand on your website, app, or social media. This could be millions, depending on your brand’s reach.

Your remarketing list size is more specific. It’s the pool of users you’re targeting with your remarketing campaigns. These are individuals who’ve previously interacted with your brand, and you’re aiming to re-engage them.

While it’s tempting to go for a larger audience, remember that a well-targeted remarketing list can lead to higher conversion rates. So, don’t get hung up on size alone. Quality over quantity matters more.

Utilizing GA4 Audiences in Reports

You can harness the power of GA4 audiences in your reports to gain deeper insights into your user groups, driving your marketing efforts more effectively. It means that you’re not just looking at raw data; you’re analyzing user behavior tailored to your defined audience. You can see how different audiences interact with your site or app and adjust your strategy accordingly.In the User Attributes section, you’ll see key metrics for your audiences. You can compare the performance of different audiences side by side. It’s also possible to drill down into audience demographics, technology usage, and user behavior.

Integrating GA4 Audiences in Advertising Campaigns

Building on your understanding of using GA4 audiences in reports, you can integrate them into your advertising campaigns to enhance their effectiveness. By leveraging the insights GA4 audiences provide, you can personalize your campaigns to target specific user groups.

Start by linking your GA4 property to your Google Ads account. This allows you to share audiences directly with Google’s advertising products. Then, apply the audiences to your campaigns. Filter them based on demographics, purchasing behavior, and other parameters.

Remember, your audience isn’t static. It evolves as user behavior changes. So, continually review and refine your audiences to keep your campaigns relevant. Through proper integration of GA4 audiences, you can boost your campaign’s performance and ultimately drive more conversions.

Differences Between Segments and Audiences

Segments and audiences in GA4 might sound similar, but there are actually several differences. Let’s see what those are.

1. Usage

• Segments are mainly for exploring your data.
• Audiences can be used in regular reports for comparing different groups. But remember, you can’t use audiences as conditions within segments.

2. Timing of Data

• Segments show you data from the past, based on specific conditions you set.
• Audiences start collecting data only from the moment you create them, so they don’t look at past data.

3. Google Ads Integration

• You can easily use audiences in Google Ads to target specific groups with ads.
• Segments can’t be directly imported, but you can use them to create custom audiences for advertising.

4. Making Changes

• Segments can be edited whenever you want to make adjustments.
• Audiences are less flexible – you can mainly change their name or description.

5. Limits

• You can create up to 100 audiences for a property in GA4.
• For segments, you’re limited to 10 segments for each exploration.

GA4 Audiences: Final Words

So, you’ve now unlocked the potential of GA4 audiences. Harnessing this power lets you delve into your user data, target specific groups effectively, and enhance your marketing campaigns.

Use the Audience feature wisely, understand the key points and limitations, and make your marketing  campaigns more efficient. Keep exploring and refining your strategies to drive your business forward with GA4 audiences. And if you need any help from our data analysts, we’re just a click away and happy to assist.

Best of luck!

The post Google Analytics 4 Audiences Explained appeared first on Play Media.

You’ll also discover how to customize session settings. We’ll highlight the differences between GA4 sessions and the older Universal Analytics system and discuss some important considerations specific to GA4.

Understanding Sessions in Google Analytics 4

In GA4, sessions are a collection of events recorded for a user during a specific time period. These events can include various interactions, such as page views, event completions, and ecommerce transactions.

Google automatically provides a unique identifier called “ga_session_id” when a new session starts on your website, and it also assigns a “ga_session_number” to keep track of the number of sessions. Sessions are then counted based on these unique identifiers.

• ga_session_id: Each time a user comes to your website, they receive a new session ID through the session_start event. A single user may have multiple session IDs, each corresponding to a different session.
• ga_session_number: This is a simple count of the sessions for that user. For instance, if they visit your website three times, they will have three distinct session IDs, and the total session count will be 3.

What are the benefits of using sessions in GA4?

Sessions are highly valued by marketers for several reasons:

• Performance Evaluation: Sessions provide an overview of each marketing channel’s performance, helping you gauge the effectiveness of different platforms in driving traffic.
• User Behavior Analysis: Sessions provide crucial facts behind user interaction, allowing you to understand how users engage with your website.
• Website Performance Measurement: Sessions help assess your website’s performance and user engagement.
• Informed Decision-Making: You can make data-driven decisions to boost website traffic and growth by analyzing sessions.

