Summer Analytics Digest

Summer 2025 turned out to be packed with updates in the world of analytics. Google clearly didn’t slow down for the holidays, and over just a few months, it rolled out a wave of new features across GA4, GTM, Google Ads, and Looker Studio. We got more automation, fresh integrations with different advertising and analytics platforms, and even the first steps toward artificial intelligence built into interfaces.

This digest brings together the key summer updates, explained in plain language, so you can quickly see what’s worth paying attention to, where new opportunities lie, and where things are still in “early experiment” mode.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Property synchronization (June)

GA360 users can now automatically sync custom metrics and dimensions between the main property and subproperties.

Why it matters: If you manage lots of subproperties (e.g., for different websites or regions), you no longer need to spend time manually duplicating settings. That translates into fewer errors and inconsistencies in your reports.

Tag diagnostics hub (June)

The consent management center now includes a tag diagnostics module. In other words, it’s easier to catch and fix errors in consent mode.

Why it matters: You can more easily verify that consent mode is working correctly and quickly pinpoint why certain events aren’t being collected. This is especially important in light of stricter GDPR and ePrivacy rules.

Automatic key events for lead generation (June)

If you set “lead generation” as a business objective, GA4 will automatically mark “qualified lead” and “lead conversion” as key events. This helps you set up proper tracking more quickly.

Why it matters: Less confusion at the start and a faster path to actionable analytics. However, keep in mind that you still need to collect the data yourself, as the default settings are merely for reference.

Importing costs from multiple sources (June, Beta)

Now supported: Google Sheets, Redshift, BigQuery, Snowflake, MySQL, S3, and more. You can also reconcile costs across all channels directly in GA4.

Why it matters: This one is almost self-explanatory — you get a full picture of both costs and revenue in GA4, not just Google Ads. It’s a step toward true cross-channel analytics.

Annotations available to analysts (July)

Creating and editing annotations is no longer limited to admins. Analysts can do it too now.

Why it matters: You can document campaign changes or technical updates directly in reports, without the need for extra spreadsheets.

Improved product data import (July)

You can now import item-scoped custom dimensions even without an item ID. 

Why it matters: This is especially useful for ecommerce stores with large catalogs. It makes handling custom product attributes (like “color” or “collection”) much easier.

Reddit Ads integration (July)

Reddit ad spend can now be imported directly into GA4.

New reports and audiences for lead generation (July)

Reports on first lead visits, reasons for disqualification, and ready-to-use audiences at different funnel stages are now built in, so you can use them right away.

Why it matters: You can immediately build remarketing and nurture campaigns without manual segmentation.

GA4 Beta chat (July)

A new chat assistant is available. It’s quite effective for help articles and simple tips, but won’t replace in-depth research or data visualization.

Important about session_id (May)

GA4 uses two versions of the session_id cookie. If you work with Measurement Protocol, make sure to check how the ID is generated in your data.

Tip: Review your pipelines to avoid discrepancies in reporting.

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

New Cookie API (August)

A new official method, readAnalyticsStorage, is now available for safely reading client_id and session_id. Previously, this had to be “hacked” manually from cookies.

Floodlight in server-side GTM (July)

Unverified requests can now be sent directly server-to-server, improving modeled conversions.

Important: This is about striking a balance between privacy and accuracy. It can raise attribution quality, but legal constraints must be considered.

Scripts via Web Container Client (June)

All scripts (e.g., gtag.js, gtm.js) should now be loaded through the Web Container Client.

Why it matters: This unifies the approach and simplifies tag maintenance.

Google Ads

Performance Max (August)

A new channel report is available, along with more control features: campaign-level negative keywords, expanded search themes, and demographic insights.

Why it matters: Advertisers now have more transparency and control, as Performance Max is gradually becoming less of a “black box.”

Demand Gen (June)

Now optimized for “follow-on views” — the system finds users who, after seeing your ad, go on to watch more videos from your channel.

Why it matters: This helps grow subscribers and watch time, not just clicks.

Looker Studio

Table sorting (August)

You can now sort up to 10 fields at once in tables, making complex reports easier for clients to understand.

New connectors

Over the summer, dozens of new integrations were added: Shopify, Pipedrive, Salesforce, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads, WooCommerce, and many more. Analytics is no longer “Google-only,” and you can now bring in data from almost any channel.

Design & accessibility

The following updates make reports more inclusive and professionally polished:

• Backgrounds for chart captions (August).
• Alt text for images (July).
• New canvas sizes, report descriptions, and improved BigQuery rendering.

Pro updates

These improvements bring more powerful analysis options and built-in AI support:

• Code Interpreter in preview (July).
• Gemini in Looker is enabled by default for Pro accounts (June).

Summary

Summer 2025 was packed with analytics updates:

• GA4 is moving further toward automation (automatic key events, ready-made audiences) and integrations (Reddit, new cost sources).
• GTM finally got official access to client_id and session_id via API, removing the need for most “hacky” workarounds.
• Google Ads now offers more control over Performance Max, along with new approaches to YouTube promotion.
• Looker Studio is evolving in customization, integrations, and even artificial intelligence (Code Interpreter, Gemini).

Overall, the trend is clear: Google is doubling down on usability, automation, and AI-powered assistants. At the same time, this means we as analysts need to adapt quickly and learn how to combine these new tools in ways that truly help businesses, rather than just create the illusion of simplicity.

If you want to make the most of these new tools and turn raw data into real business value, our analytics team at Livepage is here to help. Let’s make your data work smarter.