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In order to make the most of your eCommerce business, you need to be tracking your data. This is where Google Analytics comes in — it’s a free tool that helps business owners track website traffic and measure conversions. Recently, Google Analytics updated from 3.0 to 4.0. This move also discontinued Google Analytics 360. Today, we will walk you through the basics of GA 4.0 and how to set up this new update on your eCommerce store. So, whether you’re just getting started with Google Analytics or you’re looking for an update on the latest features, read on!
What Has Changed Between GA 3.0 and GA 4.0?
The most significant change between GA and GA 360 was that the latter was a paid service. Google Analytics is still free to use, but some of the features that were only available with GA 360 are now included in GA. For example, Enhanced Measurement is now available for all users — this feature allows you to track interactions such as scrolls, outbound link clicks, and site searches.
Another change is that GA 360 has been replaced by Google Analytics for Firebase. This new tool focuses on app analytics and provides users with access to features such as user engagement, retention, and conversion tracking. If you’re an eCommerce merchant who also has a mobile app, we recommend looking into Google Analytics for Firebase.
Finally, GA now uses a “container” approach rather than the traditional “property-specific” tracking code. This means that you can use a single container tag to track multiple websites, apps, and digital platforms. For eCommerce merchants who have a brick-and-mortar store in addition to an online store, this is a great way to track your data in one place.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the changes between GA and GA 360, let’s dive into setting up GA on your eCommerce store.
Setting Up Google Analytics on Your eCommerce Store
If you’re using a platform like Shopify or BigCommerce, setting up GA is a breeze. You can simply add your GA tracking ID to your platform’s settings and the tracking code will be automatically added to your store’s pages.
If you’re using a self-hosted platform like Magento or WooCommerce, you’ll need to manually add the GA tracking code to your store’s pages. The GA tracking code is a snippet of JavaScript that needs to be added to the header of each page on your site. If you’re not comfortable adding code to your website, we recommend working with a web developer or using a Google Analytics plugin.
Once you’ve added the GA tracking code to your store, it’s time to start configuring your account. Google Analytics offers a variety of settings that can be customized to fit the needs of your business.
Setting Goals in Google Analytics
To get started, we recommend setting up goals. Goals allow you to track specific conversions on your website and see which marketing campaigns are driving the most sales. For example, you might want to set up a goal for customers who add items to their cart and complete checkout.
To set up a goal, log into your GA account and navigate to the Admin tab. Under the View column, click on Goals. From there, you can create a new goal or edit an existing one.
When creating a new goal, you’ll need to give your goal a name and select a type. The most common goal types for eCommerce stores are destination goals and event goals.
Destination goals track when a user reaches a specific page on your website, such as the checkout page. Event goals track specific interactions that a user takes on your website, such as adding an item to their cart.
Once you’ve selected a goal type, you’ll need to enter the destination URL or event parameters. For destination goals, simply enter the URL of the page you want to track. For event goals, you’ll need to enter information about the event you’re tracking.
The last step is to set a value for your goal. The value can be anything from the total order amount to the number of items in an order. This information will help you track which marketing campaigns are driving the most sales and ROI.
eCommerce Tracking
In addition to goals, you may want to set up eCommerce tracking. This will allow you to see valuable data such as which products are being sold, what the average order value is, and where your traffic is coming from.
To set up eCommerce tracking, log into your GA account and navigate to the Admin tab. Under the View column, click on Ecommerce Settings. From there, you can enable eCommerce tracking for your View.
Once eCommerce tracking is enabled, GA will start collecting data about your transactions. This data will be available in the eCommerce reports section of GA.
Other Important Considerations
There are a few other things to keep in mind when setting up GA for your eCommerce store. First, make sure that you’re using the correct GA tracking code. The tracking code for GA 360 is different from the tracking code for regular GA.
Second, make sure that your eCommerce platform is compatible with GA. Some platforms, such as Shopify, have built-in integrations with GA. Others, such as Magento, require a plugin or third-party integration.
Finally, make sure that you have filters set up to exclude your own traffic. Otherwise, you’ll skew your data and get inaccurate results.
That’s it! You’re now ready to start using GA to track your eCommerce store’s performance. With the valuable data that GA provides, you can make informed decisions about your marketing campaigns and website design.
If you have any questions about setting up GA for your eCommerce store or interpreting the collected data, feel free to reach out to our team of experts at EYStudios. We’re always happy to help!