Adjusting the Web Session Timeout in GA4

As a standard setting, GA4 sessions will automatically expire after 30 minutes. However, it’s possible to modify this timeframe within the settings. Here’s how to do that:

1. Click on Admin in your GA4 property settings.

2. Go to Data Streams in the Property column.

3. Choose the name of the web data stream you want to set up.

4. Go to Configure tag settings all the way down.

5. Tap on Show more.

6. Select Adjust Session timeout.

7. Adjust the session timeout to the timeframe of your choosing. The limit is 7 hours and 55 minutes.

8. Set the timer for “Engaged” sessions. The limit is 60s.

Change the time by selecting the number of seconds required for a GA4 session to qualify as an “Engaged session.”

9. Click Save.

What Are Engaged Sessions in GA4?

In GA4, engaged sessions are defined as events in which a visitor spends at least 10 seconds on a page, triggers a conversion event, or views two or more pages. If a session isn’t engaged, GA4 marks it as a bounce, which differs from UA’s bounce rate. The GA4 bounce rate is essentially the opposite of the engagement rate.

Simply put, if the engagement rate in GA4 is 20%, the bounce rate is 80%. Understanding one allows you to determine the other. The engagement rate is calculated by dividing engaged sessions by the total number of sessions.

Differences Between Sessions in GA4 and UA

GA4 introduces some noteworthy differences in how sessions are handled compared to Universal Analytics (UA). Let’s explore these differences:

• Event-Based Tracking: Unlike UA, which primarily tracks sessions based on pageviews, GA4 collects data based on individual user events. Everything a visitor does on your website or app is recorded as an event in GA4.
• Session Duration Calculation: UA calculated session duration as the time between the first and last pageview. In GA4, it’s measured based on the time elapsed between the first and last event. Both systems expire sessions if there’s no new activity within 30 minutes of the last recorded event.
• Sessions Without Pageviews: In GA4, sessions can start without a pageview, which differs from UA. For instance, if a user lands on your blog post, gets distracted, returns later, and engages with your content, UA would count it as one session. GA4 records it as two sessions—one with a page view and another for user engagement.
• Campaign Source Changes: In UA, if a user follows a link to your website from another campaign source, the initial session expires, and a new one begins. GA 4 does this differently. Even if a user returns via a different campaign source, the initial session stays active.

How Does Google Analytics 4 Count Sessions?

Despite these differences, the fundamental way sessions are counted remains the same in GA4. It utilizes first-party cookies to track user behavior on your website. Cookies like these enable website owners to gather information about their visitors, helping to identify multiple interactions by the same user across sessions. This is vital for understanding user behavior and engagement.

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Sessions vs. Users in Google Analytics 4

Sessions and users may seem similar, but they serve distinct purposes in GA4:

• Sessions: A session represents a series of events within a 30-minute timeframe. It encompasses various interactions and actions by a user on your site.
• Users: Users are individual people who initiate sessions on your site. They are counted only once unless they visit from a different device or clear their cookies. Users provide valuable data about unique visitors, while sessions offer insights into page interactions.

The choice between measuring users or sessions depends on your specific goals. Most marketers use both metrics to gauge the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Users help understand reach and visibility, while sessions provide detailed insights into user engagement.

Flaws of Sessions in Google Analytics 4

While GA4 is a powerful tool, it has its limitations you should be aware of:

• Anonymized and Aggregated Data: GA4 anonymized data, making attributing revenue to specific users challenging. It cannot track personally identifiable information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, which hinders precise revenue attribution.
• Data Sampling: For websites with substantial traffic GA4 may use data sampling, leading to incomplete insights for high-traffic sites.

GA4 Sessions: Final Verdict

Considering all these aspects, the new way sessions are measured and the addition of session engagement metrics in GA4 offers you more flexibility to understand how users behave. Combining this with the effective events model and additional parameters, GA4 gives you the tools to gain valuable insights.

Relying solely on sessions may not provide enough context, but luckily, with various features of GA4, you can gather a wealth of information.

Ready to supercharge your GA4 experience? Reach out to Play Media for expert guidance. Contact us today, and let’s unlock the full potential of your data!

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Whether you’re a budding business or a seasoned online authority, this post will guide you through the ins and outs of referral traffic in GA4, helping you identify which referrals to exclude for more accurate insights. We’ll also walk you through finding and managing referral traffic within your GA4 account, ensuring you can harness the power of your analytics to its fullest potential.

 So, let’s dive in and make the most out of your data!

What is Referral Traffic in GA4?

Referral traffic refers to visitors arriving at your website by clicking links or buttons from other external websites that aren’t tracked by your GA4 account. For businesses just starting, the volume of referral traffic might not be that large. This could be due to the lack of strong ties with other websites or the fact that you’re still developing your SEO strategies.

However, established websites and recognized authorities in their respective fields often get considerable referral traffic. This is usually because other websites, such as blog posts or video descriptions, reference them in their content.

