With this internet age, consumers are engaging with brands on multiple devices—desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. In order to have an end-to-end picture of how consumers engage, companies require cross-device tracking.
In comes Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which comes in handy with advanced capabilities like Google Signals to connect consumer behaviour across multiple devices.
But what is cross-device tracking, and how does GA4 enhance the analytics customer journey? Let’s discover how cross-device tracking in GA4 provides a single view of user behavior and allows businesses to make informed decisions.
What is Cross-Device Tracking?
Cross-device tracking is the ability to track and connect a user’s activity session by session and device to device. It helps businesses better understand how their users interact with their site or app, starting on a smartphone, picking up where they started on a desktop, and making a purchase on a laptop.
Analytics log every device as a discrete user, which causes data to become siloed and fake customer insights to emerge. GA4 addresses this issue by joining together user experiences to offer a business a single customer journey regardless of the devices involved.
How GA4 Empowers Cross-Device Tracking
GA4 offers a more precise, privacy-focused approach to user action tracking across devices.
Key Features That Allow Cross-Device Tracking GA4
Google Signals
- The most significant feature in GA4 that supports cross-device tracking is Google Signals.
- When opted-in holders of signed-in Google accounts, GA4 is able to track interactions on multiple devices.
- It is easier to create one unified user journey rather than disjoint sessions.
User-ID Tracking
- GA4 gives businesses the feature to provide a signed-in user with a unique User ID.
- The ID remains constant on devices, and users can be tracked with accuracy.
Device-Based and Behavior-Based Tracking
- GA4 bridges activity across devices with a suite of defined device IDs, cookies, and Google Signals cleverly.
- The approach fills the gaps in analytics when consumers switch devices while on the move.
Why Cross-Device Tracking Matters in GA4
Here’s the importance of cross-device tracking:
1. The Complete Analytics Customer Journey Insight
With cross-device tracking, businesses are able to track the entire customer journey from initial touchpoints to conversion.
Example: A user searches for a product on mobile, adds it to a cart on a laptop, and buys it on a desktop—GA4 weaves these moments together into a cohesive whole.
2. Improved Attribution and Marketing ROI
Legacy analytics will be powering last-click attribution, which doesn’t capture the effect of mobile or other touchpoints.
Cross-device tracking in GA4 allows accurate credit to each touchpoint, resulting in improved marketing decisions.
3. Improved Personalization and Retargeting
With the devices users are engaged on, companies are able to target advertisements better and personalize interactions.
Example: Serving mobile ads to users who originally engaged on desktop but never converted.
4. More Reliable User Data and Reporting
GA4 removes redundant counts of users by identifying the same user on multiple devices.
Companies understand audience actions better than skewed user figures.
How to Enable Cross-Device Tracking in GA4
To allow cross-device tracking in GA4, follow these steps:
1. Turn on Google Signals
- Log in to Google Analytics 4.
- Go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Collection.
- Turn on Google Signals data collection.
This will make Google’s identity graph connect sessions between devices.
2. Configure User-ID Tracking (For Signed-In Users)
- Give a unique User ID to signed-in users of your site or app.
- Pass User ID with every event in GA4.
3. Use Device and Platform Reporting
Reports > User > Tech > Platform/Device Report.
This allows for the analysis of user behaviour by device and the identification of cross-device journeys.
4. Use Funnel and Path Analysis in GA4
- Use Exploration Reports to analyze user journeys across devices.
- Compare conversion rates by device for better marketing optimization.
Challenges and Limitations of Cross-Device Tracking in GA4
Despite the benefits, here are a few challenges associated with cross-device tracking in GA4:
1. Privacy Restrictions
Stricter privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) make cross-device tracking dependent on user consent.
Google Signals only works for signed-in users where ad personalization is turned on.
2. Unsigned User Data Fragmentation
GA4 can’t track unsigned users across devices, leaving holes in the data.
3. Dependence on Google’s Ecosystem
Since Google Signals is built on Google accounts, it won’t be able to measure all cross-device interactions, especially with users outside Google’s ecosystem.
Cross-Device Tracking Success Best Practices
- Ask users to sign in on separate devices to enhance user-ID tracking.
- Enable Google Signals to power maximum cross-device insights.
- Utilize GA4’s Path and Funnel Exploration to determine significant user journeys.
- Optimize marketing strategies through cross-device data for improved attribution.
- Adhere to privacy legislation by obtaining user permission to collect data.
Final Thoughts: Why Cross-Device Tracking in GA4 Matters
Since users are increasingly switching between devices, depending on single-device tracking yields incomplete information and misguided insights. Cross-device tracking in GA4 allows businesses to learn more about the complete analytics customer journey and make accurate attribution per interaction.
Companies are aware of how users interact on multiple devices, so they can refine attribution models, enhance marketing efforts, and personalize efforts. GA4’s advanced tracking capability, like Google Signals and User-ID enables the user engagements to be rolled up into a single journey, providing enhanced reporting, along with more detailed audience segmentation.
