Monthly Archives: March 2023

With a July deadline looming, you might have heard that Google is updating Google Analytics from Universal Analytics (GA3 or UA) to their new upgraded version. The upgraded version is called Google Analytics 4 (GA4). 

But what does Google Analytics 4 do, and when do you need to migrate by? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics. It is designed to help businesses better understand their customers’ behaviour across different platforms and devices. GA4 uses machine learning to provide insights into user behaviour and to help businesses make data-driven decisions.

What is the deadline for migrating to GA4?

On July 1st 2023, GA4 will be the new standard, meaning all Universal Analytics properties will no longer receive data. However, 360 Universal Analytics properties will still be active until July 1st 2024. However, it’s a good idea to move your data and set up GA4 as soon as possible. 

What are the benefits of GA4?

Improved cross-device tracking: GA4 uses machine learning to help businesses better understand how users interact with their website. This includes tracking on mobile, desktop, and tablet.

Enhanced data privacy features: GA4 has several new features to help businesses comply with data privacy regulations, such as the ability to automatically delete user data after a set period of time.

More detailed insights: GA4 provides more detailed insights into user behaviour. This includes information on how users engage with your website and which actions they take.

Simplified reporting: GA4 has a new reporting interface that is designed to be more intuitive and user-friendly. The platform’s home screen provides businesses with a quick overview of their website or app’s performance, with metrics such as active users, engagement, and revenue displayed prominently. The new reporting interface also includes a customizable dashboard that allows businesses to create their own reports and visualisations. This feature provides businesses with more flexibility in the way they view their data, allowing them to focus on the metrics that matter most to them.

Integration with Google Ads: GA4 is fully integrated with Google Ads, allowing businesses to measure the performance of their advertising campaigns more accurately. The platform provides businesses with insights into how users interact with their ads and how these interactions translate into conversions.If you have not upgraded to Google Analytics 4 by July 1st, 2023, your website will not be able to collect any new data past that date. Your website will still use Universal Analytics, but only to track information from before July 1st, 2023.

The integration with Google Ads also means that businesses can use the platform’s machine learning capabilities to optimise their ad campaigns. GA4 can identify which ad creatives and targeting options are most effective at driving conversions, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions about their ad spend.

What are the next steps you need to take?

Overall, GA4 can provide significant benefits and help you better understand and optimise your digital performance. If you do not make the transition to Google Analytics 4 before July 1st, 2023, your website will no longer be able to collect new data/information after this date. The current Universal Analytics will still be working, but it will only be able to record data that has been gathered before the deadline of 1 July 2023.

Here at Digithrive we are able to take the worry out of your hands and migrate your GA to GA4. To speak to one of the team about this click here.

Digital marketing or online marketing is nothing new – in fact, the term “digital marketing” was first used in the 1990s, when the first clickable banner went live in 1993! However, digital marketing for schools is relatively new, which is why many schools do not have a school digital marketing strategy in place or are not taking part in any digital marketing activity that aligns with the school’s objectives.

This is why Digithrive takes a holistic approach to digital marketing; we see your school as both a business and an institute of education.

We will develop a marketing strategy that is customised to your marketing objectives and your specific target audience (don’t worry – we explain all of this jargon here in our guides!), focusing on the digital channels and social media platforms that will drive business success and improve your learning environment.

Generate More Leads

Developing a school digital marketing strategy allows you to focus on marketing activities that bring in more students – in the digital marketing world, we call that “generating leads”. Each student or parent who finds your school through search engine results thanks to searching engine optimisation results, could become a potential lead (and thus a potential conversion) for your school. Leads are generated through paid advertising, content marketing such as writing blogs or guides (using keywords, of course), local SEO (updating your Google My Business Page), and paid social media advertising.

Engage With Your Audience

Digital marketing does so much more than just splash your brand across the internet. For schools, it allows you to engage with more parents and students on the platforms they use daily – especially on social media. Not only can you inform current parents about events and important information, but you can also reach prospective parents with entertaining, engaging, and educational content. There might be some negative interactions and engagements, but with the help of our marketing managers, you can mitigate these and turn them into positive experiences.

Improve Local Visibility

You may think that digital marketing is solely meant for reaching people far and wide, but there is local SEO that you can use to improve your visibility in your specific area. Digithrive knows that schools are region-based, and a targeted marketing plan for your region will drive more valuable leads, as the people looking for schools in their area will find you at the top of their list. You can also produce extremely targeted content about your region and your school using local keywords, which will appear in search results for those terms.

Cost-Effective Solution

Schools are not only places of learning – they are businesses too, and for many, a marketing budget can become exorbitant. With Digithrive, we make use of tools and technology that enable us to manage your advertising budget across different campaigns to get the best results. Marketing your school online is also flexible, allowing you to alter your content and budget or schedule whenever you need to. Our team of professionals will never give you a “one-size-fits-all” marketing plan; we work with your business budget to find the most cost-effective solution for your goals.

Measurable Results

Any marketing plan needs to have a goal in place that signifies the successful completion of the plan. This could be something like generating ten new leads a month or increasing the sign-ups to your school’s newsletter. Digital marketing allows you to track all actions taken by your audience and measure the results of your marketing plan, giving you clear metrics on the success of your campaign. By using analytics and statistics, Digithrive can adapt your marketing strategy to achieve the best results.