It’s crucial to distinguish referral traffic from other traffic sources, including direct traffic, organic search, paid ads, social media referrals,  email campaigns, and any other domains or subdomains set up for cross-domain tracking. If you notice any domains or websites that should not be considered referral traffic, you can exclude them from the referral sources to correct this.

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Which Referrals Should You Remove in GA4?

To effectively manage your Google Analytics 4 data, it’s essential to understand which referrals should be removed. Here are the referrals you should exclude to get the best possible insights: 

1. A self-referral occurs when traffic comes from pages on your website. By default, Analytics doesn’t consider it a referral if:

• The referring website is your domain or a subdomain of it.
• The referral is due to a cross-domain setup, like when a user moves between domains you’ve listed and the current page has the _gl linker parameter.

Usually, this shouldn’t be an issue. Still, some specialists suggest that it wouldn’t hurt to include your domain anyway.

2. Referrals from payment processing sites like PayPal, Stripe, etc.
3. Referrals from related websites for tasks like account management or password recovery.
   
4. You can also add other partner websites you don’t want to show as a referral and for which cross-domain tracking is not set up.
5. There are also referrals from spam traffic. Google Analytics works to remove spam traffic from your GA4 account. However, spammers are very creative, and you might still get spam traffic
   occasionally. Do not visit suspicious referral traffic domains; ensure they’re not included in your reports.

Where to Find Referral Traffic in GA4?

To view the traffic coming from external websites in GA4, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the reporting view.
2. Click on Reports.
   
   

3. Go to Acquisition > Traffic acquisition report.

4. Search for “referral” in the search box. 

5. Go to Session Default channel grouping.

6. Choose Session source/medium from the drop-down menu.

And there you have it! Now, you can see referral traffic. 

List Unwanted Referrals

You can manage and categorize domains you don’t want to track as referrals by adding them to the List unwanted referrals in GA4. This feature allows you to prevent certain domains from being reported as referral traffic, ensuring that their traffic is categorized as direct instead. 

When a domain is added to the List Unwanted Referrals, any events from that domain will have the ignore_referrer=true parameter. 

Excluding Unwanted Referrals in GA4

1. Click on Admin in your GA4.

2. Under the “Property” column, go to “Data Streams.” 

3. Select the web data stream identifier for which you wish to set up List unwanted referrals. 

4. Scroll down to “Configure tag settings.” 

5. Click on “Show more.”

6. Scroll down and choose the “List unwanted referrals” option. 

You’ll be shown an overlay that looks like this:

7. Input the domain name you want in the “Domain” text box and then click “Save.” 

8. If you want to add more domains, click “Add Condition.” 

9. Click that button, enter another domain name, and click “Save.”

And there you have it! The traffic from the domains you add won’t appear as referral traffic. 

Unlock Success with GA4: Start With a Proper Setup!

We hope our article has simplified the process of excluding referral traffic in GA4! It might seem like a daunting task, but it offers numerous benefits, such as:

• Precise Data: Your analytics become more accurate, sifting out unnecessary traffic and highlighting what matters.

• Deeper Understanding: Cleaner data clarifies how your audience engages with your website, giving you actionable insights.

• Smarter Choices: With this improved data, you can make better-informed decisions to boost your website’s performance.

So, take the first step in optimizing your data, and configure your GA4 settings today! And remember, if you ever need a hand, reach out to our team at Play Media. We’re here to assist with all things GA4 and help you excel online.

Good luck!

The post How to Exclude Referral Traffic in Google Analytics GA4 appeared first on Play Media.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to filter both internal and developer traffic in GA4. By the end, you’ll know how to fine-tune your analytics, providing a more accurate screenshot  of your website’s performance and user engagement. 

Let’s dive in!

What is Internal and Developer Traffic in GA4?

Internal traffic refers to the web activity from people related to your organization, like your employees, suppliers, and website developers. It’s essential to differentiate them from your actual target audience because these internal users don’t represent your typical website visitors. Therefore, you should leave their data out when tracking your website.

This internal traffic can mess up the metrics used to measure your website’s performance and user engagement. To get accurate reports, it’s crucial to use filters that remove this internal data, giving you a clearer view of how your real audience interacts with your site. You can do this with the Internal traffic filter in GA4. Applying it helps you make better decisions and improve the user experience to achieve your online goals.

You can also use the Developer traffic data filter. This tool helps you separate data generated by developers when they test your website or app. By using these filters to exclude developer traffic, you won’t see that data in your real-time reports. However, you can still find it in the DebugView report and check your setup using the Google Analytics Debugger Chrome extension.

