There is a difference in utm tagging of marketing links (paid and organic) between GA4 and older Google Universal Analytics (UA) for different channels. In Alan’s latest column for martech entitled “Campaign tracking in GA4: How to ensure your links are properly tagged“, he covers many of these issues.

Digital marketers today, are experiencing confusion between the new GA4 channels and old marketing channels in Google Universal Analytics (UA). Of special concern is the new Unassigned catchall channel category.

Learn how to correctly set the utm_source and utm_medium parameters to ensure that all traffic generated from marketing efforts gets attributed to the correct marketing channel. Thereby ensuring no traffic gets attributed to the catchall of “Unassigned”.

Read the full column at: https://martech.org/campaign-tracking-in-ga4-how-to-ensure-your-links-are-properly-tagged/

A great round up of different SEO experts opinions on Key Performance Indicators to measure successful SEO campaigns by Roger Montti from Search Engine Journal. I agree with most of the experts.

For my overall perspective, read it to the end and see my opinion.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-guide/top-seo-kpis/

Alan K’necht’s latest column for Martech, addresses the differences in the Events Based Analytics tools (for example GA4) vs. the older technology like Google Universal Analytics.

Read the follow article: The evolution of digital analytics and marketing

Be aware that Google has announced that UA will no longer be collecting data as of July 2023.

Instead of having your analytics toolset read a cookie, pass a unique identifier associated with the user ID. Learn how to do it and keep it privacy compliant.

Bonus, you can now track your users across devices.

For more information read:
Here’s an alternative to cookies for user tracking

Audio recording and presentation slides from Alan K’necht’s standing room only conference address at digitalsummit Detroit – September 26, 2019.

During his session, Knecht discusses why it is important to use your analytics data as part of a story, instead of just presenting the mere facts (the “data”). This helps engage your audience and increase understanding and how long people will remember what you said.

For more ideas on how to turn your analytics data into a meaningful story (data visualization), list to the full conference address and enjoy the accompanying slide deck.

https://digitalsummit.com/data-analytics/data-talk-and-sing-det19/

It’s been awhile since Alan has published any columns. Well in the last two months he’s published two columns in Marketing Land. Let’s hope he keeps it up and starts writing more often.

Here are his two latest columns both on the subject of optimizing your digital analytics for more accurate reporting.

1. Dec. 4, 2018: “Back to basics: Measuring your social media efforts with unique acquisition channels”

2. Jan 30, 2019: “Cross-domain analytics tracking: “Why you may not need it“

In April 2017, Alan K’necht was interviewed by the Digital Analytics Association (DAA) as part of the Member Spotlight series. While you need to be a member to read the interview on the DAA website, with permission, we created a PDF of the interview and it can be read here: “K”necht’s Interview with the Digital Analytics Association“