Google Analytics 4. The new generation

Google Analytics 4 is here to stay. Since the beginning of digital marketing, it has been essential to measure the results of all actions. And since 2006, web measurement has an absolute king: Google Analytics . This digital analytics tool from Google allows you to create detailed reports on traffic, user behavior within the site, the audience that visits it and the conversions that take place on the website, among many other aspects. All of this is available to any user and completely free of charge. But as with everything in life, everything has an end and its evolution was a matter of time. Google has announced that in July 2023, GA4 will be the new standard for Google's measurement tool , replacing the current Universal Analytics. This new version offers better integration with Google Ads and more possibilities for cross-device measurement. But that's not all. Today on the Línea Gráfica blog we'll tell you all the new things that Google Analytics 4 can bring to your Prestashop ecommerce.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is replacing Universal Analytics. It will allow you to measure traffic and interaction on your websites and mobile applications with customizable reports, different from those shown in the Analytics properties. Privacy-driven and future-proof Smart, using machine learning to extract statistics from the customer journey across different platforms and devices Enhanced integrations with Google advertising platforms to optimize campaign performance and increase marketing ROI

How to create a Google Analytics account?

We detail it step by step: Create a Google Analytics account To create an Analytics account, we will use any Gmail email address. If you don't have one yet, don't worry, it's extremely simple. Once we have done so, use the following link (http://www.google.es/intl/es/analytics/), log in and start the registration on the next screen.

How to integrate Google Analytics into Prestashop 1.7 step by step?

To integrate Google Analytics in Prestashop 1.7 you must follow the following steps:

Get the tracking ID from our account

The second step is to shape our tracking campaign. To do this, we will choose the “Website” option, which will be our Prestashop, and we will fill in each space with the requested information: name of the website, URL, Category to which the company belongs and Time Zone. Ready? Don’t be afraid to press the blue button.

Install the Google Analytics Module

The next step in the tutorial is to get the Google Analytics Module through the Prestashop administration panel. In the “Modules” section, look for the latest version of “Google Analytics” (not to be confused with “Google Analytics API”), click on “Install” and let the magic of Prestashop do its work.

Integrate Analytics in Prestashop

With our Google Analytics code created in the first step, we go to the module configuration, scroll down and copy it into the “Google Analytics Tracking ID” space. After saving the data, we will have activated the Analytics tool in our Prestashop space. For more information, check out our post .

How to configure e-commerce in Google Analytics 4 in Prestashop?

Now that you know the main benefits of this new evolution of Google Analytics, we want to show you how to set it up. Don't worry. It's easier than you think! If you already have a web+app account, you don't have to do anything. GA-4 will be updated automatically. If you don't have one yet, you'll have to wait a few days.

• Manually : If you had a property in the previous version, you will need to make the transition manually. Just click on 'Upgrade to GA4', and follow the steps indicated by the tool. You can find all the details on thisofficial Google page .
• If you create a new property from scratch , the tool will give you the option to create it directly in GA4. You will only have to select the 'Apps and web' option.

To configure it with Prestashop, the easiest way is to get a module that does it automatically. The Prestashop Module – Google Analytics 4 , developed by Línea Gráfica , was created as a response to the problem that sites with Universal Analytics are experiencing, where when cookies are blocked, the analytics are left without data. The module allows you to measure ecommerce events that are not collected by default.

Buy the Google Analytics 4 module

If you have any questions or need help with your Google Analytics 4 configuration, just contact us or consulthere .

Universal Analytics VS Google Analytics 4

The first question everyone is asking is: What's new in GA-4 compared to its previous version? Here are the details: One of the main differences is that the older version is based on page views and sessions. Google Analytics 4 allows for an event itself as a unit of measurement. In other words, Google Analytics offers us limited information, whereas in its evolution we can obtain data from apps, engagement reports and learn in detail about the path taken by new customers. In other words, we will have much more information about how users have interacted with us, on different devices and channels. All of this in real time and with much more exhaustive data control. You can find more information about their differences here .

What advantages does Google Analytics 4 bring us?

This new version of Google's measurement tool has been designed with new user behavior in mind in the digital environment. People no longer only browse the web, but also use a multitude of applications. In the case of having an e-commerce site that had a website and an app, with Universal Analytics we needed 2 different properties. With GA4 we only need one. By unifying all properties and having all the information in a single property, there will be greater control over the data. This will translate into the possibility of creating more precise strategies.

Disadvantages of GA4

Although there are hardly any negative points, it is true that the main disadvantage has to do with the disparity of data shown by GA4 and UA. Additionally, if we do not integrate GA4 before Analytics goes offline, we may lose historical data between the UA property and GA4.