Excluding Internal Data in GA4

To exclude internal traffic from your GA4 property reporting, follow these steps:

1. Go to your GA4 property.
2. Click “Admin” at the bottom left. 

3. Under the “Property” column, choose “Data Streams.” 

4. Pick the data stream from which you want to exclude internal traffic. 

5. Scroll down and click “Configure tag settings” under “Google tag.” 

6. Continue scrolling and click “Show more..” 

7. Scroll down and select “Define internal traffic.” 

8. Click “Create.”
9. Name your filter “Internal Traffic” in the “Rule Name” box. 

10. Keep “traffic_type value” as “internal” unless you use a different identifier for internal traffic.

Next, the following step depends on the “traffic_type” value you set in the data filter settings.

11. Choose from the following options under “Match Type”:

• IP address equals (matches one IP address).
• IP address begins with (matches IPs starting with a specific input).
• IP address ends with (matches IPs ending with a specific input).
• IP address contains (matches IPs having a specific input).
• IP address in range (matches a range of IP addresses).

To set multiple conditions for identifying internal IP addresses, click “Add condition.” 

These conditions use logical OR.

12: Enter the IP address to exclude from internal traffic.

If you don’t know your IP address but want to exclude all device traffic, click “What’s my IP address” (screenshot ). You’ll see your IP address in a new browser tab.

14: Click “Create” to make your internal traffic filter.

Activating and Deactivating Filters

Once you’ve set up your IP filters in Google Analytics 4, it’s time to activate them.

1. Navigate to the Admin section of your GA4 account and select “Data Settings” followed by “Data Filters.”

2. Choose the “Internal traffic” data filter and scroll to the “Filter state” section.
3. Click on “Active” and save your changes. 

4. Then click on “Activate filter.” This turns on the filter and excludes internal traffic from your website analytics.

Should you need to pause the filter, the process is similar.

1. Head back to the Admin section, then “Data Settings” in the Property column, then the “Data Filters” section.
2. Select your filter on the three dots menu, and click “Deactivate filter.”

Remember to save your changes. The current status of your filter should now show “Inactive.” 

Excluding Developer Traffic in GA4

You can hide internal developers’ debug mode activity in your reports, allowing them to troubleshoot with DebugView without their actions appearing in your reports. To create, edit, and delete filters, you must have the Editor role at the property level.

To create a data filter in Google Analytics, follow these steps:

1. Go to Admin in Google Analytics.
2. Ensure you are in the correct account and property.
3. In the Property column, click Data Settings > Data Filters.
4. Click on the “Create Filter” button.
5. Select “Developer Traffic” as the filter type.
6. Provide a unique name for the data filter that meets the following criteria:

• It starts with a Unicode letter;
• Contains only Unicode letters and numbers, underscores, and spaces;
• It is no longer than 40 characters.

7. Click “Exclude”
8. Decide on the filter state:

• Testing: Analytics marks matching data with the Test data filter name dimension.
• Active: Analytics applies the data filter to incoming data, making permanent changes.
• Inactive: Analytics does not evaluate the filter.

Data that matches a test data filter is categorized under the Test data filter name dimension with the filter name as its value. This data is accessible across GA4, allowing you to verify your data filters before activating them.

9. Finally, click the “Create” button to complete the process.

Simplify GA4 with Play Media’s Expertise

Exploring the ins and outs of Google Analytics 4 can be a journey, and we’re here to guide you every step of the way. If you’re looking for personalized assistance or have questions about GA4, don’t hesitate to contact our team. 

Let’s discuss your digital goals and how we can help you achieve them!

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The post How to filter internal and developer traffic in GA4? appeared first on Play Media.

We all know saving and analyzing your user and event data in GA4 is crucial, and Google’s documentation regarding this task can be complex. But don’t worry! We’re here to simplify things and explain what these new rules mean.

Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

GA4 Data Retention Explained

Data retention controls let you decide how long Google keeps your user data. In GA4, it’s set to two months by default. Now, accessing your historical data is crucial. With it, you can perform analysis, compare current and past performance, and make predictions. You may not need to make changes if you’re only using standard reports daily. However, if you want to perform in-depth analysis over time, extending your data retention to the full 14 months is a good idea.

Setting up Data Retention in GA4

This is essential for any business to collect and analyze customer data. GA4 offers enhanced data collection, providing better user behavior, engagement, and conversion insights. Let’s start setting up your user and event data retention in GA4.

1. In your GA4 account, go to the Admin panel. 

2.In the Property column, find Data Settings. 

3. Under Data Settings, click Data Retention. 

By default, GA4 sets the event data retention rate at two months. This is great if you only care about short-term analysis. However, unless your website or online store is brand new, you probably want access to older data to do well in the future.

