Dental CE: What Dentists Need to Know Now About Google Analytics 4 by Dr. David A. Wank

Dentaltown Magazine

by Dr. David A. Wank

Short course description
On July 1, Google will turn off Universal Analytics, its current Google Analytics product, which means website owners will need to start using the company’s latest product, Google Analytics 4, if they want to access their website analytics data through Google. In this course, readers will learn why the company is making this change and what efforts website owners will need to make so they can continue to track and analyze their data. We’ll also examine a few likely scenarios dentists might find themselves in regarding the update, and review some of the data migration pearls and pitfalls.

Abstract
Google’s Universal Analytics tracking software (UA) has long been the gold standard for gathering website data so owners can make better marketing decisions. UA has been around for more than a decade, and little has changed with the software other than incremental improvements to data collection and availability of reporting capabilities.

Because of increased concerns about privacy— plus the fact that many users disable or block the traditional code marketers use to track people’s behavior across the web—Google needed a new analytics solution. As a result, the company is introducing Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a new model for gathering website analytics data. About the only thing that Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 share is the word analytics in their product names, so users will need to “migrate” their data to the new platform—and it’s not as easy as copy/paste.

Educational objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
  1. Understand why Google is requiring website owners to migrate to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
  2. Understand the different data collectionmethods used by Universal Analytics and GA4.
  3. Be familiar with the general migration process, and what you can and cannot expect from a migration.
  4. Know the difference between a GA4 event and a GA4 conversion.
  5. Describe Google Signals and why it is important for Google Ads users.
  6. Find key data in the new GA4 interface.
Additional resources
  1. Google Support article: "Introducing the next generation of Analytics, Google Analytics 4" (link
  2. Google Support article: "Link Google Ads and Analytics" (link)
  3. Article: "Top 10 Things Small Businesses Need To Know About Migrating to Google Analytics 4" (link)
  4. Paid course: "Google Analytics 4: Migration Process Training" (link)

 

View This Course

Author Bio
Dr. David A. Wank Dr. David A. Wank earned his DMD from Harvard in 2003 and is a practicing general dentist in New York. He’s been at the helm of Short Hills Design, a marketing agency for dentists, since its founding in 2008 and has worked with more than 100 Townies on their website, hosting, analytics and SEO needs. Wank holds a Google Analytics individual qualification and Google Analytics 4 and Google Display Ads certifications, and is the author of a Google Analytics 4 Migration Process Training course. He also runs a Facebook group, a YouTube channel and his company’s YouTube With the Dentist marketing program.

Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
How many labs do you use on a regular basis?
  
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2023 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450