Google Analytics collects, measures, and analyzes data from a website to understand its performance, seller behavior, and other metrics. It is an essential tool for your real estate businesses’ online presence, allowing you to make data-driven decisions, and optimize your website for better user experience.
Why Upgrading to Google Analytics 4 is a Game-Changer for Your Real Estate Investment Business
By: Larry Weldeman
Jump to:
- What is Google Analytics?
- What is Google Analytics 4 (GAr)?
- Some Quick GA 4 Stats
- Key Features of GA4
- Does GA4 Comply with Data Privacy and Compliance Regulations
- How to Set Up GA 4 for Your Website
- Navigating the GA4 Dashboard
- What Are Some Best Practices for Using GA4
- Call to Action
Google Analytics collects, measures, and analyzes data from a website to understand its performance, seller behavior, and other metrics. It is an essential tool for your real estate businesses’ online presence, allowing you to make data-driven decisions, and optimize your website for better user experience.
Google has formally announced the retirement date for Universal Analytics. Take note that it will occur on July 1, 2023. Following this date, all advertisers must make the analytics migration to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). In a recent post, Google states,
“We’re focusing our efforts and investments on Google Analytics 4 to deliver a solution built to adapt to a changing ecosystem. Because of this, throughout 2023 we’ll be shifting support away from Universal Analytics 360 and will move our full focus to Google Analytics 4 in 2024.”
It is crucial for the Magnyfi team to have current and accurate information so that we can provide the best Google Analytics marketing strategy possible for your REI business. This is why you should transition to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible.
By making the switch early, you can accumulate a rich history of data before Universal Analytics is officially retired. You'll also be well-versed in GA4 by the time summer 2023 arrives.
What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google that allows you to track and analyze website traffic, demographics, seller behavior, and other key metrics. It is the most widely used web analytics tool in the world, with over 50 million websites using it.
What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics, introduced in October 2020. It is a significant upgrade from the previous version, Universal Analytics, and is designed to provide more advanced tracking and journey analysis capabilities to businesses.
Some Quick GA4 Stats
- According to Google, GA4 offers up to 50% more insights compared to Universal Analytics.
- 2. 63% of marketers believe that data analytics are essential in making informed business decisions.
- 3. 74% of consumers are concerned about their online privacy, according to a survey by Pew Research Center.
- 4. Machine learning algorithms, such as those used in GA4, can analyze large datasets at a speed and scale that is unreachable for humans.
- 5. Only 25% of businesses are prepared for data privacy regulations, according to a Gartner survey.
Key Features of GA4
GA4 comes with several new features and improvements, including:
- Event tracking: GA4 uses event-based tracking, which means that it can track any seller interaction on a website, such as clicks, scrolls, video views, and more.
- Enhanced data modeling: GA4 uses machine learning to analyze seller behavior and provide more accurate insights into user journeys and conversions.
- Cross-device management: GA4 can track seller behavior across multiple devices, such as desktop, mobile, and tablet, providing a more holistic view of seller behavior.
- Privacy controls: GA4 offers more privacy controls for users, such as the ability to opt-out of tracking and delete their data.
- Bounce Rate: The definition of a bounce in GA4 is now: if a user visits your website, reviews content on your homepage for less than 10 seconds, and then leaves without triggering any events or visiting any other pages or screens. You’ll have the option to increase the conditions from 10 seconds to 30 seconds or 60 seconds.
- Direct integrations: GA4 syncs directly with Google Ads, so conversion actions will be tracked in the GA4 reporting dashboard for account and performance transparency.
Does GA4 Comply with Data Privacy and Compliance Regulations Such as GDPR and CCPA?
GA4 and GDPR Compliance
GDPR is one of the most well-known data privacy regulations, and GA4 includes several features that can help with compliance:
- Consent mode: Consent mode allows you to obtain and manage user consent for specific data collection or processing activities, which is a key requirement of GDPR.
- Data subject requests: GA4 includes features that allow you to respond to data subject requests, such as requests for access or deletion of personal data.
- Enhanced privacy controls: GA4 includes enhanced privacy controls, such as the ability to automatically delete user data after a certain period of time. This can help ensure that you're complying with GDPR's data retention and deletion requirements.
