google analytics data retention controls what does this do to the data
If your nonprofit uses Google analytics to track activity on your website then you've probably been getting emails well-nigh their new information retention controls that looks something like this.
If you have been putting off looking at these settings and so now is the time to cease procrastinating because the defaults volition get into effect on May 25th (that's this Friday) if you don't update the settings.
To help you decide which settings are best for you we've put together a quick overview of what you need to know.
Why Has Google Created These New Data Retention Controls?
In short these new controls are going into effect because of the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) coming out of the European Economic surface area. Google wants to make sure it'due south products are compliant with these regulations and information technology wants to brand sure it's users have the tools they need to remain compliant. At the finish of the day the settings that are ideal for your arrangement will depend on your specific organization'southward needs as they chronicle to GDPR compliance. (We've written a quickstart guide for making sure your nonprofit is GDPR compliant, you can get it here for FREE).
What Information Is Impacted Past These Controls?
Especially in this solar day and age information is the cardinal to running successful marketing campaigns so when you see a message like this we recommend to have annotation.
You lot can see from the notice that this but impacts data associated with "user identifiers" and most of your standard reports will be unaffected. If you've done whatever searching around to see what this really ways y'all'll discover that Google has left this data vague enough that no one has been able to definitively pin downward what is going away. What nosotros do know is that this is going to bear upon "Outcome Data", "Custom Segments" and "Custom Reporting" these are actually the iii main areas that let yous drill down and organize your information in meaningful ways.
Events – Events in Google analytics are a custom function that allows you track the important actions that users take on your website. These tin include anything from watching a video or downloading a podcast to making a donation or subscribing to an email list. Without event data it is nearly impossible to compare traffic sources to know which ones are reaching your target market and keeping them engaged.
Custom Segments – Custom segments allow you lot become really granular when comparing traffic sources likewise as conversion data. When yous're promoting your fundraising consequence would it aid to know if people who watched your promotional video are more likely to register for the result? This can easily exist tracked through custom segments.
Custom Reporting – Do y'all track any KPIs (central performance indicators) that you report on regularly? Things like content engagement, email subscriptions or new donors? If you answered yeah to whatever of these, you have probably created a custom study or 2 (or twenty). If you answered no, then you should probably start, because it's almost guaranteed you are leaving money on the tabular array with your marketing efforts. The length of time you retain this data could directly bear on your visibility to this critical data.
As this change impacts cookies and advertising ID's this will in all likelihood impact your attribution models (ensuring that your conversions and events are attributed to the correct traffic source) equally well as any Account Based Marketing campaigns you are running.
This is a long explanation to say that when reviewing these settings you desire to make sure that you choose the greatest length of time you are able to while adhering to the GDPR regulations.
Across Selecting The Data Retentiveness Length
Within these new controls y'all only take the ability to brand 2 choices,
- How long to retain your data.
- If y'all want the retention flow to renew on the adjacent interaction.
If yous are limited in the length of time y'all retain the data Google has added an additional feature that lets you extend that time out for your most engaged users. This is done by enabling the "reset on new activity" characteristic. Yous tin meet Google's explanation below.
It looks as though this setting is turned on by default, and information technology should help with some of the cantankerous device tracking and attribution issues associated with short retention times. Y'all tin can check this setting in your business relationship under Admin -> tracking info -> Data Retention.
The Bottom Line
At present that we've gone through the nitty gritty of what data is at stake hither it'southward time to get down to the lesser line, which is:
Save as much data as you lot tin can!
If you lot are not sure if your arrangement is impacted by GDPR nosotros highly propose you cheque out our guide for a quick easy summary of how yous can assess your system's risk level. Remember, nosotros are living in the data economic system, so don't take this determination lightly.
Source: https://journity.com/2018/05/google-analytics-data-retention-controls-what-they-mean-for-your-nonprofit/
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