4. To track more than two months, manually select the “14 months” option in Data Retention and click Save.

It’s important to note that this change affects the data you can see in Explorations but doesn’t affect what you see in the standard reports. You can access reports in Exploration and other reports. These reports allow you to choose specific dates to see data. 

You can pick dates from the day you started collecting data for predefined reports. However, for Exploration reports, the data you see depends on the data retention setting. Standard reports show aggregated data.

In Exploration reports, the data range depends on your data retention policy.  So, if you want to see more data in Exploration reports, you must change the data retention setting in the Admin panel, as we explained.

GA4 will take 24 hours for these changes to come into effect. You can start using your new data retention settings and make the most of your data. Use it to understand customer behavior, create customer segments, and develop marketing strategies.  

In Exploration reports, the data range depends on your data retention policy.  So, if you want to see more data in Exploration reports, you must change the data retention setting in the Admin panel, as we explained.

GA4 will take 24 hours for these changes to come into effect. You can start using your new data retention settings and make the most of your data. Use it to understand customer behavior, create customer segments, and develop marketing strategies.  

What About Data That Goes Beyond 14 Months?

In Universal Analytics, you could choose how long your data was kept, ranging from 14 months to 50 months or indefinitely. But what about GA4? Can you see data older than 14 months? You can, but there are some limits, especially regarding user data. 

You can check data older than 14 months in aggregated and custom reports. However, you can only go up to 14 months for exploration reports. Fortunately, within GA4, there are two alternative solutions at your disposal. Let’s check those out!

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1.  Enable the “Reset User Data on New Activity” Option

Below the Event Data Retention section, you’ll find a toggle button that enables you to reset user data when new activity happens. 

By enabling this option in the data retention settings, the selected period (2-14 months) will restart whenever a user returns to your site. This implies that their data will remain intact as long as a user returns within those 14 months. 

Yet, if users don’t visit the site for 14 months, their data will be automatically erased. This option is excellent but limited to one user’s data. So, you may still lose historical data for users who don’t return within the chosen retention period.

2. Data Retention With BigQuery

For marketers, the best way to keep their old data safe is to use a data warehouse like Google BigQuery. In the past, most big companies used BigQuery for their marketing data. But now, with GA4, this is becoming an option for a broader range of professionals who want to preserve their older digital marketing data. Beware that BigQuery is only partially free for use. Before setting it up, go to the pricing section of BigQuery and check how much you will end up paying. 

Key Takeaways

We hope our article helped you better grasp data retention in Google Analytics 4! To sum everything up, here are the main points you need to keep in mind:

• Retaining user and event data in GA4 is crucial for businesses. Historical data is essential for analysis, performance comparison, and future predictions.

• GA4 has a default data retention period of two months. For standard reporting and short-term analysis, this may suffice. However, we advise you to extend data retention to the full 14 months for more in-depth analysis over time.

• To set up data retention in GA4, access the Admin panel, navigate to Data Settings, and click on Data Retention. You can manually select the “14 months” option to extend data retention.

• For data retention longer than 14 months, you can restart the selected data retention period (2-14 months) whenever a user revisits your site. This is done with the “Reset user data on new activity” option. Data is retained if the user returns within the chosen retention period.
• Using Google BigQuery as a data warehouse allows you to keep older data safe. This option is becoming accessible to a broader range of professionals but may have associated costs.

Unlock the Full Potential of GA4 with Our Expertise

In a digital landscape where data is king, handling and analyzing it can make or break your success. As we’ve seen, GA4 offers powerful features for data analysis, but optimizing them can be a complex task. If you seek guidance on getting the most out of your GA4 setup, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Play Media.

Our team of experts is ready to help you navigate the intricacies of GA4, ensuring you have access to the insights you need to drive your business forward. Contact us today, and let’s unlock the full potential of your data together!

The post Google Analytics 4 Data Retention: Finally Explained appeared first on Play Media.

Luckily, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has a solution called cross-domain tracking, which helps you see how users engage with your websites, even if they’re on different domains. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain cross-domain tracking in GA4 more straightforwardly and give practical advice to help you use this powerful feature effectively. 

So, if you manage multiple websites, keep reading to make sense of the data and improve your understanding of user interactions.

Let’s dive right in!

Understanding Cross-Domain Tracking in GA4

Let’s break down cross-domain tracking in simple terms.

Say that your business owns two websites that have different domains. Now, let’s say you have a visitor who landed on the first website, and GA4 automatically stored a cookie on that visitor’s browser. Somewhere on that website, there is a link the visitor clicked, and he was redirected to your second website. This second website is part of the same user journey.