GA4 and CCPA Compliance
CCPA is a newer data privacy regulation that applies to businesses that operate in California. GA4 includes several features that can help with compliance:
- Do Not Sell: GA4 includes a Do Not Sell feature that allows you to honor user requests to opt-out of the sale of their personal information, which is a key requirement of CCPA.
- Data subject requests: GA4 includes features that allow you to respond to data subject requests, such as requests for access or deletion of personal data.
- Enhanced privacy controls: GA4 includes enhanced privacy controls, such as the ability to automatically delete user data after a certain period of time. This can help ensure that you're complying with CCPA's data retention and deletion requirements.
How to Set Up GA4 for Your Website
Setting up GA4 for your website is a straightforward process that involves the following steps:
- Create a Google Analytics account or sign in to your existing account.
- Set up a new GA4 property in your account.
- Add the GA4 tracking code to your website.
- Configure your GA4 property settings, such as data sharing and privacy controls.
- Set up your GA4 data streams, such as website and app data.
Navigating the GA4 Dashboard
The GA4 dashboard provides a comprehensive view of your website analytics data, including:
User Acquisition
How motivated seller leads are finding your website, such as through organic search, paid search, or social media.
Seller Behavior
How users are interacting with your website, such as pageviews, bounce rate, and session duration.
Conversions
How users are converting on your website, such as filling out a form, making a purchase, or subscribing to a newsletter.
Upgrading to GA4 is a game-changer for businesses looking to unlock the power of data-driven marketing. It offers more advanced tracking and analysis capabilities, cross-device tracking, privacy controls, and more.
By obtaining GA4 certification and using the training and resources provided by Google, real estate investors can gain a competitive advantage and improve data analysis. So, upgrade to GA4 today and unlock the full potential of your website analytics data.
What are Some Best Practices for Using Ga4 to Identify Trends and Patterns in User Behavior?
Understanding User Insights
One of the most significant advantages of GA4 is its ability to provide deep insights into user behavior. By tracking user interactions, you can get a better understanding of how users are engaging with your site and identify areas for improvement.
For example, you might notice that users are frequently abandoning their shopping carts on a particular page. By identifying this behavior, you can make changes to that page to improve the user experience and reduce cart abandonment.
Tracking Website Traffic
User engagement tracking is one of the most critical functions of any web analytics tool, and GA4 is no exception. GA4 provides a wealth of data on your site's traffic, including pageviews, sessions, and bounce rates.
You can also track traffic sources, such as organic search, paid search, and social media. By analyzing this data, you can identify which traffic sources are driving the most traffic to your site and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
Analyzing User Behavior
Analyzing user behavior is where GA4 really shines. By tracking user interactions, you can get a better understanding of how users are engaging with your site and identify areas for improvement.
For example, you might notice that users are frequently abandoning their shopping carts on a particular page. By identifying this behavior, you can make changes to that page to improve the user experience and reduce cart abandonment.
Advanced Tips
If you're looking to get the most out of GA4, there are several advanced tips and tricks you can use. For example, you can use custom dimensions and metrics to track specific user behaviors, such as video engagement or button clicks.
You can also create custom audiences based on user behavior, allowing you to target users with specific messaging. Additionally, you can use GA4's integration with Google Ads to track the ROI of your ad campaigns.
Start Generating 15-30+ Inbound Motivated Seller Leads Every Month
Magnyfi can help you get more motivated seller leads through various paid and organic online marketing strategies. Learn more about how we can help you implement the Motivated Sellers Marketing System in your area.
To check the availability of your market, fill out our application form or contact us at 877-399-2259, and we will walk you through the process. We only work with a limited number of investors per area, so claim your market today!
If you are a real estate investor with the highly coveted ability to attract a high number of motivated seller leads, you need to ask yourself two primary questions:
- "What is my process for leads that come in?"
- "How many leads turn into contracts?"
2022 brought a lot of challenges to the real estate market. Both buyers and sellers faced inflation, higher interest rates, housing shortages, supply shortages, and greater competition in the marketplace. Regardless of how successful you were over the last year, it’s imperative that you assess your REI business and prepare for the upcoming year.
When developing your marketing strategy for attracting motivated seller leads and converting them into real estate deals, you want to employ a multi-faceted approach that includes as many different traditional and digital marketing channels as possible. You also want to develop a system that allows you to track and analyze the progress of your marketing campaigns within each channel.