Will Apple iOS 14 Affect Google Analytics?

Fortunately, iOS 14 will not impact the validity of your Google Analytics SEO report. This is because Google Analytics is considered to be a first-party cookie. The IDFA is targeting third-party cookies specifically.

However, it is important to stay apprised of future updates, as Apple may further restrict marketers’ access to consumer data. As of now, you will be able to continue using Google Analytics to gather useful feedback about your digital marketing efforts.

Preparing for iOS 14

Restricted access to the IDFA is no new challenge to marketers. Digital advertisers have already been working to overcome past updates that restricted their ability to target specific users.

In order to track conversion from web to mobile apps, new software was implemented. A similar tactic can be used to quantify app-to-app conversion rates, as well. Apple has an ad network API that may help to bridge the gap created by the additional restrictions that were included in iOS 14.

While there is no perfect solution in place at this time, it is important that your digital marketing strategy is flexible enough to evolve and adapt. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to partner with a digital marketing agency that can provide custom solutions for your organization. 

What You Need to Know About Apple iOS 14

Once again, Apple is preparing to release a major iOS update. While most of these updates do not have drastic implications for digital marketers, iOS 14 will. It is going to present new challenges that must be overcome if you want to continue interacting with and identifying users efficiently.

Insights ABM wants to keep businesses apprised of the latest developments in the digital marketing industry. With that mission in mind, we are going to take a deeper look at what iOS 14 will mean for your advertising strategy, including how it could impact your Google Analytics SEO report.

What Does iOS 14 Mean for Digital Marketing Strategists?

The iOS 14 update will include a multitude of privacy updates. Perhaps the most notable is that users must provide consent before in-app data can be collected. Users will also be notified anytime an app attempts to collect their data. 

This process will integrate with Apple’s existing Intelligent Tracking Prevention initiative that is part of their Safari web browser.

These privacy-focused updates come as no surprise, as the entire tech industry has been placing a heavy emphasis on protecting analytics data in recent years.

In addition to the changes above, Apple’s iOS 14 will also restrict a marketer’s ability to precisely identify users for retargeted advertisements. Apple is implementing these restrictions by limiting access to users’ IDFA. 

This could create some major issues because personalized ads are a major part of marketing efforts when companies are targeting users at the top of the sales funnel.

What is an Identifier for Advertisers?

The identifier for advertisers (IDFA) is a random identifier that Apple assigns to each of their devices. In the past, digital marketers could leverage the IDFA in order to track data for the purposes of personalized advertising and user identification. However, iOS 14 will prevent companies from engaging in this practice.

Repercussions of IDFA

The iOS 14 update is not the first time that Apple has made an effort to restrict advertiser access to users’ IDFA. In a past update, Apple gave their consumers the option to enable a feature known as Limit Ad Tracking (LAT). When activated, LAT would send a blank IDFA to marketers.

However, the latest update makes LAT easier to access and more prominent within Apple device settings. This will likely encourage a higher percentage of users to enable the feature and restrict advertisers from accessing their IDFA.