GA4 is also activated on this website, but since this is a different domain, the cookie value is also different. GA4 on this domain cannot access the cookie stored on the first domain. So, even though the user is the same, Google Analytics treats these actions as separate users. Instead of one user, your reports will now show two users.

But cross-domain tracking takes care of this. Here’s how it solves the problem: A visitor lands on the first website, and a cookie gets stored. Then, when he gets redirected to the second website, the URL will automatically contain cookie information. GA4 will take that information from the URL and update the cookie on the second website. So, the same visitor will have the same cookie value on both websites.

In technical terms, Google Analytics gives each user and their session a unique identifier. The user gets a client ID, and the session gets a session ID. Doing this ensures that the information in your reports is more precise.

The Significance of Cross-Domain Tracking

To put it in even more concrete terms, let’s consider a common scenario:

Imagine you’re running a marketing campaign that directs users to discover your product or service on website A. Those interested are then sent to website B to complete an action, such as purchasing or signing up.

 If you haven’t set up cross-domain tracking:

You won’t be able to properly analyze your marketing performance since you can’t pinpoint which campaigns drive sales or conversions. Your GA4 reports will appear inflated, showing more users and sessions than there are. This occurs because each visit from the first website to the second is counted as a new user with a new session.

Now that we established the significance of cross-domain tracking, let’s learn how to put it into action!

Requirements for Setting Up Cross-Domain Tracking

To set up cross-domain tracking, there are a few essential steps you need to take care of:

• All your websites must be on the same GA4 property.
• You must configure cross-domain tracking in the GA4 interface.

How To Set Up Cross-Domain Tracking in GA4?

1. Go to Admin > Data Streams > Choose your website’s data stream > click on “Configure tag settings.”

2. Under “Configure tag settings,” click “Configure your domains.”

3. Set the first condition for your first website and the second for your second website. If you want to, you can write even more complex conditions by using Regular Expressions.
4. Click “Save”.

 After saving your settings, you can test the setup.

Testing the Setup

You can check your cross-domain configuration by clicking the link on the first website (which will take you to the second page). The _gl= parameter should be included in the URL of the second website. You can also see if the _ga cookie is the same. Run this test on both domains. The value of the _ga cookie must be the same on both domains.

Referral Exclusions

Self-referral occurs when traffic is directed to you from your domain. Analytics should detect self-referral and remove it from the list of referring domains by default. It is essential to note you don’t have to manually configure a referral exclusions list to do cross-domain tracking. GA4 will handle this automatically once you’ve configured your domains.

However, it’s advisable to include any third-party domains that play a role in transactions or other interactions in your referral exclusion list. Typical examples are payment gateways like PayPal or email marketing platforms that send password recovery emails to your subscribers.

In rare instances, your domain might show up in the referral report. If this occurs, you should add it to the referral exclusion list. Additionally, you can create a source/medium report within GA4 to analyze which channels are being categorized as referral traffic.

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What About Subdomain Tracking?

Subdomains help you divide and manage different parts of your website, like blogs, online stores, or localized content, while keeping them connected to your leading site.

If your business operates on multiple websites, but they are using the subdomains of the same domain, you don’t need cross-domain tracking. GA4 handles this automatically. Cross-domain tracking involves only completely different domains.

So, there’s no need to set up anything specific for tracking subdomains. Avoid adding your subdomain or domain in the “Configure your domains” section.

FAQs

To sum everything up, here’s a short overview of the points we covered in the article!

What Is Google Analytics 4 Cross-Domain Tracking?

It’s a technique that lets webmasters, marketers, and analysts transfer user identifiers from one domain (A) to another (B) while preserving session data. This allows tracking the same visitor across different websites.

Why Is Cross-Domain Tracking Important?

Without it, visitor counts become less accurate, and additional sessions are created when users move to another domain, making it seem like different users.

Do I Need to Set Up Tracking for Subdomains?

No, cross-domain tracking is not required for subdomains of the same parent domain. Google Analytics 4 can naturally track visitors across subdomains without any extra setup.

Do I Need to Set up a Referral Exclusion List?

No, GA4 does this automatically according to the list of domains you specify. A referral exclusion list is typically used for specific domains like payment gateways.

How Can I Test Cross-Domain Tracking?

You can validate your cross-domain setup by clicking a link on the first website, which should redirect you to the second website. Check if the URL of the second website contains the “_gl=” parameter. Additionally, ensure that the “_ga” cookie has the same value on both domains. Pay attention to the “Domain” column in the cookie list.

Ready to Supercharge Your Insights with GA4?

If you’re looking to unlock the full potential of Google Analytics 4 and need expert guidance, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team at Play Media! We specialize in GA4 and are here to help you make the most out of this powerful tool. Contact us today, and together, we’ll elevate your data-driven journey, ensuring you’re on the path to success.

