[Online] Google Analytics 4, What to Know and How to Use

If you have seen the news, you know about the sunset of Google’s Universal Analytics. As customers no longer browse through products on the web in an expected path but rather through multiple touchpoints, you need a modern and improved data measurement solution. That’s what Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is for.

GA4 is designed to unify both app and web analytics. In other words, GA4 is the new generation of Google Analytics, where you can navigate and better understand the complex, multi-platform journeys that your customers take.

With GA4, customers’ data privacy and security are greatly enhanced since the tool no longer stores IP addresses. This feature is an advantage for businesses in today’s international landscape, where the need for more data protection and controlled sharing is increasing.

Join us to learn more about GA4 and the main differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics.

Note: This will not be at our usual location. It will be an online event using Zoom. If you don't already have an account, you can sign up for free at https://zoom.us. You can download the desktop software, use a browser extension, or download the mobile app. If you haven't used Zoom before, please get set up and familiar with it in advance. We recommend you upgrade to the latest version. If you're using the desktop software, you may need to check for upgrades manually.

For added security, the Zoom link will not be public. You must RSVP to see it.

Along the bottom of the Zoom window, there are buttons to mute/unmute your microphone, enable/disable your video, and access the Participants, Chat, and Reactions panels.

For security and to prevent interruptions, everyone else will be prevented from screen sharing during the meetup. Your audio and video should be off by default when you join the call, but you may want to double-check when you join. You can unmute yourself and turn on your video, but please note that you may be included in the recording. If you unmute yourself, please only do so temporarily while you're asking your question. This helps reduce background noise in the recording.

If you have a question, please click the button to "raise your hand." Depending on your version of Zoom, this will be located in the Reactions panel. Our presenter will take breaks to answer questions, and our moderator will call on whoever has their hand raised. You can unmute yourself while you ask your question and then mute yourself and lower your hand after you're done.

You can use the Chat panel to introduce yourself and converse with others, but if you have a question for the presenter, remember to "raise your hand." We won't monitor the chat as frequently, so questions may be overlooked.

We'll record the presentation and link to the video in the comments once it's been processed.

If time permits, we'll open up the conversation after the presentation. We encourage people to converse in our Portland Slack group for general WordPress discussion at any time. You can join our Portland Slack Group.