Google Analytics is a powerful tool that all photographers should be using to track the success of their website and online presence.
If you are already using Google Analytics for your website, then you need to know that they will be sunsetting the Universal Google Analytics in 2023 and making everyone switch to Google Analytics 4.
So it’s good to get a head start in knowing what it is so you can start planning and switch over as soon as possible.
As a side note, the terms I will be using in this article include Google Analytics, Universal Google Analytics, and Google Analytics 4 (GA 4).
Just to clear things up ahead of time, Universal Google Analytics is the current version of Google Analytics (the one you are probably using) and Google Analytics 4 (or GA 4 for short) is the new version Google is making everybody switch to in June 2023.
Let’s get started!
What is Google Analytics 4 (GA 4)?
Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google Analytics, which was released in October 2020. GA 4 introduces a number of new features and improvements, such as:
- A new interface that is easier to use and navigate
- The ability to track website engagement across multiple devices
- Improved reporting tools that provide more insights into website traffic and visitor behavior
- The ability to create goals and funnels, and track conversions
- Enhanced data security
GA 4 is a significant update from the previous version of Google Analytics, and it is important for photographers to understand how to use it so they can track and understand the metrics from all their photography efforts. If you are not already using Google Analytics on your website, now is the time to set it up!
How to set up GA 4
Setting up GA 4 is fairly simple and only takes a few minutes. First, you will need to create a Google Analytics account and then add the tracking code to your website. If you are using WordPress, there are a number of plugins that can help you with this. Once the tracking code is installed, you will be able to see data in your GA 4 account within 24 hours.
The first thing you will want to do is create a reporting view. This will allow you to see data for a specific time frame, and you can also add filters to your reports. For example, you might want to create a view that only includes data from the past month, or that only includes data from a specific country.
Next, you will want to set up some goals. Goals allow you to track specific actions that visitors take on your website, such as subscribing to your newsletter or making a purchase. You can then see how well your website is performing in terms of achieving these goals.
Finally, you will want to explore the various reports in GA 4. The most important report for photographers is the Site Content report, which shows you what pages on your website are being viewed the most. This information can be used to improve your website content and make sure that visitors are finding what they are looking for.
There are also reports for e-commerce, traffic sources and conversion funnels. These reports can provide valuable insights into how visitors are finding your website and what they are doing once they arrive.
Universal Google Analytics vs. GA4
As of right now, you can have both a Universal Google Analytics and GA4 property set up. So if you are currently using Google Analytics, go set up GA 4 so you can start playing around with it and understanding what metrics to look at before the old (current) Google Analytics goes away.
Conclusion
Google Analytics 4 is a powerful tool that all personal brands should be using to track the success of their website and online presence.