The post The Ultimate Guide to GA4 Cross-Domain Tracking appeared first on Play Media.

In this guide, we will delve into the recommended practices for configuring Google Analytics 4 and the essential settings you should check to ensure your account runs properly.

Let’s dive in!

1. GA4 Account Settings

You can find the architecture of your Google Analytics account in the Admin section of your account.

To the left, you’ll find your account settings,  while to the right, you’ll discover all settings associated with the property.

Account Settings

First, we will check out Account settings. 

Here,  you can view fundamental details such as the name of your account, country, and a few options for data sharing.

Account Access Management

Moving on, let’s discuss the Account Access Management section.

This section lets you gain insights into the account managers and those who can access your properties.

You’ll find a user list, their email addresses, and the roles and data restrictions associated with their access to this account. If you want to grant access to other users, you can do so individually or collectively by creating user groups.

1. Tap the plus (+) icon, then choose “Add users.”

2. In this stage, you’ll enter the email addresses they use and then assign them a role.

One of the handy features of GA4 is the ability to limit the data that a particular user can see. You can hide the cost, revenue metrics, or both. For example, if you hire a new intern and prefer not to share this data with them, you can easily keep it hidden by selecting these options.

Account Change History

In the Account Change History, you can review a list of all the changes on the account.

GA 4 Property Settings

Now, let’s dive into the more intriguing aspect of reviewing our GA4 setup: the property settings.

Now, let’s move on to the reporting time zone and currency categories, which you should always double-check. 

Typically, you would choose the time zone and currency based on your business’s headquarters, but there could be instances where you’re targeting a different location.

You should consistently review this section because it directly influences the information displayed in your reports.

Property Access Management

Now, let’s shift our focus to Property Access Management.

The users with access to this property are listed here, with information on their roles, email addresses, and data limitations.

It is crucial to review both the account and property access management sections. Adding a user at the account level when they should only have access to a specific property is a common mistake.  

Data Settings

Within the Data Settings, you can see the Data Collection section.

You can choose to activate Google Signals here. Google Signals are session data from websites and applications associated with users who have signed into their Google accounts.

Remarketing, cross-device reporting, and the export of conversions to Google Ads are all made possible by this data linkage. You can use it to thoroughly understand how users engage with your online platform using different browsers and mobile devices.

Before activating Google Signals, it’s essential to read the privacy policy to familiarize yourself with your location’s data limitations and regulations. Additionally, when you start Google Signals, be aware that you may encounter thresholding.

Data Thresholding

If your report or analysis lacks data, it could be due to Google Analytics applying a data threshold. These thresholds are in place to prevent individuals from identifying specific users based on limited demographic information, which occurs when there’s only a small number of users in the dataset.

These system-defined data thresholds cannot be changed. You may check this by switching to device-only reporting if you’ve generated a custom event in a property with Google Signals enabled and data thresholding is active.

When you apply a threshold, you’ll see that the data indicator adjacent to the tile turns orange. Hovering over the indication displays additional information about this data threshold.

Data Retention Settings

Data retention controls help determine how long user-level and event-level data remains on Google Analytics servers before automatic deletion.

When establishing a Google Analytics 4 property, the default data retention period is two months. However, you can extend this period for up to 14 months.

We strongly recommend considering an extension to 14 months for this data retention period, provided there are no legal restrictions and it’s been confirmed with your legal department.

These settings won’t significantly impact most typical reports, as they depend on summarized data. Nevertheless, anything linked to cookies, user identifiers, or advertising identifiers will become obsolete once the chosen time frame passes.

Data Filters 

Let’s examine the Data filters section to understand better how it operates.

Applying internal traffic filters usually ensures your reports remain accurate and free from unwanted data. For example, you can discount the traffic you and your colleagues generate.

To implement this filter, select “Internal Traffic” as the filter type.

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Unlike Universal Analytics, there isn’t much more to configure in Google Analytics 4 besides the filter type. GA4’s data filtering options are relatively limited.

Further down the page, you’ll find the filter state, which you can change to “Testing,” “Active,” or “Inactive.” The “Active” and “Inactive” options are self-explanatory, but what about the “Testing” option? 

GA4 allows you to test your created filters because they cannot be applied retroactively. This will enable you to ensure the filter works as expected before becoming active.

To properly remove internal traffic, you must first define what comprises internal traffic.

Data Streams

Navigate to “Data Streams”, then select the stream you want to mark as internal traffic.

Next, tap on the “Configure tag settings.”

Expand that  and select “Define internal traffic.”

