By Daniel Perry-Reed
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is now the go-to tool for all things analytics. Gone are the days of Universal Analytics (RIP, UA) as of July 1st, 2023. If you’ve been dragging your feet on making the switch, consider this your wake-up call.
GA4 isn’t just another version of Google Analytics—it’s a whole new beast. And while the learning curve might feel like a climb up Everest, trust me, the view from the top is worth it. So, let’s dive into how you can harness GA4 to boost your local SEO game.
Why GA4 Should Be Your New Best Friend
First things first: Why should you care about GA4, especially if you’re running a local business? Simple. GA4 is a powerhouse of a web measurement tool that helps you see what’s really going on with your marketing efforts. Whether you’re pouring cash into paid ads, grinding away on SEO, or getting social with your audience, GA4 tracks it all. And it’s free—no strings attached.
Let’s break it down: You need to track two big things—your marketing efforts and your website conversions. This way, you’ll know exactly which channels are bringing home the bacon and which ones need a little more TLC.
Track Your Marketing Like a Pro
Here’s the deal: GA4 doesn’t automatically track your marketing campaigns. If you want to know where your website visitors are coming from, you’ve got to tell GA4 what’s up by using UTM parameters in your URLs.
There are a couple of exceptions—Google Ads and organic SEO are automatically tracked, but everything else? You’ve got to handle it manually. This includes your Google Business Profile, which, for some reason, doesn’t get the automatic UTM love. Go ahead and add those UTM parameters to your website link in GBP to keep track of those clicks.
The good news? The process is pretty straightforward. Just tack on some UTM parameters to your URLs, and GA4 will do the rest. It’s the same drill as it was with UA, so if you’ve done it before, you’re already ahead of the game.
Track Your Conversions—Where the Magic Happens
Conversions are where it’s at. They’re the actions your visitors take that make you say, “That’s what I’m talking about!” Whether it’s someone making a purchase, filling out a form, or booking an appointment, these are the moments that matter.
In GA4, you can track up to 30 conversions, so get creative. You’re not limited to just the obvious ones. Think about every action you’d want your visitors to take, and track them all.
GA4 does some of the heavy lifting for you by automatically tracking a bunch of events. These events are basically the actions visitors take on your site. You can tweak which ones you’re tracking by heading to the GA4 admin screen and selecting “Data streams.” From there, you can turn events on or off as needed.
Now, to take it up a notch, you can tell GA4 which events are conversions. This is as simple as flipping a switch in the admin screen under “Events.” Once you’ve set this up, GA4 will start tracking your conversions moving forward.
Reporting in GA4—Because Data Shouldn’t Be Boring
Once you’ve got your tracking set up, it’s time to check out your data. Head over to the “Reports” section in GA4, where you’ll find both overview and detail reports. The overview reports are like dashboards with quick-glance info, while the detail reports dive deeper with charts and data tables.
Traffic Acquisition
This report is your go-to for seeing where your traffic is coming from. You’ll find it under Life cycle > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition. Here, you can see how each marketing channel is performing, and you can switch up the data view to focus on different metrics, like users, sessions, or conversions.
Demographic Detail
Want to know who’s visiting your site and where they’re coming from? Check out the Demographic details report under User > User attributes > Demographic details. You can even break it down by city, language, or region to see how your local traffic is performing.
Next-Level Analytics—Because You’re Not Done Yet
This article just scratches the surface of what GA4 can do for your local business. If you’re ready to go deeper, I run a 6-week GA4 Immersion training course that covers everything from basic setup to advanced strategies. Hit me up on LinkedIn or Twitter/X for more info, or check out my weekly analytics podcast, The Measure Pod.
In a digital world where visibility is everything, GMB Fox ensures your business isn’t just online—it’s the first choice customers make. Let us handle the complexities of digital marketing, so you can focus on what truly matters: growing your business.
Comments