Google Analytics 4 hasn’t precisely got disconnected to the champion commencement with marketers.

In fact, it’s getting beauteous awkward — some advertisers are truthful disappointed with the caller programme that they’ve adjacent been hosting funerals for its predecessor, Universal Analytics.

But what is it astir GA4 that’s got the satellite of integer selling truthful riled up?

We precocious asked our readers successful a GA4 readiness canvass what problems they were facing. Here’s a database of the astir communal complaints.

1. User interface

GA4’s idiosyncratic interface was hands-down the biggest contented our readers reported. The UI was described arsenic “slow”, “laughable” and a fewer different adjectives we’re opting not to publish.

Independent income and selling contractor, John Erikson, told us:

“When connected selecting segments/dimensions successful GA4, alternatively of the quality successful Universal to select/deselect 1 oregon much segments successful a azygous database and click ‘apply’, you person to unfastened customization oregon adhd comparison, click adhd filter, prime a magnitude from a agelong dropdown, past prime magnitude worth from different dropdown, past use (and you tin lone prime one).

“Granted it is lone a fewer seconds difference, but erstwhile you look astatine galore antithetic patterns each day, it becomes frustrating to repetition those excess UI moves implicit and implicit erstwhile you utilized to bash it faster.”

“That aforesaid dropdown operation is utilized successful creating/editing GA4 reports. The dropdown lists are agelong and it is hard to find what you are looking for. You tin benignant successful partial names and much rapidly find them erstwhile you cognize them, but initially it is precise hard to scroll done them each and find what you want.

“Also, you tin lone prime 1 truthful it is hard to look astatine aggregate dimensions/values. I don’t cognize the reply to fixing this, but I bash find it clumsy to use.”

2. Data lag

Another large interest for marketers has been the hold of aforesaid time information connected GA4.

Advertisers person stressed that they request the quality to show show perpetually and are confused arsenic to wherefore the caller analytics level doesn’t look to person this function.

Ron Weber, Sr Director astatine Actian, explained:

“The information latency is simply a joke, taking 12-24 hours to study connected what is happening prevents this from being an actionable tool.”

“I privation I wasn’t backlogged for the past fewer years and frankincense could/would person realized this before.”

“Maybe Google volition conscionable determination the computing powerfulness from UA -> GA4 truthful that this volition change? [praying]!”

3. Data discrepancies

Marketers raised concerns astir discrepancies connected GA4 too. Differences successful accusation had resulted successful immoderate worrying that the information being served truthful couldn’t perchance beryllium accurate, resulting successful radical questioning if they tin spot GA4.

One marketer, who wished to stay anonymous, told us:

“What I find problematic is the discrepancy betwixt GA4 API and the respective Looker Studio Connector. Dimensions that are contiguous successful the API and adjacent per default successful the GA4 reporting interface are seemingly missing successful the Looker Studio connector, e.g. Landing Page dimension.”

“The Google Team seems to enactment connected that, due to the fact that astatine slightest the landing leafage magnitude is present present. But that besides means that I person to minus 2 days earlier UA information postulation comes to an extremity – past set and cheque my galore reports again and again.

“I americium arsenic acceptable arsenic the instrumentality is, but I surely bash not look guardant to moving solely with GA4. I americium besides reasoning astir looking for alternative tools to GA4.“

4. Hard to use

Marketers crossed the committee person been reporting that GA4 is incredibly hard to use. Even seasoned advertisers are uncovering it challenging trying to navigate their mode astir the caller platform.

SEO and selling advisor Jason McDonald told us:

“GA4 is simply a disaster. It is truthful overmuch harder to usage than UA, and wholly non-intuitive.”

“It is astir intolerable to drill down by clicking arsenic was imaginable than UA.

“It is the Windows Vista of Google Analytics, and each the cognoscenti are acrophobic to accidental publically that it is garbage. But everyone knows it is garbage.”

5. Lack of resources

With truthful galore marketers struggling arsenic they effort to fig retired GA4, galore are questioning wherefore Google hasn’t provided much acquisition resources explaining however the caller instrumentality works.

The selling squad astatine Storis told us:

“I recovered astir of the answers that I was stuck connected from taking backstage courses done SMX oregon yet getting to a knowledgeable Google squad member.

“Their documentation truly lacked particularly wherever determination were large functional changes oregon gaps. I kept trying to fig retired however to replicate things that weren’t brought over.

“Also, galore of the radical connected Google’s ain squad aren’t up to velocity making enactment calls confusing.”

6. No basal option

Some advertisers explained that selling doesn’t deterioration a 1 size fits each hat. While immoderate of the much analyzable settings whitethorn suit some, different professionals, specified arsenic bloggers, would conscionable similar entree to basal tools connected GA4 and are wasting clip and wealth trying to recognize features they don’t request to use.

