With the second half of the year underway, one theme continues to prevail in conversations among auto marketers: measurement. With more focus to prove ROI, optimize campaigns in real time, and understand the full consumer journey, marketers are doubling down on attribution while sharpening their analytics tools.
One of the most widely adopted platforms in this space is Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Since its full rollout, GA4 has replaced Universal Analytics for digital measurement. Its event-based model offers new ways to track behavior and measure performance, especially in complex, multi-touch journeys like auto shopping.
Let’s break down four quick tips to help you unlock the full potential of GA4—plus a quick summary to dial in this type of measurement.
GA4 Tune-Up Tips for Smarter Auto Marketing:
1. Event-Based Tracking Offers Full-Funnel Visibility
Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 focuses on events (rather than sessions) by tracking actions such as scroll depth, video views, CTA clicks, and more, giving you detailed insights into how users engage with your site. It’s especially helpful for A/B testing and understanding micro-conversions across the buyer’s online journey.
2. Use Clean, Consistent UTM Parameters
UTM parameters tell GA4 “where” your traffic comes from. However, if they’re inconsistent or overly complex, your reports will be too. Use a simple naming convention for channels and campaigns so you can easily see what’s working. See example chart below:
3. Set Up GTM to Capture the Key Events
Google Tag Manager (GTM) tells GA4 “what” happens once a consumer arrives to your website. Ensure GTM is set up to record important on-site actions—including page views, form submissions, phone clicks, or test drive bookings. Start with GTM testing by using Preview Mode and Tag Assistant.
4. Extend Your Data Retention Window
By default, GA4 only stores user-level data for 2 months. If you want to track long buying cycles or compare year-over-year trends, go into your GA4 settings and extend the retention period to 14 months.
GA4 Tune-Up Tips Summary:
GA4 is Google’s enhanced analytics platform, built to give marketers a more flexible, cross-platform view of user behavior by using an event-based model designed for the future of measurement. With industries like automotive — offline interactions, third-party sites, and long purchase paths are common. GA4 often needs to be supplemented with additional tools or CRM integration to capture the full buying journey. According to Neilsen, measurement of ROI across channels is more important than ever and marketers have an opportunity to fine tune it.
Discover how Experian Automotive can help measure your marketing performance with solutions like OmniImpact for Automotive™ and an Auto Response Analysis.
Next Up…
From personalized follow-ups to omnichannel messaging, forward-thinking retailers are evolving how they communicate with today’s car shoppers, and measurement is just one piece of the puzzle. In our series, we’ll explore another focus for Auto Marketers in the latter half of 2025: Messaging and Communication with your consumers.