Using Google Analytics 4 For Smarter Marketing Decisions

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably opened up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) at least once and thought:
“Where did everything go?”

You’re not alone. GA4 looks—and behaves—very differently from the Universal Analytics we once knew and loved. But here’s the kicker:

GA4 isn’t just a new tool. It’s a whole new way of thinking about user behavior, conversions, and growth.

In 2025, marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed. And GA4? It’s the dashboard that shows you where you’re going—and when to hit the brakes or gas.

Today, I’ll walk you through how to actually use GA4 to make smarter marketing decisions. We’ll ditch the confusion and unlock what really matters.

Let’s dive in.

🧭 Table of Contents

Why GA4 Exists (and Why You Should Care)
What’s New: How GA4 is Different
Setting Up GA4 the Right Way
Understanding Events, Conversions, and User Journeys
Using GA4 Reports to Make Smart Marketing Moves
GA4 for SEO, Paid Ads, Email, and Social Media
Case Study: Real Brands Using GA4 Smarter
What You Should Do Next

1. Why GA4 Exists (And Why You Should Care)

Here’s the truth:

Google didn’t build GA4 to annoy marketers. They built it because the old model was broken.

People use multiple devices.
Cookies are dying.
Privacy laws are tightening.
And most importantly, the customer journey is nonlinear.

That’s where GA4 steps in.

Instead of tracking sessions and pageviews like before, GA4 tracks users and events. That’s a game-changer. You get deeper insight into how people actually interact with your business.

GA4 helps you answer real questions like:

Which traffic source gives me converting users?
What pages are causing drop-offs?
Are people who watch our video more likely to buy?
Which email campaign led to repeat visits?

In 2025, if you want to grow, not just “guess,” GA4 is your crystal ball.

2. What’s New: How GA4 Is Different

Let’s break it down simply.

Feature	Universal Analytics	Google Analytics 4
Data Model	Sessions & Pageviews	Event-based
Tracking	Device-oriented	User-centric
Metrics	Bounce Rate, Pages/Session	Engagement Rate, Events
Reporting	Predefined Reports	Customizable, Explorations
Privacy	Cookie-dependent	Cookieless tracking + Consent Mode
AI	Minimal	Built-in predictive metrics

Why it matters:

You’re no longer looking at what people did on your site.
You’re understanding why they did it and what they’ll do next.

3. Setting Up GA4 the Right Way (This Matters)

If GA4 is new territory for you, don’t worry—I’ll walk you through it like a friend would.

✅ Step 1: Install GA4

Go to Google Analytics.
Create a property for GA4 (if you haven’t already).
Connect it with your website via Google Tag Manager or directly with gtag.js.

✅ Step 2: Enable Enhanced Measurement

This allows GA4 to automatically track:

Scrolls
Outbound link clicks
Site search
Video engagement
File downloads

One toggle = tons of insights.

✅ Step 3: Link to Google Ads, Search Console, BigQuery, and more

This gives you full-funnel insights—from search visibility to ad conversions to database-level analysis.

4. Understanding Events, Conversions, and User Journeys

Here’s where GA4 really shines.

🔄 Events

Everything in GA4 is tracked as an event. For example:

page_view
scroll
video_start
add_to_cart
purchase

You can also create custom events like:

ebook_download
form_submit
demo_request

⭐ Conversions

Not all events are created equal.
Conversions are your money-makers.

Tell GA4 which events to treat as conversions (e.g., purchases, sign-ups, contact form submissions).

➡️ Tip: Don’t just rely on GA4’s default—customize it to match your business goals.

👣 User Journeys

Use the Explorations tab to build funnel visualizations like:

What steps users take before buying
Where users drop off in the checkout process
How returning users behave differently

This isn’t just data—it’s storytelling.

5. Using GA4 Reports to Make Smart Marketing Moves

Let’s get to the juicy part: what to actually do with GA4 data.

💼 Acquisition Reports

Tells you where your users came from.

Ask:

Which channels drive the most traffic?
Which drive the most engaged traffic?
Which lead to the most conversions?

👉 Actionable Tip: Double down on the channels that convert, not just the ones that attract.

📄 Engagement Reports

See how people interact with your content.

Key Metrics:

Engagement rate
Average engagement time
Top pages/screens

👉 Actionable Tip: Improve or promote your top-performing pages.
Update or consolidate low-engagement content.

📈 Monetization Reports

If you sell something (ecommerce, digital products, memberships), this is gold.

See revenue by traffic source, product, or campaign.
Understand average purchase value.
Identify high-LTV users.

👥 Retention Reports

Shows you how often users return.

👉 Actionable Tip: Use this to test loyalty campaigns and email nurturing strategies.

6. GA4 for SEO, Paid Ads, Email, and Social Media

For SEO:

Use Landing Page reports to find organic performance.
Pair with Google Search Console to track rankings and clicks.

For Paid Ads:

Link to Google Ads and view cost vs conversions.
Identify best-performing keywords and creatives.

For Email:

Use UTM tags in emails.
Track which campaigns drive site engagement or purchases.

For Social:

Understand which platform brings users who stay longer or convert.
Combine with UTMs and GA4’s source/medium breakdown.

7. Case Study: How a Small Brand Used GA4 to 4X Conversions

A fitness brand I worked with switched to GA4 in early 2024.

What they did:

Set up events for video views, quiz completions, and checkout starts.
Used Exploration reports to find drop-offs in the sales funnel.
Discovered Instagram traffic had high bounce but email traffic had 2X conversions.