GA4 Google Signals Removed from Reporting Identity: What You Need to Know

Recently, Google Analytics shared news about the permanent removal of Google Signals from the Reporting Identity feature in GA4, starting February 12, 2024. This blog post seeks to delve into potential outcomes and assess whether the anticipated negative effects will significantly impact your reporting and data analysis in GA4.

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What exactly is Google Signals and how does it benefit users?

Google Signals is a feature within Google Analytics 4 (GA4) that provides cross-device user insights. It gathers session data from websites and apps used by users who are both signed in to their Google accounts and have Ads Personalization turned on. This allows GA4 to link activity across different devices and provide a more complete picture of how users interact with your property.

Imagine you run an online clothing store with both a website and a mobile app. You've enabled Google Signals in GA4. Here's an example of how it might benefit you:

Scenario:

• A user named Sarah browses your website on her laptop (Device A), looking at jackets but doesn't purchase anything.
• Later, on her phone (Device B), she opens your app and adds a specific jacket to her cart.
• She then switches to her desktop (Device C) and completes the purchase on the website.

Without Google Signals:

• GA4 would record three separate sessions, one for each device. You wouldn't know these sessions belong to the same user.
• You wouldn't understand her full purchase journey.
• Remarketing wouldn't be as effective since you wouldn't know she showed interest across devices.

With Google Signals:

• GA4 connects activity across devices, showing this is one user journey.
• You see Sarah's initial interest on Device A, followed by adding the item to cart on Device B, and finally the purchase on Device C.
• You gain a complete picture of her conversion journey.
• You can create remarketing campaigns targeting Sarah with the specific jacket she showed interest in, regardless of the device she used.

Now that we have an understanding about Google Signals, we also need to understand Reporting Identity. Check out this another blog post to learn more about this feature in GA4.

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‍Potential Benefits of Removing GA4 Google Signals:

• It will help improve data accuracy. Google Signals data can sometimes lead to thresholding in reports due to limited sample sizes. Removing it ensures reports reflect actual user data based on other identifiers.
• It will enhance user privacy. This aligns with data privacy regulations and user expectations by excluding potentially sensitive information from reports. Data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA emphasize user control over their data and limit its collection and usage. Removing Google Signals from reports demonstrates respect for these regulations and user privacy rights, avoiding potential legal risks and compliance issues.
• It will help reduce reliance on Google data. If you prioritize data ownership and avoid dependence on third-party data sources, removing Google Signals helps achieve that.

While the removal of Google Signals might impact cross-device tracking, in our experience, it was rarely used in reports. This means most sites are unlikely to see major changes.

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Check how GA4 Google Signals affects your reporting:

Google will remove Google Signals from the reporting identity in all GA4 properties and if you need to ensure how this will totally impact your data, you still have until February 12, 2024 to test this in your reporting. To do this here are the steps:

1. In the “Admin” page under Property settings > Data collection and modification > click  Data collection

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2. Under the Data Collection page > Google signals data collection. You can toggle the “Include Google signals in reporting identity”

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Your reports will be updated promptly to reflect the change.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Will Google Signals data still be collected?

Yes, the data will still be used for standard GA4 reports, audience building, and conversion tracking, but not for user identification in reports. Also based on the email that was officially sent by Google:

“Google Analytics will still collect Google signals, when enabled, to be used in demographics and interests reporting. Google signals will also still support audience and conversion use cases, like remarketing and conversion optimization in linked Google advertising products.”

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Do I need to disable Google Signals completely if I don't want it in reports?

No, just uncheck "Include Google Signals in Reporting Identity" in Admin > Data Collection. Data will still be available for other purposes.

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What steps should I take to prepare for this change?

Evaluate your reliance on Google Signals data, explore alternative solutions, and adjust your data collection and marketing strategies accordingly.

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Final Word

This change reflects the growing emphasis on data privacy and responsible data practices. While it presents challenges for cross-device tracking and audience targeting, it also encourages innovation and adaptation in the analytics field.   It might take some time to adjust, but in the long run, this change could be good for both sides:

For Users: More privacy and control over their data.

For businesses: More focused and ethical ways to understand their customers.

It's important to stay informed about how your data is used, but there's no need to panic about this specific change. It's like a step towards a fairer and more balanced online world where both your needs and companies' needs are considered.

Thank you for reading!

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