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What You Need to Know About GA4’s New Cross-Channel Budgeting Tools
Google’s new Cross-Channel Budgeting in GA4 helps marketers forecast and optimize ad spend across Google and non-Google platforms. Here’s how to get ready.
Monika Boldak
Connecting Data Analysis and Marketing Strategies
What Is Cross-Channel Budgeting in GA4?
Cross-Channel Budgeting gives marketers the ability to evaluate, forecast, and optimize media spend across multiple platforms, all in one place. This is especially critical for brands managing budgets across search, display, video, and social media channels.
Here’s what’s included:
📊 Projections Report
Forecast campaign performance against key metrics, like spend, revenue, and conversions, using historical trends and real-time data.
🧮 Scenario Planner
Simulate different budget allocation strategies using machine learning-powered models. Plan, pivot, and adjust media spend with confidence.
Together, these tools empower marketers to make faster, data-driven decisions about where to invest next, and what to cut.
What Was Announced at Google Marketing Live 2025?
During GML2025 Google made it clear: GA4 is becoming the go-to platform for cross-channel attribution, budgeting, and media planning. Highlights from the announcement include:
✅ Enhanced multi-touch attribution across the full customer journey
✅ View-through conversions to measure the impact of ad impressions, even without clicks
✅ Smarter budgeting workflows that work across:
Google Ads, Display & Video 360 (DV360), and Search Ads 360
Non-Google platforms including Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn via cost data import
This shift positions GA4 as a true cross-platform analytics hub, not just a siloed Google ecosystem tool.
Who Should Use Cross-Channel Budgeting?
If your business runs multi-platform ad campaigns, this feature is for you. It's especially valuable for:
Performance marketers juggling spend across multiple networks
Ecommerce brands aiming to boost ROAS and optimize conversion paths
Agencies that need to unify media planning and reporting for clients
Why It Matters
Measuring media performance holistically is no longer optional. With the rapid pace of channel diversification, marketers need visibility and agility, and GA4 Cross-Channel Budgeting delivers both.
Here’s how it helps:
Centralizes cost and conversion data across platforms
Provides real-time budget pacing and optimization recommendations
Highlights underperforming channels for quick reallocation
Supports stronger return on ad spend (ROAS) and improved marketing ROI
This isn’t just about better visibility, it’s about actionable insights to fuel smarter planning and bigger results.
Real-World Example
Imagine you're running campaigns across Google Ads, Meta, and TikTok. With Cross-Channel Budgeting, you can import cost data from all platforms, simulate how increasing spend on Meta while reducing Google spend might impact revenue, and view projections, all within GA4.
No more juggling spreadsheets or guessing mid-flight.
How to Get Ready
Although Cross-Channel Budgeting is still in closed alpha, you can start preparing today:
Link your GA4 property with Google Ads, DV360, and SA360
Import cost data from Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, and other non-Google sources
Define and track meaningful conversion events like purchases, form fills, or sign-ups
Stay informed on GA4 feature rollouts to know when the tool becomes widely available
For more guidance, explore our GA4 attribution blog.
Want to Be Ready When It Launches?
At Napkyn, we help brands get more from their investment in GA4 and Google Cloud, from foundational tracking to advanced forecasting and audience insights.
If you're looking to:
Link cost and performance data across platforms
Streamline media planning and cross-channel reporting
Get ahead with a future-proofed GA4 setup
👉 Let’s talk about how to unlock smarter media planning with GA4.
✅ Need help optimizing your GA4 setup for cross-channel measurement?
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What You Need to Know About GA4’s New Cross-Channel Budgeting Tools
Google’s new Cross-Channel Budgeting in GA4 helps marketers forecast and optimize ad spend across Google and non-Google platforms. Here’s how to get ready.
Monika Boldak
Connecting Data Analysis and Marketing Strategies
What Is Cross-Channel Budgeting in GA4?
Cross-Channel Budgeting gives marketers the ability to evaluate, forecast, and optimize media spend across multiple platforms, all in one place. This is especially critical for brands managing budgets across search, display, video, and social media channels.
Here’s what’s included:
📊 Projections Report
Forecast campaign performance against key metrics, like spend, revenue, and conversions, using historical trends and real-time data.
🧮 Scenario Planner
Simulate different budget allocation strategies using machine learning-powered models. Plan, pivot, and adjust media spend with confidence.
Together, these tools empower marketers to make faster, data-driven decisions about where to invest next, and what to cut.
What Was Announced at Google Marketing Live 2025?
During GML2025 Google made it clear: GA4 is becoming the go-to platform for cross-channel attribution, budgeting, and media planning. Highlights from the announcement include:
✅ Enhanced multi-touch attribution across the full customer journey
✅ View-through conversions to measure the impact of ad impressions, even without clicks
✅ Smarter budgeting workflows that work across:
Google Ads, Display & Video 360 (DV360), and Search Ads 360
Non-Google platforms including Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn via cost data import
This shift positions GA4 as a true cross-platform analytics hub, not just a siloed Google ecosystem tool.
Who Should Use Cross-Channel Budgeting?
If your business runs multi-platform ad campaigns, this feature is for you. It's especially valuable for:
Performance marketers juggling spend across multiple networks
Ecommerce brands aiming to boost ROAS and optimize conversion paths
Agencies that need to unify media planning and reporting for clients
Why It Matters
Measuring media performance holistically is no longer optional. With the rapid pace of channel diversification, marketers need visibility and agility, and GA4 Cross-Channel Budgeting delivers both.
Here’s how it helps:
Centralizes cost and conversion data across platforms
Provides real-time budget pacing and optimization recommendations
Highlights underperforming channels for quick reallocation
Supports stronger return on ad spend (ROAS) and improved marketing ROI
This isn’t just about better visibility, it’s about actionable insights to fuel smarter planning and bigger results.
Real-World Example
Imagine you're running campaigns across Google Ads, Meta, and TikTok. With Cross-Channel Budgeting, you can import cost data from all platforms, simulate how increasing spend on Meta while reducing Google spend might impact revenue, and view projections, all within GA4.
No more juggling spreadsheets or guessing mid-flight.
How to Get Ready
Although Cross-Channel Budgeting is still in closed alpha, you can start preparing today:
Link your GA4 property with Google Ads, DV360, and SA360
Import cost data from Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, and other non-Google sources
Define and track meaningful conversion events like purchases, form fills, or sign-ups
Stay informed on GA4 feature rollouts to know when the tool becomes widely available
For more guidance, explore our GA4 attribution blog.
Want to Be Ready When It Launches?
At Napkyn, we help brands get more from their investment in GA4 and Google Cloud, from foundational tracking to advanced forecasting and audience insights.
If you're looking to:
Link cost and performance data across platforms
Streamline media planning and cross-channel reporting
Get ahead with a future-proofed GA4 setup
👉 Let’s talk about how to unlock smarter media planning with GA4.
✅ Need help optimizing your GA4 setup for cross-channel measurement?
More Insights
What You Need to Know About GA4’s New Cross-Channel Budgeting Tools
Monika Boldak
May 22, 2025
Read More
Declutter Your GTM: A Practical Guide to Cleaning Up Tags, Triggers, and Variables
Ricardo Cristofolini
Senior Implementation Specialist, Data Solutions
May 21, 2025
Read More
Is Your Website Violating California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) ?
Rob English
Lead Implementation Specialist
May 14, 2025
Read More
More Insights
Sign Up For Our Newsletter