Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a game changer for digital marketers. The long-awaited update to Google’s popular web analytics platform brings with it a number of features that make it easier to track and report on paid keywords and custom campaigns.
GA4 offers a number of advantages over its predecessor, including:
granular control over the data that is collected, making it easier to focus on specific goals;
improved attribution modeling, which provides more insights into how different channels contribute to conversions;
native support for BigQuery, Google’s cloud-based data warehousing service, making it easier to export and analyze large data sets;
and much more.
One of the most significant changes in GA4 is the way that paid keywords are reported on. In the past, paid keywords were lumped together with organic keywords in the “Keywords” report. This made it difficult to see how well your paid search campaigns were performing and to attribute conversions to specific keywords.
With GA4, paid keywords are now reported separately from organic keywords in the “Paid & Organic” report. This makes it easy to see which keywords are driving traffic and conversions from paid search ads. You can also use this report to see how your paid and organic keyword rankings compare.
To access the “Paid & Organic” report, go to Acquisition > Paid & Organic in the left-hand navigation menu. Then, click on the “Paid Search” tab at the top of the page.
