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What: The Google Analytics 4 connection allows you to export BlueConic data to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) using the technique of custom event tagging. This connection supports batch and real-time exports. With this connection you can enrich groups of users in Google Analytics 4 with BlueConic Timeline events in batch and enrich single online visitors with BlueConic data in real time.

About BlueConic: The BlueConic customer data platform harnesses the data required to power the recognition of an individual at each interaction, and then synchronizes their intent across the marketing ecosystem.

Why: Use this connection to share first-party data out to the Google Analytics 4 stack for your known and anonymous users, whether it was collected by BlueConic or integrated through another BlueConic connection.

Note: Google has replaced Universal Analytics (UA) with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as of July 2023. All BlueConic customers using Universal Analytics need to migrate to GA4. See our FAQ guide to the migration with details about using BlueConic to sync data with Google Analytics 4.

Adding a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) connection

1. Click Connections in the Navigation bar.
2. Click Add Connection.
3. A pop-up window appears. Check the Show all box. Enter “Google Analytics 4” in the Search bar and click Google Analytics 4 connection.
4. The Google Analytics 4 connection page opens.

   You can expand or collapse metadata fields (favorite, labels, and description) by clicking the gray chevron at the top of the page. 

Configuring a Google Analytics 4 connection

Setup

To use the Google Analytics 4 connection, configure the following information on the setup page:

• For batch goals:
  • Add an API secret generated in the Google Analytics UI.
    
• For real-time goals:
  • Select the channels for the connection to be active on and optionally add limitations. In Google Analytics 4, the default Global Object name is gtag. If you customize this name in Google Analytics, enter it here.
    

Data exchange shows the total number of unique profiles that have been exported via the connection. Note that these are unique profiles. If the same profile is exported multiple times, it is counted as 1.

To make the connection work, you have to add at least one goal and switch the connection on.

Batch export data from BlueConic into Google Analytics 4

To export data into Google Analytics 4 periodically, add a batch export goal and follow the steps laid out in the goal.

1. Enter your measurement ID to use for the export.
   
2. Select a BlueConic segment. Only data of profiles in this segment will be exported.
   Note: Due to a GA4 API limitation, we recommend selecting smaller segments to avoid long processing times that may affect other connections.
   
3. Link the identifiers from both systems.
   

4. Export BlueConic Timeline events to Google Analytics 4 by mapping the BlueConic Timeline event types to the corresponding fields.
   

5. Go to Set up and run to schedule the connection or to run it manually.

Note: Before running your Google Analytics 4 batch export goal, familiarize yourself with some of the limitations of the Google Analytics 4 Measurement Protocol and its key features.

Real-time export data from BlueConic into Google Analytics 4

To export data into Google Analytics 4 in real-time, add a real-time export goal and follow the steps laid out in the goal.

1. Select a BlueConic segment for export. Only data of profiles in this segment will be exported.
2. Define when BlueConic data should be pushed to Google Analytics 4.
   • Select the Push frequency you prefer.
   • Optional: Select a BlueConic event that should also trigger this goal - in addition to the push frequency above.
   • The BlueConic data will be pushed as events, and Google Analytics 4 can identify these events by name. Enter the Custom event name BlueConic should use.
     
3. Map the BlueConic data you want to export to Google Analytics 4 to the corresponding event parameters. Note: To be able to export interactions viewed and their associated segments, make sure to check both “External analytics” checkboxes in the privacy tab.
   
4. Optional: Add a measurement ID to send data to the specific named tag ID. 
   
5. Optional: Push advanced data.
   • Check the box for Push interaction viewed as separate events to Google Analytics 4 if you want to send interaction view events separate from the push frequency defined in step 3. For example, if a lightbox pops up, it will immediately send an event.
   • Check the box for Push BlueConic events as separate events to Google Analytics 4 if you want BlueConic events to also be passed to Google Analytics 4 as soon as they fire, including BlueConic content meter events such as last view, excluded view, bottom/middle/top range, already viewed, free view, last free view, etc.

Note that you can use the Add goal button to create multiple export goals for this connection.

Connection status

Once you've set up and saved your connection, the icon at the top will reflect the status of the connection.

There is an arrow showing data is being exported from BlueConic to Google Analytics 4. When the arrows are green, the connection is ready to be used.

Privacy management

Connections can be added to Objectives, allowing for privacy management of the information that is being picked up. The connection will only work if the visitor consented to at least one of the objectives that it is linked to.