May 2023 SoFri: Transitioning to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

In this Southern Fried DNN User Group Meeting:

Speaker: David Poindexter
Topic: Transitioning from Google Analytics UA to Google G4

In this recorded session from May 18th, 2023, David Poindexter of nVisionative discusses transitioning to Google Analytics 4 from Universal Analytics and provides updates and announcements related to the DNN (DotNetNuke) community, including the upcoming DNN Connect 2023 event in Switzerland.

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Presentation Notes and Details

• David mentions technical difficulties with their internet connection in Greece and the need to record the session without a live audience.
• DNN Connect 2023 is scheduled for May 25th through the 28th in Shoppers, Switzerland, and he expresses excitement about attending the event in person.
• David highlights the social and networking aspects of DNN Connect, emphasizing the opportunity to connect with others on a different level.
• DNN 9.11.2 was released a couple of months ago, featuring various improvements, and he encourages checking it out.
• There is a mention of the Appendo DNN Page Manager module, which is open source and available on GitHub.
• The DNN Elements project, a collection of web components, had faced challenges, but Daniel Vilatus resolved them, making it fully functional, including the Monaco editor component.
• David provides an overview of Google's announcement to sunset Universal Analytics on July 1st, 2023, urging users to transition to Google Analytics 4.
• Google offers automation to help users set up Google Analytics 4 properties, but manual configuration may be necessary for some advanced setups.
• Users are shown various screens and options for linking Universal Analytics properties to Google Analytics 4 for a smoother transition.
• David shares that the transition is generally straightforward, but advanced configurations may require manual adjustments.
• 🏢 Setting up Google Analytics 4 Property:
  • The setup assistant helps create a new property.
  • Access analytics at analytics.google.com, select the account and property.
  • Data Streams area is essential for configuration.
• 📊 Configuring Data Stream:
  • Add a data stream, e.g., web for the website.
  • Choose what to measure (usually defaults work).
  • Each stream has a measurement ID (G-ID).
• 🧩 Connecting Google Tag Manager:
  • Use Google Tag Manager for simplified tracking.
  • Set up a tag for Google Analytics 4.
  • Input the measurement ID.
  • Configure when it triggers (e.g., all pages).
• 🚀 Publishing Google Tag Manager:
  • After configuring, submit and publish in Google Tag Manager.
  • The script is automatically injected into your site.
  • Ensure the "check" is enabled for tracking.
• 📈 Verifying Analytics:
  • Monitor real-time data in Google Analytics.
  • Check if page views and user engagement show up.
  • Validate that the configuration is correct.
• 🛠 Optional Manual Method
  • You can manually inject the script into your site.
  • Adjust the script's position to the top of the head element.
  • Typically, the manual method is not necessary when using Google Tag Manager.
• 💡 Use Google Tag Manager for analytics and tag management.
• 🛠️ Configure Google Tag Manager in DNN (DotNetNuke).
• ❌ Uncheck the "track for administrators" option to avoid self-tracking.
• 🐛 Note that the checkbox may have a UI bug.
• ✅ Verify that the script is removed while logged in.
• 🔄 Refresh the page to ensure the script is added when logged out.
• 👍 GA4 (Google Analytics 4) has useful features despite lacking historical data.

Watch the Southern Fried DNN User Group May 2023 Meeting:

About the SouthernFried DNN User Group

Even though our DNN user group is nestled in the Carolinas, we are really YOUR DNN User Group regardless of your Southern heritage or lack thereof. Everyone is invited to attend in person or to join us online! We always try to broadcast the meeting so everyone can participate. Register now for the online meeting details for those of you wanting to join online

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