It’s been a steep learning curve for most of use to get used to such a different system compared to the “good old” Google Analytics we were all used to. They changed just about everything! One bit of god news is that at RankPower, we have been using it now for at least 2 years and have seen it grow and improve over that time. We’re confident, even though we think it’s not quite there yet, we think it’s headed in the right direction.

It’s hard to find your way around:

Probably the number 1 complaint?

Totally different to the old Universal Analytics, there’s stuff you probably used in that old version that just isn’t there anymore, or has gone into hiding? Why has Google hidden all that stuff or just made it plain impossible to find?

The delay in getting data:

Frustrating! You used to be able to see same day data. How does that impact your ways of working now? Have you figured out how to set up reporting or optimisations that work around this issue?

The Data is Different:

Yes, not only does it not match the way UA measured things, but it often doesn’t seem to line up with real life stuff either, like leads generated on the website vs what is reported in GA4.
Plus, data getting sent to other platforms like Google Ads seems to not work as expected, or certainly not like it used to with UA.

It’s Just too Hard to Use:

Super common complaint we get. And you’re not wrong. This version seems to be built more for a data scientist than your average business owner. We’re betting you didn’t realise that GA4 is an untapped gold-mine of data that you’re currently not taking advantage of because it’s just too hard.

Where are all the Reports:

It does seem to be super lacking in reports inside the actual platform. Lots of reports you used to be able to see with a few clicks are gone. And checking out the Explore reporting section is just overwhelmingly complex.

Bugs:

Yep, indeed, even now this system has a few bugs, and knowing when you are looking at a bug vs when you just can’t do what you wanted to is too hard to figure out.

The Good News:

We are already a very long way down the track of using GA4 – we started deploying it for clients in 2020 already when it was still in Beta. Nope, we don’t know absolutely everything, but yes, the 2+ years of experience on this system so far has helped us figure out most of the important challenges that many of you may be facing today. Like the things in the list above.

We help support enterprises and other marketing agencies just the same, and already have several relationships where we act as an outside contractor, hold direct-to-business relationships, or as a white-label seemingly in-house service.

To discuss your needs in deploying, enriching, or reporting out of GA4, contact us today: