The good, the bad, and the super confusing...
Since January, Google has rolled out 44 GA4 updates, as listed on their 'What's New' page. These releases ranged from impactful improvements to tone-deaf updates, stirring both celebration and frustration within the community. Yet, it's undeniable that this year has been a whirlwind of excitement for Google Analytics.
Here's my rundown of the Top 5 improvements and Top 5 duds from the 2023 Google Analytics 'What's New' list
Top 5 Improvements:
1. Custom Channel Groupings (Mar 14) - A key limitation of GA4 in its early stages was the inflexibility of the 'Unassigned' channel. This category, a dumping ground for a mishmash of referrals, UTMs, and various attribution sources, seemed like a dead end. The March update changed the game by empowering users to craft their own channel groupings and dynamically reassign sources according to their unique criteria.
2. Ecommerce Dimensions (Jan 10, Mar 16, May 17, Jul 10, Dec 5) - GA4, initially lacking many of UA's valuable ecommerce reporting features, has seen significant enhancements. It's puzzling why accessing actual sales requires delving into the Order Coupon report, the sole home of the transaction_id by default. This year, GA4 devoted substantial updates to expanding item-scoped dimensions. These enhancements have not only made ecommerce data more flexible by allowing the addition of custom item dimensions but also improved accessibility, enabling their use across most GA4 features (audience builder, explore, bigquery)
3. Audience Updates (May 17, Jun 26, Jul 27, Aug 1, Nov 10, Dec 5) - My personal highlight in GA4 has been the audience functionality, a powerhouse of rich and versatile features. This year's updates have brought considerable enhancements, making the audience builder more adaptable and user-friendly. Key advancements in 2023 include the introduction of audience reports and the integration of the Audience Builder with Google Ads and Salesforce. The ability to export data via API opens up new possibilities for developing applications that utilize this data effectively. Moreover, the audience reports and dimensions provide a level of flexibility in segmenting data that UA simply couldn't match. A funny sidenote: As I was reading through the updates, I noticed that GA4 initially indicated the Audience Builder's integration with Google Ads would occur a few months after its March announcement, yet it only materialized in December – quite the wait, to say the least!