Google Analytics 4 in Magento 2

Google Analytics 4 in Magento 2

The Google Analytics you're now using will stop working in about a year. Google aims to implement the transition to the next generation of analytics in July 2023. Stores that want to keep tracking their customers must utilize Google Analytics 4 instead of the current Google Universal Analytics.

Google Analytics is one of the most effective website analytics tools, allowing you to collect and act on behavioural data about your store visitors.

We’ve prepared a brief highlight of a basic understanding of google analytics and how to connect your Magento 2 to the new analytics. Let's dive into the list.

• What is Google Analytics 4?
• New tracking capabilities of Google Analytics 4
• How to add Google Analytics 4 in Magento

1. What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA 4) is a global upgrade to Google's analytics service. It has been publicly tested since 2020 and differs significantly from Google Universal Analytics, which is now in use (GA 3).

For the time being, online stores can use any analytics system they like; moreover, Universal Analytics will be decommissioned in July 2023.

The significant difference between Universal Analytics and GA 4 is the transition from the sessions to events, allowing standardized data collection across all platforms. In such a way, getting a single report along the entire user journey is possible.

GA 4 also includes Machine learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This enables the prediction of conversion likelihood and the use of such data in Google Ads campaigns. In addition, anomalies in reports, such as no conversion tracking or incorrect conversion coefficient computation, can also be identified using machine learning.

2. New tracking features of Google Analytics 4

GA4 is a thorough update of the user tracking method that integrates web and app user behaviour tracking. In addition, this tool provides businesses with new tracking options.

1. Event Tracking

When you add the Google Analytics 4 tag to your website, it automatically tracks various events when a page is viewed. For example, when someone spends at least 10 seconds on your page, Google Analytics automatically registers an event. Events tracked automatically include:

1. first_visit event
2. page_view event
3. session_start event
4. user_engagement event


2. Custom event tracking

The GA4 completely opens up tracking, allowing tracking of custom parameters and the events and parameters tracked by default. Marketers may customize tracking of specified events from categories such as Automated Events and Recommended Events. If you need to track anything that isn't covered by the standard settings, you can configure Custom Events.

3. Tracking on any platform

The new GA 4 makes it easier to track customers over multiple platforms, which is a big issue for Universal Analytics. It offers a detailed history of user behaviour for each tracked app or website. Because GA4 is much better at de-duplicating users across devices, marketers will get a more accurate user count.

4. Engagement measuring

The bounce rate measure, which was previously used to describe unengaged users, is no longer used in GA4. Instead, marketers can now monitor how engaged their customers are throughout their journey with the new Analytics. For example, it can now track which video the user launched, how many viewing stops they took, and if they completed it.

5. AI for predicting outcomes

This functionality may not be directly related to tracking, but it is an important aspect of GA4 that helps improve marketing efforts in combination with user activity tracking. Analytics will analyze previous user tracking data and forecast future user behaviour using artificial intelligence.

AI will assist marketers in making intelligent predictions about events such as purchases, customer churn rate, income, and so on. In this way, a business may determine which marketing activities to prioritize to achieve the best results.

3. How to add Google Analytics 4 in Magento

Magento provides embedded Google Analytics support; however, as of Magento 2.4.4, this e-commerce platform lacks the data layer required for the new Analytics.

As a result, only the previous Universal Analytics may be configured right away. A third-party plugin is required for the GA 4. To ensure that the GA tags are appropriately applied, use the Chrome Tag Assistant Legacy plugin.

To embed the GA 4 in your Magento store, follow these steps:

1. First, in your Google Analytics account, create a new Google Analytics 4 property. Then, use the GA4 Setup Assistant that Google provides.
2. For this attribute, create a data stream (your store) and enable Enhanced Measurement to capture events. Write down your measure ID, which begins with G.
3. Create a new Google Tag Manager account. You will be given two codes that you must enter into your store using a third-party module.
4. You could, for example, use Google Tag Manager.
5. Create a new tag in your GA 4 data stream to gather user activity data. See the complete guide on creating a GA4 tag.
6. Create custom events you wish to track.

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