Here, you can enter your and your colleagues’ IP addresses of the devices. Google Analytics will detect that traffic from these devices or networks should be considered internal. 

Linking GA4 to Other Tools

The final step is to ensure you’ve linked your GA4 property to various essential tools. These often include Google Ads, the Search Console, BigQuery, and Merchant Center, though the precise tools will depend on your requirements. 

The process of linking is quite simple. For instance, to link Google Ads, click “Google Ads Links” and select “Link.“

Select your Google account to complete the linking setup.

Linking GA4 to Search Console 

In the GA4 property, go to Admin, then Search Console Links.

Click the Link button in the upper right corner.

Then, go to  Google Search Console Property, and select Accounts.

There will be a new list of properties where you are a verified site owner. Select a property and then click Confirm. Only one GSC property can be linked to one GA4 property/web stream.

Then, choose which web stream you wish to associate with that Search Console property. Select the stream by clicking  Select

Finally, you must review everything and click Submit. 

Following that, you will notice a green badge Link Created. This shows that you successfully linked two properties. You will see data in the reports after 24 hours. 

3. Unwanted Referrals

Referrals represent the portion of visitors who come to your website from somewhere else, such as by clicking a link on a different website. Analytics automatically figures out the previous web address people were on before landing on your site and shows the names of those websites in your reports as the sources of referral traffic.

To ensure that your data includes only the referrals you want, you can establish a set of criteria to pinpoint the domains whose traffic you prefer not to classify as referrals.

When you set up these conditions, Analytics reviews the events coming from your website and adds the “ignore_referrer” parameter with a value of true to each event that meets the criteria (ignore_referrer=true). This parameter signals to Analytics that the referrer should not be shown as a traffic source.

Every website where you have the Google tag is subject to the conditions.

Common Uses for Unwanted Referrals

Let’s go over  situations where you wouldn’t want to classify traffic from a domain as referrals:

1. Third-party payment processors

An online store utilizing an external payment processor, where customers return to your website after completing their purchase on the third-party platform.

2. Website-managed interactions

Transactions coordinated via a website but involving various third-party domains, such as a password recovery process that sends emails to users, resulting in traffic from the email domain returning to the website. In this context, the email domain serves as a component of your business rather than a traffic source.

3. Automatic self-referral detection

Self-referral traffic is traffic that comes from pages on your domain. Analytics will not consider traffic as a referral by default if:

• The referring website matches the current page’s domain or any of its subdomains (for example, your own website).
• When the referring website results from a cross-domain measurement setup, like when a user moves between domains you’ve configured in your domain list, and the current page includes the linker parameter “_gl.”

Unwanted Referrals Setup

You must have the Editor role on the property to configure undesired referrals.

You can set up a maximum of 50 undesired referrals for each data stream.

1. In the Admin section, select Data Streams in the Property column.

      2. Choose Web, and select a specific web data stream.

      3. Tap on Configure tag settings located at the bottom.

     4. Head over to the Settings section, then Show All. You will see all available settings. 

    5. Select List unwanted referrals.

In the Include referrals that match any of the following conditions:

1. Opt for a match type.
2. Under Domain, provide the identifier for the domain you want to match.
3. The Add condition option allows you to include another domain.
4. The OR logic is used to evaluate conditions.
5. Tap on Save.

4. Reporting Identity

GA4 has three alternative reporting identity options, which we will explain below.

1. Blended

By default, when you create a GA4 property, it employs the blended reporting identity option. This option utilizes the first accessible data by following these four methods in the specified sequence: User-id, Google signals, Device-id, and modeling. The blended reporting identity option is highly versatile, encompassing both observed and modeled data.

2. Observed

The observed reporting identity option exclusively relies on observed data and excludes modeled data. This means it won’t consider situations where user data cannot be observed, such as when a user has declined cookies. The observed reporting identity option utilizes the first accessible data by cycling through the remaining three methods in this order: User-id, Google signals, and Device-id.

3. Device-based

The device-based reporting identity option relies solely on observed data obtained through the device-id method. While it is the least flexible among the three options, it closely aligns with user calculations in Universal Analytics.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! We hope our article helped you understand the key settings to consider during your Google Analytics 4 setup. You can follow our recommendations or experiment with the settings to determine what works best for your specific needs and objectives. Ultimately, tailoring these settings to align with your goals is vital to effectively using Google Analytics 4.

Explore GA4 With Us!

At Play Media, we use GA4 to monitor and analyze engagement and traffic on your website. Our team analyzes this data, offering insightful perspectives that can fuel your digital strategy. Stay updated on the latest advancements in Google Analytics 4 by following our blog.

Contact us to learn how we can help you utilize data and make informed business decisions!

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