As the marketing world braces for the impact of having far less consumer data to work with, with the arrival of Apple's ATT update, and Google working on similar measures, Google has today announced a new update for Google Analytics which aims to provide campaign response data in a more privacy-friendly way.
Google's evolving machine learning systems will now be able to model conversions in Google Ads based on past insights and broader response info, in order to provide, essentially, an estimate of audience responses when actual response data is not present.
As explained by Google:
"Later this year, we’ll extend our modeling capabilities to certain reports in Google Analytics 4 properties to enhance your understanding of the customer journey when observed behavioral data is not available. If users don’t consent to analytics cookies, you’ll still be able to generate important customer insights while respecting your users’ privacy preferences."
For example, Google says that if the data in your 'User Acquisition' report is incomplete, its new modeling process will aim to fill the gaps to help provide more perspective on the number of new users your campaigns have acquired.
Which is not perfect, but with more users now opting out of data tracking, and the big tech platforms under increasing pressure to provide more consumer options on this front, this is the situation we're in, and with data modeling, you may be able to negate at least some of the impacts, based on Google's advanced understanding of response behaviors and trends.
In addition to this, Google is adding some new reporting options within Google Analytics.
First off, Google notes that in the new Google Analytics format, users will now be able to more easily access relevant reports in the left-hand sidebar in the app.
That will make it easier to see the various reporting options available, and quickly access more in-depth data based on your insights.
Google has also updated the Advertising Workspace, which will now provide a quick snapshot of key performance measures. Users can tap through for deeper insights.
Google's also added some new elements to the Reports element:
"For the first time, within the Reports Workspace, users with admin access will be able to curate the Analytics interface and reports to suit the specific needs of their teams. Admins can make simple edits to existing reports or even create entirely new custom reports. They can also customize the left navigation to group reports into collections, and create custom overviews to highlight information."
That will make it easier for team collaboration, and to ensure that all staff remain focused on key tasks.
Google's also added two new attribution reports - 'Conversion Paths' and 'Model Comparison'.
The 'Conversion Paths' report will enable businesses to view their customer journey by channel, while it also includes a new 'conversion credit visualization' to help provide more insight into ROI by channel.
The 'Model Comparison' report, meanwhile, will enable businesses to assess campaign performance using various attribution models, and compare how each affects the value of your marketing channels.
All of these features do have a level of advanced understanding to them, but for those that are looking to get more insight into user behaviors, while also navigating the new privacy impacts, these could be beneficial to your process.
You can read more about the latest Google Analytics updates here.
