Do you use Google Analytics with Marketing Cloud or Marketing Cloud Account Engagements (Pardot)? Google Analytics is updating its system and it will have a significant impact on Salesforce marketers.

Overview of Google Analytics 4

On July 1, 2023, Google Universal Analytics will update to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). You will still be able to access data recorded before that date for up to 6 months but no new data will be tracked in Google Universal Analytics. If you created your Google Analytics property after October 14th, 2020 you’re likely already using Google analytics 4, and no action is required.

GA4 will no longer use cookies for tracking website data. Consumers will now be tracked when they are logged into your website for more accurate tracking.

The biggest issue that will affect marketers is that Google Analytics 3 (GA3) historical data will not be stored in GA4. Marketers will be left with a few options on how to handle this problem

Use third-party tools to download and store the historic Google Analytics data.
Turn on GA4 and move on without historical GA3 data.

How does GA4 affect Marketing Cloud users?

The loss of historical data can present issues for many Marketing Cloud users. Marketers use historical data to inform many of their decisions. Organizations will need to develop custom solutions to ensure they can access all the data they need in Marketing Cloud. This will likely need to be done through a combination of standard Salesforce functions and outside applications.

The transition to GA4 should be relatively painless for most Marketing Cloud users outside of the loss of historical data. There will be very little set-up required inside Marketing Cloud and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) as the connectors are the same as GA3. Marketing Cloud users will need to confirm whether they are using Google Code within any of their forms. These forms will need to be updated with the new code used in GA4.

Where do you go from here?

These changes can be difficult to navigate alone. If you are using Marketing Cloud or Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) and are worried about Google Analytics 4 will affect your organization, please contact Eigen X to help with this challenge. We can ensure that your marketing program will successfully navigate this change!

References: https://thespotforpardot.com/2022/04/12/everything-marketers-on-salesforce-need-for-google-analytics-4/

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11583528?hl=en#

https://www.whatconverts.com/blog/what-is-google-analytics-4-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

https://2stallions.com/blog/google-analytics-4/

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_rn_june_2021_google_analytics_4.htm&type=5