With the official introduction of the new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) there’s a very obvious but potentially missable shift in not just language but philosophy too.
To some it may simply appear as a mere change of wording but it’s also very subtle and yet at the same time extremely powerful and transformative.
Google has changed the Tracking ID to a Measurement ID.
Now the official thinking may be that it’s a shift from simply collecting data to a more accurate emphasis on the wider action of data analysis. This in itself is an excellent move as, once we have Analytics data, it’s used by digital marketers to glean valuable insights into everything from which browsers and devices people use to get to your website to the time users spend on your platform.
Holistic Digital Marketing
This subtle change from tracking to measurement aligns well with my own view of website data and digital marketing in general.
Whilst we have SEO experts, PPC specialists, and web developers, for example, that’s a mixture of two clear digital marketing disciplines and another that is not. However, digital marketing is vastly superior when knowledge and skills from SEO, PPC, and web development are combined.
This collaborative approach, if achieved, is what sets aside “just doing” digital marketing to really doing digital marketing. It’s the “slight edge” that differentiates transactional digital marketing agencies from the professionals who are truly transformational.
So by bringing the concept of measurement to the fore, Google are driving change not just in their new Analytics tool but transforming the wider industry hopefully. Encouraging collaboration and reducing the silos between SEO, PPC, and web development for instance can only be a good thing.
People Don’t Like Being Tracked
It’s subtle yet at the same time blindingly obvious – The elephant in the room is that people don’t like being tracked.
The term “tracking” can lead to perceptions of a lack of transparency, or concerns over privacy. If you recall the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where user data was misused, a third party provided data from consenting users but due to Facebook’s lax policies at the time, data was collected from the friends of these users. The tracking of around 270,000 users resulted in the data of nearly 87 million profiles being accessed by Cambride Analytica.
On mobile and desktop, users are activating “Do Not Track” options. Cookies can be rejected. I’ll say it again, People do not like being tracked.
But do they find being measured acceptable?
Measurement Leads to Better User Experience
A question for you: Would you rather your behaviour on a website was tracked or measured?
The use of the term measurement implies the notion that there’s more than just tracking where you go and what you do, it goes beyond simple “harvesting”.
Measurement emphasises the fact that whatever data is collected, it will be used to improve user experience and making informed decisions.
Also, clearly communicating the value exchange of explaining how measuring data can personalise or, if not, at least anonymously improve users’ experiences is a positive.
Conclusion
Google will be measuring user activity in GA4 rather than tracking it. This can only be a positive transformation even if it does at first glance appear to be meely a subtle change of wording.