Google Analytics 4: drawbacks and limitations—is it worth sticking around?

The cost-free variation of Google Analytics, Common Analytics, is the most extensively made use of internet analytics alternative. The system is so well known that it dominates 86% market place share, generating Google the current market leader. But even even though numerous think about Google Analytics the typical, there are causes to question if it is the great alternative for your promoting setup—especially considering that Google introduced the sunset of Universal Analytics.

On July 1, 2023, Common Analytics houses will halt processing new hits, forcing customers to change to its successor, Google Analytics 4. Although this could seem like a purely natural development, entrepreneurs need to not be fooled.

The finding out curve will be steep—Google Analytics 4 is pretty much an solely new platform and continue to developing. On top of that, Google Analytics hazards losing the users’ believe in owing to gray regions all around the likes of privateness and knowledge possession.

With a privacy-centered upcoming in advance, now is the time to seek solutions that much better equilibrium facts collection with compliance. With a proper analytics platform, marketers make your data selection as it need to be: predictable and sustainable. Following all, marketers and analysts want to approach consumer-degree facts although constructing have faith in with their people.

In this short article, we will dive into the concerns with Google Analytics 4 from a user viewpoint and from a privacy and compliance standpoint, so you can make an knowledgeable selection prior to switching platforms.

Consumer point of view: Google Analytics 4 is a step in the improper direction

 Google Analytics 4 introduces an altered reporting and measurement know-how that is neither effectively comprehended nor broadly accepted by the promoting group.

From a user working experience standpoint, lots of uncover GA4 difficult to navigate. But outside of that, there are a host of troubles with the aspect sets. Enable us dig deeper into all those constraints: 

There is no simple way to migrate your knowledge

 Migration is a intricate course of action and should really be planned thoroughly. Unfortunately, Google Analytics 4 does not make it any a lot easier. Without data or tag migration, all historic facts from Universal Analytics will not be transferred to the new platform.

The problem only grows with the organization’s size—you can have hundreds of tags to move. So, if entrepreneurs will have to commence gathering facts from scratch, they may possibly as nicely switch to a new analytic computer software.

Not-so-intuitive consumer interface

The most outstanding challenge marketers and analysts will most likely face with Google Analytics 4 is the unfamiliarity with the new interface.

A new dashboard has numerous quickly obvious variances from what marketers are utilised to running. Hit styles are necessary to how Common Analytic attributes handle all stats. Hit styles include page hits, party hits, eCommerce hits, and social conversation hits.

GA4 doesn’t have any idea of a strike kind like Common Analytics takes advantage of. Almost everything in Google Analytics 4 is classified as an “event.” This is a big big difference.

In order for entrepreneurs to have success on the new system, they will have to adapt speedily to manage the same momentum they experienced with this earlier system.

Restrictions on custom made proportions

A customized dimension is an attribute that entrepreneurs can configure in their analytics resource to dive further into their knowledge. It presents the solution to pivot or segment this info to isolate a particular audience or site visitors for further investigation.

GA4 without a doubt allows for customized dimensions to phase experiences, but there is a strict limit. You can only have up to 25 user-scoped custom dimensions and up to 50 celebration-scoped custom made dimensions per house.

Deficiency of personalized channel grouping

Channel groupings are rule-based groupings of marketing and advertising channels. When tailored, these groupings let marketers to monitor the general performance of those channels successfully.

As opposed to Common Analytics, GA4 does not let you to create tailor made channel groupings in the new interface. Alternatively, marketers will only be in a position to use their default channel groupings.

Motivations behind the quick deadline

 The deadline Google has remaining the analytics community to act is startling. There are numerous speculations as to why this may be, together with:

1. Google may well have been unhappy with the velocity of adoption for Google Analytics 4 and made a decision to act decisively.
2. Google circumventing some of the lawful heat that Common Analytics is going through in the EU.
3. Google seeking to reduce costs and rid alone of technological debt affiliated with 1000’s of internet websites with legacy methods mounted. Considering that GA4 is built to help Google’s marketing network, it ensures a lot more revenue than the levels of competition.

Now there is a concrete deadline to make the change, marketers will need to have to choose irrespective of whether they want to get started adjusting to Google Analytics 4 or start off afresh with a new system.

Privacy and compliance: Google Analytics 4 has a extended way to go

If a organization operates in many nations around the world, promoting groups will require to be conscious of the many difficulties resulting from the obligations of both of those regional facts privacy legal guidelines and intercontinental restrictions.

Data protection legislation frequently changing and tight safety polices only complicate points further more. Reading through the tea leaves, we believe that GA4 will not very last lengthy in Europe. Here’s why:

Google Analytics violates European law

Google can make it tough to acquire details in line with the Standard Info Safety Regulation (GDPR), which aims to restore management of personalized knowledge to users and buyers. The regulation involves you to acquire explicit consent when processing own details. Failure to comply with this provision can result in significant fines or even prosecution.

The the latest decision of the Austrian Knowledge Security Authority (DSB), states that the use of Google Analytics constitutes a violation of GDPR. This means that companies engaged in collecting, storing, and processing info about EU citizens have to regulate their guidelines and introduce serious technological modifications to be GDPR-compliant.

There is no clear guideline the place the data is connected by way of Google Analytics

A Google guide implies facts is transferred to the closest Google Analytics server hub. Having said that, the info may well be stored in a geographic site that does not have suitable privateness safety to the EU.

Newly launched attributes in GA4 partially address this issue by making it possible for the initial element of information assortment (and anonymization) on European servers. However, data can, and most most likely will, be sent to the U.S.

 The future of internet marketing calls for users’ consent

Whether or not it be the info excellent, instrument restrictions, absence of privacy-pleasant options, or transparency in managing facts, we imagine entrepreneurs will very likely take into account switching platforms.

Piwik Professional excluds the privateness and compliance difficulties associated with Google Analytics, enabling entrepreneurs to acquire knowledge predictably and sustainably. The user interface and function sets are equivalent to Universal Analytics, so marketers and analysts feel at dwelling when switching to our platform.

If you would like to find out far more about Google Analytics choices or get extra information and facts on the Piwik Pro Analytics Suite, go to piwik.professional.

However undecided? Check out out our posting on addressing the worries about switching to an different analytics remedy and the analytic attitude you should really be using: Switching from Google Analytics—here’s what you will need to know.