Hit the Targets You’re Missing With Google Analytics, Part 1: What is GA4?

“A lot of marketing is just trying things to see what works.”

Did that statement make you cringe? Yeah, us too. And it’s why we wrote this series! To help tired marketers and business owners (like you) stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and start throwing … ? Honestly, don’t throw anything; just read this blog instead.

Welcome to our complete beginners’ guide to Google Analytics, a blog series. AKA, your goldmine of free, sales-boosting SEO advice.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool for understanding how people are finding and engaging with your website. This is critical information that helps marketers and business owners make advertising decisions based on real data (instead of guesswork and wasted pasta – which should be a crime).

GA4 is an essential tool for marketers and busy business owners, and we’re here to teach you how to use it to get the results you want. In this multi-part blog series, we’re revealing all our best Google Analytics tips, tricks and industry secrets.

First tip: Before we jump in, make sure you bookmark our blog page so you can easily follow along with each post (we have some amazing how-to’s coming that you won’t want to miss!).

Why is GA4 so Valuable?

Spending money on marketing guesswork that doesn’t move the needle hurts. So imagine knowing how to reach those customers first – sounds like a dream, right?

That’s the power of GA4. It helps you understand how your customers are finding you and why they’re finding you. Understanding their user journey helps you communicate better – leading to a more effective marketing campaign.

GA4 can tell you:

 

Where They Started

G4A lets you identify which marketing channels (like Google Search, social, or email) are driving the most valuable traffic. GA4 shows you exactly where your audience first discovered you, so you’re not left wondering whether that blog post, ad campaign, or Instagram reel is pulling its weight. This insight helps you double down on what’s working and stop wasting time and budget on channels that aren’t.

For example, you might learn that organic Google searches bring in more qualified leads than social ads. With this information, you would put more resources toward SEO than paid social media campaigns.

 

What Helped Them Say Yes

GA4 can show you the path users take before converting (filling out a form, booking a service, or making a purchase). GA4 maps out each touchpoint leading up to the conversion, so you can refine your content and marketing strategy to get them there sooner.

Let’s say you discovered that most people read two blog posts and visit your services page before filling out the Contact Us form. You might link more to these pages in paid ads and/or revise them to ensure they’re highly optimized. This would help more of your audience find them, starting them on the path to conversion.

 

Where You Lost Them

If there’s a page on your site that’s turning customers off, this could be killing your conversions.

With GA4, you can pinpoint underperforming pages or drop-off points. The data illustrates exactly where your audience is bailing out. This could be a slow-loading page, confusing navigation (user experience issue), or something else. The power of knowing where the problem is so you can fix it fast? Invaluable. Consider this: GA4 reveals that visitors exit the screen at your pricing page. This is a signal that maybe the information isn’t clear or that your competitors are offering something more compelling. In this example, running more paid ads would be a waste. You would likely focus your energy into competitor research or revising your messaging.  

Stay Ahead With GA4

Doing digital marketing without GA4 is like making moves in the dark. GA4 provides real data to help you optimize your time, your marketing spend and your efficiency. And this is just the beginning of what GA4 can do for your business! If you enjoyed this blog, you’ll love what’s coming next. In the next blog, we’re breaking down exactly how to use GA4 – from defining and configuring SEO-specific conversion events to segmenting organic and new visitors.d Sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss it!