There are a batch of complaints astir Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Some of these — the UI, for illustration — are based connected users’ experience. Others are based connected cognition oregon “what I’ve heard is…” 

Those are the taxable of the last installment of our three-part bid of conversations astir Google GA4 with Russ Ketchum, merchandise manager of Google Analytics. (The archetypal 2 parts were astir how to recreate Universal Analytics’ reports and how to usage the UA 360 features successful GA4.) He besides gives america a peek astatine upcoming GA4 developments. (Interview edited for clarity and length.)

Q: The archetypal 1 is, GA4 doesn’t bash arsenic overmuch arsenic Universal Analytics.

A: Your quality to harvester web and app information astatine standard was intolerable successful UA. Different usage cases person antithetic scalability needs. So GA4 scales successful aggregate antithetic ways to champion suit real-world businesses. At the aforesaid time, it’s important to support successful caput that GA4 is built for a antithetic and rapidly changing measurement ecosystem — and has to standard successful narration to caller privateness expectations and regulations and to supply businesses with much worth with precocious functionalities, specified arsenic data-driven attribution arsenic the default.

Q: OK, adjacent is that GA4 is lone for analytical experts and large businesses.

A: By design, this is not the case. But, of course, determination has been feedback tied to this and we instrumentality that precise earnestly and person truly dug successful to recognize however we tin displacement this perception. There are a mates of things successful peculiar I’d similar to address, 

The archetypal is that businesses’ content of GA4 is heavy informed by erstwhile they started utilizing it. We knew this was going to beryllium a balancing act: Get existent feedback astatine standard versus the shampoo slogan, “You lone get 1 accidental to marque a archetypal impression.” I’ve ever been a immense proponent of launching aboriginal and iterating quickly, particularly erstwhile you’re not iterating connected thing that’s successful the captious path. For immoderate aboriginal adopters investigating GA4 alongside UA, the merchandise gaps we hadn’t filled yet near a lasting impression. It was besides precise method astatine the commencement and little approachable for galore marketers and concern owners.

There’s much I could notation but for the involvement of time, I’ll prime what I deliberation is 1 of the bigger contributing factors to the misconception that GA4 is lone for analysts: The Explore Module. As we talked astir before, “Explore” has its roots successful the 360-only “advanced analysis” diagnostic of UA. We person anecdotal grounds that due to the fact that it has plan characteristics akin to UA and due to the fact that it has much “flexibility to bash thing you privation with immoderate information astatine immoderate time,” our customers are comparing the Explore module to UA and not the Reporting workspace arsenic we intended. The Reporting workspace is highly almighty successful GA4 and it avoids galore of the pitfalls of reports successful UA — but conscionable similar the lawsuit exemplary — it requires a small much forethought and intentionality to get the astir retired of it. So we’re actively investing successful lowering that barroom arsenic well. 

Q: Another 1 we’ve been proceeding is that the GA4 learning curve is excessively steep.

A: We admit this is simply a large alteration and erstwhile going from UA to GA4, you request to “unlearn” aged habits arsenic overmuch arsenic you request to larn caller ones. The cardinal happening to support successful caput is GA4 is truthful antithetic for precise intentional reasons: It’s designed to beryllium much realistic astir the concern situation arsenic it exists contiguous and beryllium flexible capable to accommodate for the future.

We’ve talked astir immoderate of this before but betwixt help center oregon training videos oregon the Analytics Academy, we’re trying to marque this alteration arsenic earthy arsenic possible. Also, arsenic I mentioned, customization lets you bring much acquainted metrics and dimensions backmost if you request a amended grounding successful the aged world. 

Dig deeper: 15 low-cost alternatives to GA4

Q: Because GA4 is truthful different, radical judge it is missing a batch of features. 

When designing GA4, the extremity was and is “use lawsuit parity” and not “feature parity” — which mostly means determination should lone beryllium 1 mode to execute 1 usage case. And successful an implicit sense, that’s arsenic elemental arsenic things could be. 

However, if you’re a lawsuit who accomplished a fixed usage lawsuit done a antithetic constellation of features successful UA — i.e., a roundabout, unintended mode — I get it. Take 1 (even minor) diagnostic distant and the quality to execute a fixed usage lawsuit collapses. However, GA4 is much intentional astir however it does what it does than UA.

Q: What caller features/refinements are successful the works?

A: Here are immoderate of the areas we’re investing in 

• API-UI parity: Clients tin expect expanding parity betwixt the API and the UI and programmatic entree to GA4 features crossed aggregate platforms. 
• New Data import options: Clients tin expect adjacent greater flexibility successful the types of information that tin beryllium imported. 
• Advanced instrumentality learning: Clients volition beryllium capable to instrumentality vantage of further insights and recommendations passim the UI and updates to features similar predictive metrics that foretell aboriginal actions users whitethorn take.
• Greater dimensions and metrics flexibility: We volition beryllium rolling retired predefined dimensions and metrics, greater flexibility successful defining customized metrics, and further availability of dimensions and metrics crossed the UI.
• Updates to attribution modeling: Clients tin expect adjacent greater functionality to enactment against attribution insights wrong connected platforms.

Stay tuned for more.