Transition to Google Analytics 4

Background

Our partners from Red Online Marketing invited us to work on a project for their client, a Dutch online travel agency. Our task was to set up site analytics so that events and conversions could be correctly tracked on the agency’s site.

Tools

Before starting work, we used a client-friendly brief that captured all the necessary parameters, accounts, client expectations and other key information. At the preparatory stage, we also made a convenient workspace for the client, which allowed us to record all the necessary implementation stages. We used a status file where we recorded all the deadlines and responsibilities of the parties. The analytics were configured in Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager.

Our Approach

We started with the basic settings of Google Analytics 4. To do this, we installed the appropriate code on the client’s site and made the settings identical to those on the previous Google Analytics Universal account. In particular, connections were made to Google Ads, and internal traffic was added to the list of unwanted referrals. After that, we set up the following four activities in Google Analytics to correctly track user behavior on the site.

• Subscribing to a newsletter
• Viewing prices
• Choosing hotel reservation options
• Sending a contact form

We marked a number of other activities as conversions.

• Add to cart
• Add to wishlist
• View item list
• View items
• Begin checkout
• Purchase

Some actions contained custom parameters to pass additional data.

Finally, we set up e-commerce reports in Google Analytics 4. If you are interested in how to set up your own reports in Google Analytics 4, read our article Reports and Research in Google Analytics 4 and follow the instructions to explore the behavior of your audience in detail.

Some actions contained special parameters to transfer additional data. Clicks on links, page views with custom settings, and special events were used as triggers. We got the values ​​of the e-commerce parameters from the dataLayer using Data Layer Variables. At this stage, we thickened with an unusual nuance. E-commerce data was sent to dataLayer in the UA format. It was necessary to change the titles of the GA4 parameters without making changes to dataLayer and disrupting the work of e-commerce in UA. For this, a custom variable was found in the GTM gallery, which helped solve this problem.

The second problem appeared at the stage of configuring the ‘view_item’ and ‘view_item_list’ events. The site contained a large number of pages. We asked the developer to make changes to the page codes, so that on the load they sent the value to dataLayer in the ‘page_type’ parameter. So we quickly set up the ‘view_item’ and ‘view_item_list’ events based on the value of this parameter.

In total, the whole project took us more than 20 hours, while one of the longest stages was training the client’s specialists to work in the new Google Analytics 4 interface. For someone who has not encountered GA4 before, it would take more time to become acquainted with the interface because they would have to understand the tools for themself – to make and correct mistakes that, thanks to experience, newage specialists wouldn’t have to make.

Result

As a result, the partner received a customized GA4 account. Web analytics captured all the events the client wanted, tracked conversions, and sent data to e-commerce reports. In the end, we instructed the client on the capabilities of Google Analytics 4, and created a roadmap on how to integrate GA4 with other Google Marketing Platform tools, such as Google Ads and SA360.

Partner’s Feedback

I checked your setup. As always with newage, it’s working, and exactly how we wished for it. Cannot thank you enough.

–Andre Hellmeister, Red Online Marketing