Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can be confusing to a lot of small business owners. This is because of its design, layout, and updates, with many believing it to be overly complicated and lacking in simplicity. The truth of the matter is that GA4 can be a game-changer for your small business website... as long as you know how to use it effectively.
You have to remember that only one website metric actually matters when you are seeking long-term success, and that is to look for conversions tied to real business actions. Let's look a little closer at how GA4 can be utilized to give your small business a shot in the arm, and the things to keep in mind when trying to make this work better for you.
Some GA4 Metrics Can Be a Distraction
GA4 is built around engagement and user journeys, but it can prove to be overwhelming for smaller businesses with teams that don't have the time to conduct a hugely in-depth analysis. Metrics such as page views, engaged sessions, and average engagement time look good on paper, but they don't generate traffic, making them a distraction. Websites with fewer visitors but more consistent conversions will perform infinitely better.
The Metrics That Matter
When it comes to running a small business, GA4 should be utilized to try to help determine how many of your website's visitors are taking meaningful action that's going to lead to revenue. This could be something like submitting a form, phone call clicks, quote requests, booking confirmations, and email sign ups. These should become key to conversions, and they need to be your focal point when driving success as a business.
How to Use GA4 in the Right Way as a Small Business
You don't need to do a GA4 deep dive in order to get value from it, and there are several practical steps you can take that are going to help you make the most of it, and improve the way your business website functions. You need to define 1-3 clear and concise actions, make sure you track them cleanly, and ensure you compare conversions by channel so that you can identify pages that will help you drive conversion.
What GA4 Replaces for Your Business
Running a small business comes with plenty of challenges, and one of the biggest ways in which GA4 can help you is by replacing things like bounce rates and time on site focus with intent-based measurement. The simple fact is that engagement only really matters if it is giving you a higher likelihood of conversion, and this is something that GA4 is designed to help you with.
As a small business owner, being able to focus on GA4 helps you achieve meaningful conversions over time, and removes confusion when analyzing your site. This is an essential metric for decision-making, and you need to figure out the best ways of being able utilize this in order to help you do your job effectively, and ensure that your small business website does what it should be doing.
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