Advancing Mobile Analytics: Google Analytics 4 Now Compatible with Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)

Mobile analytics has become an integral part of digital marketing strategies, allowing businesses to gain valuable insights into user behavior and optimize their mobile experiences. With the increasing popularity of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), it is crucial for marketers to understand how to integrate AMP with their analytics tools.

In this article, we will explore the integration of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with AMP. We will discuss its benefits, requirements, limitations, and the recently introduced Google AMP Client ID API.Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin recently announced that AMP support is now available for all websites in GA4. This integration opens up new possibilities for businesses to track and analyze user interactions on AMP pages. By leveraging the power of GA4, marketers can gain valuable insights into user behavior, optimize their mobile experiences, and make data-driven decisions to drive business growth.

While AMP pages can be viewed in any browser, they do not support Google Analytics’ gtag.js. Instead, AMP has its own dedicated tag. Data such as page data, user data, surfing data, browser data, interaction data, and event data are all collected by the AMP Analytics tag.

AMP also has a unique method of user authentication. GA4 generates user IDs at random and stores them in either local storage or cookies. GA4 does not record or save IP addresses, thus protecting users’ anonymity. When a user deletes items from their cookie and local storage folders, their unique identifier is reset.

To collect data effectively, it is essential to implement the AMP Analytics tag. By adding this tag to your AMP pages, you can start collecting valuable data and gain insights into user behavior. Google requires all websites to disclose to users how data is collected. Additionally, websites must disclose how the data is used in GA4 and provide an option to opt-out. This transparency and user control are crucial for maintaining trust and complying with privacy regulations.

There are many upsides to using AMP with GA4, but you should also be aware of its constraints. GA4 generates user IDs at random and stores them in either local storage or cookies. GA4 does not record or save IP addresses, ensuring the anonymity of users. When a user deletes items from their cookie and local storage folders, their unique identifier is reset.

Google now released the AMP Client ID API. This will allow you to better monitor user behavior across all of your AMP sites. In the past, analytics would treat a person who engaged with your content in both your website and Google viewers like the Google AMP viewer and Google Search as two different users. This was because many contexts were being used to deliver the content.

Using the AMP Client ID API, you can give a single user a persistent identifier. This will work in all of these scenarios. This makes it so you can see how people are interacting with your AMP content anywhere it appears. Consistent user monitoring allows for precise measurement of user interactions. This allows for the extraction of actionable insights that can be used to enhance mobile experiences.

Configuring Analytics to track user interactions with your AMP pages on Google’s cache versus your website is a straightforward process. By following these steps, you can gain valuable insights into user engagement across different contexts:

1. Add code to the Analytics tag on your AMP pages. To track AMP pageviews effectively, you need to add the following code to the Analytics tag on your AMP pages:

vars: {
  'ampHost': '${ampdocHost}'
}

2. Create a custom GA4 parameter: call it “ampHost” should be put up in your GA4 property to monitor the server that serves the AMP page. This will allow you to tell the difference between organic traffic and traffic via the Google AMP cache.
3. Relaunch your AMP pages: After making the necessary changes, relaunch your AMP pages for the modifications to take effect. Once completed, GA4 will track the source of each AMP pageview and send that information to your reports under the “ampHost” custom parameter.

By tracking AMP pageviews, you can gain visibility into user engagement across different contexts, allowing you to optimize your mobile experiences based on real data.

As mobile analytics and AMP continue to evolve, it is crucial to stay informed about the latest updates and best practices. Google provides an official help document that offers comprehensive guidance on GA4 and AMP integration. This resource is a valuable reference for marketers looking to harness the power of mobile analytics and leverage AMP to enhance their mobile experiences.

Mobile analytics plays a vital role in today’s digital landscape, and the integration of AMP with GA4 opens up new opportunities for businesses to gain valuable insights into user behavior. By implementing the AMP Analytics tag and configuring GA4 to track AMP pages effectively, marketers can optimize their mobile experiences and make data-driven decisions to drive business growth.

Additionally, the introduction of the Google AMP Client ID API allows for consistent user tracking across different contexts, providing a complete view of user engagement with AMP content.

As mobile analytics and AMP capabilities continue to evolve, staying informed about the latest updates and best practices is crucial. By utilizing resources such as Google’s official help document, marketers can stay ahead of the curve and make the most of mobile analytics to achieve their business goals.

Remember, the integration of AMP with GA4 is a powerful combination that can unlock insights and opportunities for your business. Embrace mobile analytics, leverage AMP, and drive your digital strategy to new heights.

First reported on Search Engine Journal