google analytics 4

Set up GA4 involves configuring the tracking code on your website to capture user interactions accurately. It’s crucial to integrate GA4 with various platforms, including Google Ads advertising, to track the performance of online advertising campaigns effectively. By collaborating with experts from an online advertising agency UAMASTER, businesses can streamline the setup process and leverage GA4’s capabilities for comprehensive analytics and informed decision-making.

To ensure correct and complete data transmission from the website, it is necessary to verify the correctness of analytics settings, namely:

• Elimination of data duplication; 
• Tracking of goals; 
• Defining conversions; 

Ensuring no discrepancies in the number of transactions with CRM. 

Google Analytics tracks the maximum number of actions on the site and integrates with other platforms. We check how correctly it is configured, what data it transmits, and whether it tracks all set goals.

Changes in Cross-Channel Analytics

Setup after Transitioning to GA4 It has become easier to work with data and reports. Basically, most of the information needed for cross-channel analytics consists of data from GA, which is exported to BigQuery or another storage, and then collected and combined with other sources for reporting purposes.

Integration of Data Sources It is important to identify all data sources used for cross-channel analytics:

• Advertising platforms (Google Ads, Facebook Ads); 
• Email marketing systems (MailChimp, eSputnik);
• Telephony systems (RingСentral, Yeastar); 
• CRM systems (PipeDrive, KeepinCRM). 

For example, if your business uses Google Ads to attract traffic, it is necessary to integrate this data to track the effectiveness of campaigns. 

Note: Ensure synchronization and standardization of data and determine the location for data uploading, whether it is BigQuery or any other database. We check what data is transmitted to the CRM and which UTM parameters are used. For ease of further consolidation, we format the received data, review data that is not being transmitted, identify any errors or gaps, and study data from various services to understand potential issues and how to address them.

How Long Does It Take to See the Effects of Cross-Channel Analytics? 

The effect of cross-channel analytics depends on its data and the results obtained. Therefore, if the client correctly understands the purpose of cross-channel analytics, what data they want to track, and what data they need for conclusions, we may see initial results in about a month—some aggregated data on the company’s business activities. 

Thus, we draw conclusions to ensure better results in the future.

It is also necessary to consider the peculiarity of the business. For instance, if it’s an information product with a short deal cycle—like a landing page for selling courses—or a company running ads through Facebook, the deal cycle may be as follows: a user sees the ad, becomes interested, clicks, goes to the landing page, views the offer, leaves, then sees another ad two days later, becomes interested, clicks, and makes a purchase. Therefore, the deal cycle lasts one to two days. In such cases, we can form hypotheses to improve business efficiency and observe their effectiveness in a few days.

Integration of Data Sources 

Upon completing the preparatory stage, we combine the data. However, there is one caveat: for many companies, SQL or MTL, i.e., potential consumers considered qualitative or qualified, are strategically important. Once we understand what data we need, we analyze the sources used by the potential consumer and upload the data to the database.

Typically, we use BigQuery, where we receive the exported data from GA4. Then, through the API, we connect to CRM systems, advertising accounts, and other sources, and upload the necessary data to separate tables in BigQuery. 

Conclusions

Analysis is simplified thanks to the use of end-to-end analytics, which automatically gathers and consolidates data from CRM, advertising channels, and the website. This allows tracking advertising expenses and sales revenue. Reports are generated in just a few minutes. A marketer can quickly assess the effectiveness of advertising using metrics such as return on investment (ROI) and customer acquisition cost (CAC), saving time on routine tasks. Additionally, focusing on online advertising and Google Ads advertising specifically enables more targeted analysis and optimization efforts.