8 new GA4 features to enhance measurement and performance

Google Analytics 4 has unveiled eight new features to improve app campaign measurement and performance.

The additional AI-powered insights have been set up to give marketers a better understanding of how users behave across both web and app – all in one place.

Why we care. The more insights you have into who your target audience is, the more effectively you can optimize campaigns and ensure content is as engaging as possible. The better a campaign can connect with its target audience, the more conversions a brand will likely see, leading to a higher ROI.

What are the new features? Google has spent the last few months working on new GA4 tools to give marketers improved audience insights. Here are eight new features that are available to use right now:

1. New unnotified users suggested audience – This feature enables brands to engage more easily with existing app users who may not have yet been reached via push notifications. Considering only 37% of customers enable push notifications, this tool could prove particularly useful for improving reach.
2. Seamlessly re-use app and web audiences – Once you have created an audience in GA4, this feature will ensure only relevant app users will be targeted for your app campaigns.
3. Access  GA4 Audience Builder in Google Ads – You will be able to build audiences directly in GA4 in the coming weeks, which will simplify the setting up and managing campaigns process.
4. Additional performance uplift – This tool automatically optimizes App campaign performance. In order to get started, ensure you activate Google signals in your linked GA4 property.
5. Comprehensive web-to-app conversion measurement – Google’s new privacy-safe URL parameter enables better iOS app conversion measurement for web campaigns which deep link users into an app.
6. Integrations with SKAdNetwork – You can configure your SKAdNetwork conversion value schema using this tool for improved in-app event measurement and optimization.
7. On-device conversion measurement – GA4 has rolled out additional support for more types of consented user sign-ins, such as phone numbers. This solution works without any user-identifying information ever leaving a user’s device or being disclosed to external parties, including Google.
8. Geo-based conversion lift measurement – This tool, which is currently available in beta, gives marketers the ability to run controlled experiments to more accurately understand the causal, incremental effects of your iOS App campaigns.

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What has Google said? Google announced its latest GA4 feature updates via a post on its official blog, which read:

• “As an app marketer, you want to not only find, but also keep, your highest-value app users. Google Analytics 4 provides robust audience management tools to reach the right users. And you now have access to new audience features.”
• “Many businesses are seeing performance success with using Google Analytics 4, particularly on iOS. For example, knowing its iOS users were some of its most profitable users, Revolut, a United Kingdom-based banking technology company, wanted to scale its iOS campaigns in its top markets. After implementing and beginning to bid on Google Analytics 4 events, Revolut saw a 12.5% increase in additional first-opens and achieved a 11.2% decrease in its CPI.”
• “These are just a few of the newest features available to app marketers who use Google Analytics 4. There is a full suite of App campaign measurement and performance features you can access with Google Analytics 4 to help you drive business growth.”

Deep dive. Read Google’s full announcement for more information about its latest features.