You may have heard some buzz around GA4 (Google Analytics), but, even for many marketers, it still feels like a bit of a mystery. The good news? Once you understand how it works and identify your GA4 number, it becomes a powerful ally in shaping a smart, data-driven strategy.
I’m hugely proud to have recently become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM). One of the things that tells you is that I’m constantly learning, to ensure that I’m fully on top of all the latest developments in marketing.
So in this article, I’m going to break down GA4 for you: what it is, why it matters, and how to use it.
I’ll explain what sets GA4 apart, how to find your most important metric and how that number can directly impact your marketing efforts.
GA4 vs Universal Analytics: What’s Changed?
Since the transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics (GA4), marketers have gained access to more detailed, behaviour-focused insights than ever before. But many people are still unsure which metrics to track, or how to use the data effectively.
Where Universal Analytics focused on sessions and bounce rates, Google Analytics (GA4) is built around events. This shift means that every interaction on your site can be tracked, from clicks and scrolls to video views and purchases.
In simple terms: instead of just knowing someone visited your page, you now know what they did while they were there. This provides a far richer understanding of user behaviour.
Take Engagement Rate as an example. Unlike bounce rate, which could be vague and misleading, Engagement Rate gives you a clearer picture of how people are genuinely interacting with your content.
What is Your GA4 Number?
Every business has its own key metric. Your GA4 number is the one that reflects your main goal and helps steer your strategy.
- If your aim is to increase brand awareness, look at metrics like Engagement Rate or Users by Source.
- If your focus is lead generation, track Conversion Events such as form submissions or content downloads.
- If you are running an e-commerce site, Purchase Events and Revenue might be your most valuable indicators.
The point is not to track everything, but to find the number that aligns with your objective and use it as your guide.
Why Your GA4 Number Matters
Knowing your GA4 number helps you make better marketing decisions, such as:
- Smarter budget allocation – allowing you to focus your marketing investment in the activities that are actually working
- Clearer channel performance – helping you to understand which platforms are driving the most meaningful engagement with your audiences
- Stronger campaign optimisation – giving you the flexibility and responsiveness to adapt strategies in real time
- More confident reporting – easy access to data that tells a clear, actionable story
As you can see, Google Analytics (GA4) is not just a technical upgrade. It is a shift in how we understand and respond to our audiences. When you identify your GA4 number and learn how to use it, your marketing becomes more focused, efficient and effective.
How to Make Google Analytics (GA4) Work for You
One of the best pieces of news is that you don’t need to be a data expert to benefit from GA4. What matters is clarity. When you know what to measure and why, you gain the insight to improve your marketing performance and grow your brand.
So ask yourself – what is your GA4 number?
But if you don’t have the mental bandwidth to give to understanding analytics right now, or would prefer to outsource your marketing to the experts, we’re here to help.
At The Marketing Associates, we support businesses in making sense of their data. From setting up tracking properly to identifying the metrics that truly matter, we help transform numbers into meaningful outcomes.
How The Marketing Associates Can Help
If you’d like to talk to us about how we can help you to let your data work harder, make contacting The Marketing Associates your next move.
tabitha@themarketingassociates.co.uk or call 01233 720379
At The Marketing Associates, we specialise in strategic freelance marketing support for professional service practices, providing excellent quality advice on your marketing strategy to develop and grow your business on a retained basis.