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

The free version of Google Analytics, Common Analytics, is the most commonly made use of internet analytics answer. The platform is so well-known that it dominates 86% current market share, earning Google the industry chief. But even even though many contemplate Google Analytics the typical, there are motives to inquire if it is the excellent preference for your advertising setup—especially because Google declared the sunset of Universal Analytics.

On July 1, 2023, Common Analytics homes will prevent processing new hits, forcing end users to switch to its successor, Google Analytics 4. Whilst this may perhaps feel like a purely natural progression, entrepreneurs really should not be fooled.

The understanding curve will be steep—Google Analytics 4 is just about an solely new system and even now acquiring. On top rated of that, Google Analytics challenges losing the users’ belief owing to gray places all around the likes of privateness and details ownership.

With a privacy-targeted long term ahead, now is the time to look for solutions that improved harmony info assortment with compliance. With a good analytics system, entrepreneurs make your information collection as it really should be: predictable and sustainable. After all, marketers and analysts want to method user-degree knowledge although making rely on with their visitors.

In this posting, we will dive into the problems with Google Analytics 4 from a person standpoint and from a privateness and compliance standpoint, so you can make an informed decision ahead of switching platforms.

Person viewpoint: Google Analytics 4 is a phase in the improper path

 Google Analytics 4 introduces an altered reporting and measurement technologies that is neither well understood nor broadly acknowledged by the marketing group.

From a user knowledge point of view, a lot of locate GA4 tough to navigate. But past that, there are a host of challenges with the attribute sets. Enable us dig deeper into individuals restrictions: 

There is no uncomplicated way to migrate your info

 Migration is a complex course of action and need to be prepared thoroughly. Regretably, Google Analytics 4 does not make it any much easier. Without having knowledge or tag migration, all historic details from Universal Analytics will not be transferred to the new system.

The obstacle only grows with the organization’s size—you can have hundreds of tags to move. So, if marketers have to begin accumulating info from scratch, they may well as effectively change to a new analytic software package.

Not-so-intuitive user interface

The most popular problem marketers and analysts will possible experience with Google Analytics 4 is the unfamiliarity with the new interface.

A new dashboard has numerous right away clear variances from what entrepreneurs are utilised to operating. Hit kinds are critical to how Universal Analytic qualities tackle all stats. Hit varieties include things like webpage hits, celebration hits, eCommerce hits, and social conversation hits.

GA4 doesn’t have any idea of a hit type like Universal Analytics takes advantage of. Almost everything in Google Analytics 4 is classified as an “event.” This is a large change.

In get for marketers to have good results on the new system, they will have to adapt swiftly to sustain the exact momentum they experienced with this former platform.

Limits on tailor made dimensions

A tailor made dimension is an attribute that entrepreneurs can configure in their analytics instrument to dive deeper into their details. It offers the choice to pivot or section this data to isolate a particular viewers or traffic for further investigation.

GA4 certainly enables for custom proportions to section stories, but there is a stringent restrict. You can only have up to 25 person-scoped customized dimensions and up to 50 event-scoped customized proportions for each residence.

Deficiency of personalized channel grouping

Channel groupings are rule-based groupings of marketing channels. When custom-made, these groupings enable marketers to keep track of the performance of those people channels successfully.

In contrast to Common Analytics, GA4 does not let you to generate custom channel groupings in the new interface. As a substitute, marketers will only be able to use their default channel groupings.

Motivations driving the shorter deadline

 The deadline Google has still left the analytics community to act is startling. There are several speculations as to why this could possibly be, such as:

1. Google may well have been disappointed with the velocity of adoption for Google Analytics 4 and made the decision to act decisively.
2. Google circumventing some of the lawful heat that Universal Analytics is going through in the EU.
3. Google seeking to cut costs and rid by itself of complex debt involved with hundreds of sites with legacy solutions installed. Due to the fact GA4 is made to aid Google’s promoting community, it guarantees additional income than the competition.

Now there is a concrete deadline to make the swap, marketers will need to make your mind up whether or not they want to start altering to Google Analytics 4 or start off afresh with a new platform.

Privateness and compliance: Google Analytics 4 has a extensive way to go

If a company operates in many countries, marketing and advertising groups will want to be informed of the various difficulties resulting from the obligations of each nearby information privateness guidelines and worldwide laws.

Data safety laws frequently modifying and tight stability laws only complicate things further. Reading the tea leaves, we believe GA4 will not last prolonged in Europe. Here’s why:

Google Analytics violates European legislation

Google can make it complicated to collect data in line with the Typical Details Protection Regulation (GDPR), which aims to restore regulate of own details to customers and buyers. The regulation demands you to get hold of specific consent when processing personal knowledge. Failure to comply with this provision can end result in hefty fines or even prosecution.

The modern determination of the Austrian Info Defense Authority (DSB), states that the use of Google Analytics constitutes a violation of GDPR. This implies that organizations engaged in gathering, storing, and processing details about EU citizens have to modify their insurance policies and introduce major technological adjustments to be GDPR-compliant.

There is no very clear guideline the place the data is connected through Google Analytics

A Google guideline implies knowledge is transferred to the closest Google Analytics server hub. Even so, the details could be stored in a geographic locale that does not have satisfactory privateness safety to the EU.

Recently launched capabilities in GA4 partially handle this problem by allowing for the very first element of information collection (and anonymization) on European servers. Nevertheless, facts can, and most likely will, be sent to the U.S.

 The foreseeable future of marketing and advertising involves users’ consent

Irrespective of whether it be the information high quality, device limits, lack of privacy-pleasant characteristics, or transparency in managing knowledge, we feel marketers will probable look at switching platforms.

Piwik Pro excluds the privacy and compliance difficulties related with Google Analytics, permitting marketers to accumulate data predictably and sustainably. The person interface and attribute sets are similar to Common Analytics, so marketers and analysts truly feel at household when switching to our platform.

If you would like to discover far more about Google Analytics possibilities or get extra information and facts on the Piwik Pro Analytics Suite, visit piwik.pro.

Nevertheless undecided? Test out our posting on addressing the problems about switching to an alternative analytics remedy and the analytic mindset you need to be using: Switching from Google Analytics—here’s what you need to have to know.