“Data beats opinion”: 15th Google Analytics Conference showcases the AI-driven future of performance measurement
Analytics experts from the DACH region discussed the future of measurement in Vienna.
A complete success in the name of data: The organizer e-dialog draws a positive balance of the Google Analytics Conference (GACon) 2026, which set new impulses for the industry with an intensive program on April 23 at Schönbrunn Palace. The focus was on measuring advertising impact, the use of analytics agents and innovative methods such as geo-experiments and marketing mix modeling.
Experts from leading companies shared their projects and practical experience on stage. In addition to the experts from e-dialog, Google, o2 Telefónica, Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), Verbund, LINK Mobility, CLANEO and Zurich took part in talks and panels.
The triangle of measurability
With the sentence “Data beats opinion”, Sebastian Vieregg, Director Automotive, Telecommunication, Technology & B2B at Google DACH, captured the tenor of the conference. However, collecting relevant data that drives better decisions at C-level has become more difficult due to an increasingly fragmented customer journey. AI helps here, as does the triangle of modern effectiveness measurement: attribution, experiments and marketing mix modeling.
AI agents and recommendations
All three approaches were presented on the GACon stages using real-life projects, as were AI agents that independently process massive amounts of analytics data. At the same time, AI models can also help with the personalization of web stores and thus massively increase conversion rates, as the case presented by o2 Telefónica demonstrated.
Mentions instead of traffic
Conversely, the transformation of the web through AI search poses challenges for the analytics industry, as mentions suddenly become more important than traffic, which is easier to measure. “Clicks are no longer everything, but I would still measure them,” summarized Matthäus Michalik from CLANEO. To back this up, e-dialog also presented its latest traffic study, which for the first time provides reliable figures on the decline in organic traffic in the DACH region. In response, currently separate disciplines need to grow together, according to Katharina Maurer from e-dialog: “The separation of SEO and SEA is a thing of the past. We need to grasp and play with the new search experience in its entirety.”
Cross-platform analytics
In intensive deep dives, Anjali Raghavan and Fabian Möschter from Google took us through current and future features of Google Analytics. It became clear that the platform is evolving away from traffic analysis and towards a comprehensive performance reporting tool. In addition to the existing connections to Meta, TikTok and Snapchat, more and more MMM functions are to be activated in Google Analytics in the coming months. AI assistants will also be expanded here in order to filter out possible scenarios and clear recommendations for action from the flood of data.
Shared expertise
“GACon 2026 has impressively demonstrated that the hunger for in-depth expertise and genuine exchange in the industry is greater than ever before. Advances in the field of AI in particular are opening up completely new opportunities for us to generate insights faster and more precisely, as the cases presented prove,” summarizes Andrea Swift, CEO of e-dialog. “We are delighted that we were once again able to provide the framework for forward-looking impulses with this event.”
For all those who focus on campaigns and media strategy, the next industry highlight has already been announced: e-dialog invites you to PCon in Vienna on September 17, 2026.
Photos: Jennifer Fetz