Eb Gargano from Productive Blogging told us:

“One of the things I person observed is that galore bloggers and online businesses person been wholly losing their minds implicit GA4 – wasting days (and successful immoderate cases weeks) stressing implicit this, erstwhile their clip could person been overmuch amended spent elsewhere.”

“The information is astir bloggers and online businesses request lone a elemental setup and an knowing of the basal reports. But nary 1 is saying that, and online concern owners are being frightened into believing they request to walk tons of wealth connected costly courses and a batch of clip creating aggregate customized reports.”

“I deliberation it’s a existent shame determination isn’t a ‘GA4 Lite’ for users who lone request basal data.”

7. Lack of features

Another communal ailment from marketers responding to our canvass was the deficiency of features GA4 has to connection successful examination to Universal Analytics.

Marketers seemed peculiarly bothered by the removal of attribution features.

Elizabeth Rule, relationship manager and section SEO expert for Sterling Sky, told us:

“I’ve been utilizing GA4 arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable the past period to get utilized to it, but honestly it conscionable feels similar a clunkier mentation of GA3 with less features that I really privation to use.

“I find myself wanting to spell backmost to GA3 each clip I usage GA4 – and it’s not due to the fact that I’m conscionable excessively utilized to it. Some of the features I usage each time are missing oregon highly analyzable to find successful GA4.”

8. Difficulty recreating reports

Clients and marketers alike person desperately been trying to recreate reports successful GA4 that they antecedently relied upon erstwhile utilizing Universal Analytics.

Unfortunately, it seems for galore that this task has proved acold much hard than it should person been.

Tom Demers, co-founder and managing spouse of SEO and PPC bureau Measured SEM, told us:

“Clients are frustrated with recreating their existing reports successful GA4, peculiarly for circumstantial borderline cases, recreating dashboards successful third-party reporting tools – including Looker Studio.”

“There is besides a batch of enactment astir recreating events / goals wrong GA4 (and disorder astir not seeing those events successful definite reports).”

9. Reports

Marketers besides complained that they were struggling to simply make reports successful GA4 — an contented that didn’t interaction them erstwhile they were moving with UA.

According to galore marketers who took portion successful our poll, Google has made galore unnecessary changes erstwhile it comes to gathering reports, making their workload much difficult.

Eric Bushaw, hunt motor optimization manager astatine G5, told us:

“In time, I deliberation GA4 volition alteration greater insights than UA did.”

“With that said, immoderate of the seemingly arbitrary changes to however reporting tin beryllium done are frustrating.

“Eliminating views, restrictions astir however customized segments tin beryllium used, and different seemingly unnecessary changes are going to marque beingness hard for america erstwhile UA is truly gone.”

10. Bugs

Several marketers contacted Search Engine Land to study bugs wrong GA4, claiming galore features weren’t moving arsenic intended. Issues being flagged included syncing issues with Looker Studio Dashboard and AMP caller publication not working.

SEO consultant John McAlpin told us:

“The level inactive has a batch of bugs, and we find ourselves spending much clip figuring retired wherefore attribution is not decently labeled and wherefore the information is inconsistent.”

Dig deeper: Find our GA4 sum here

Don’t panic

Marketers person recovered the enforced migration from Universal Analytics to GA4 tough, truthful it tin beryllium reassuring to cognize this situation is being felt crossed the industry.

But careless of however hard the accommodation has been, hunt selling adept Kayle Larkin told america it’s important that marketers get connected committee with Google’s latest analytics programme arsenic it volition apt beryllium astir for a agelong time. She said:

“There’s an age-old saying that the writer isn’t ever greener connected the different side.”

“People usage the net successful wholly antithetic ways than successful 2012, and I spot GA4 arsenic Google’s reply for future-proofing website analytics. The manufacture needs a escaped option.”

“Marketers request to intermission for a infinitesimal and deliberation astir what accusation is truly utile and adjuvant – what they request to know.”

“Himanshu Sharma said it good connected LinkedIn: ‘It is important to retrieve that we are not successful the concern of information retrieval. We are successful the concern of information investigation to amended ROI.'”

“Either way, you request to recognize your information and however that supports your selling initiatives.”

Larkin went connected to explicate that alteration wrong immoderate level and immoderate manufacture tin origin radical to panic. But arsenic clip passes, assurance and familiarity increases, causing attitudes to change. She concluded:

“Everyone was huffy erstwhile Facebook updated their interface and ‘couldn’t find anything’. It was ‘horrible’ and ‘the extremity of Facebook.'”

“Because we usage Facebook daily, that was rapidly forgotten, and nary 1 adjacent remembers what the aged interface looked like.”

“The effect to the GA4’s interface – you spot the aforesaid absorption erstwhile immoderate level changes its interface. People bash not similar change.”

“But GA4 is truthful customizable, and with LookerStudio — determination are a batch of options for getting the reports to visualize accusation and insights successful a meaningful way.”

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