GA4 Enhanced Conversions: Data Accuracy, Privacy and Setup

The Enhanced Conversions feature is now available in Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Enhanced Conversions can help merchants increase the accuracy of their conversion data, giving them an advantage in bidding and ultimately powering improved ad campaign performance.

Let’s explore Enhanced Conversions in GA4 and how you can take advantage of all its benefits.

This article covers:

• How GA4 Enhanced Conversions Works
• Navigating Privacy Regulations
• Key Benefits of using First-Party Data in GA4
• How to Setup Enhanced Conversions in GA4

How GA4 Enhanced Conversions Works

The Enhanced Conversions feature in GA4 transmits first-party customer data from a merchant’s website to GA4. 

But what is first-party data? When a business collects information from their customer with the customer’s consent — such as email, phone number, and address — this is known as first-party data.

The data transmitted via Enhanced Conversions to GA4 is hashed using a one-way hashing algorithm. This algorithm converts the first-party data to a string of characters that only Google can match to a specific user. 

Here’s what Enhanced Conversions looks like in action:

1. A potential customer who is signed in to their Google account views your ad.
2. The user visits your website and completes a purchase, entering their name, phone number, email address, and shipping address in the process.
3. Because you have Enhanced Conversions implemented, the conversion tag captures the first-party data, hashes it, and sends it to Google.
4. Google matches the hashed user data and reports a conversion event to your Google Analytics account.

If Enhanced Conversions had not been implemented in this scenario, the user data might not be collected and the conversion event might not be reported to your Google Analytics account.

Navigating Privacy Regulations

The ever-changing landscape of online privacy regulations creates hurdles for internet merchants collecting user data, which can negatively impact the performance of their ad campaigns. 

Regulations like GDPR and CCPA have significantly impacted how internet merchants can collect and use consumer data. Plus, a growing number of browsers and devices no longer support the use of third-party cookies. 

Enhanced Conversions in GA4 works around the limitations and restrictions internet merchants are facing because it relies on first-party data that customers have given their consent to sharing.

Enhanced Conversions offers a way to future-proof your data collection practices by relying on first-party data. 

Key Benefits of using First-Party Data in GA4

In addition to working around data collection limitations while complying with privacy regulations, Enhanced Conversions in GA4 provides a range of benefits for internet merchants, such as:

• Unlocking insights about user behavior: Enhanced Conversions provides more accurate tracking of user interactions that lead to conversions. This includes capturing data from events and interactions that might not be tracked through standard methods.
• Increased data accuracy: By integrating first-party data from your website or app with Google’s conversion data, the Enhanced Conversions feature helps reduce data discrepancies and provide a clearer picture of user behavior and conversion paths.
• Better attribution: Enhanced Conversions can help improve attribution accuracy by linking conversions to the correct sources and channels. This ensures that you’re seeing a more accurate representation of which marketing efforts are driving results.
• Optimizing ad campaigns: Sending high-quality, accurate data to Google can help Google better understand who your target audience is, and in turn place your ads in front of potential customers who are more likely to convert.

How to Setup Enhanced Conversions in GA4

Before you setup Enhanced Conversions in GA4, there are a few prerequisites you need to meet:

• Your GA4 property needs to be linked to Google Ads.
• Your GA4 user ID needs to be implemented and actively in use.
• Your GA4 property needs to be implemented on your website.
  

Keep in mind that Enhanced Conversions in GA4 can’t be used for business in healthcare or finance. Plus, it isn’t compatible with apps, so its use is web-only.

If you’ve met those requirements, you can proceed with implementing Enhanced Conversions in GA4.

How to setup GA4 Enhanced Conversions:

1. Enable User-ID for Data Collection:
   • Go to the Admin section of your GA4 account and find the Property column.
   • Click on User-ID and User-provided data collection.
   • Scroll to the User-provided data section, click Activate, and review the policy.
   • After accepting the policy, choose the option to automatically detect user-provided data.
2. Send User Data to GA4: You can transmit user-provided data to GA4 using one of the following methods:
   • Google tag
   • Google Tag Manager
   • Measurement protocol (Note: Measurement protocol is the only supported collection method for apps streams and offline events.)
3. Link Google Ads:
   • Make sure to link at least one Google Ads account to your GA4 property.
4. Validate the Setup:
   • Use Google Tag Assistant in preview and debug mode, or Chrome Developer Tools, to confirm that your conversion events are being properly tracked.

Questions About Enhanced Conversions in GA4?

We can help! With integrations built for Google, we have the insights to help you improve your data quality that you’re sending to Google. 

In fact, the Elevar GA4 integration guarantees 99%+ purchase data accuracy, giving you increased confidence in your Google data.

Take Elevar for a test drive with a 15-day free trial to see how we can be the solution for you to optimize your Google ad campaigns with better data, or book a call with us.