GA4 now includes projection and scenario planning tools for tracking and optimising paid channel budgets inside your analytics.
1 min read
What changed
GA4 released cross-channel budgeting with two new planning tools: projection plans and scenario plans
Projection plans help answer pacing questions across your paid channels
Scenario plans let you test budget allocations and explore predicted ROI at different spend levels
What it means
Budget planning has traditionally lived in spreadsheets or third-party tools. Google is pulling it into GA4 where your actual performance data already sits. For Australian businesses running spend across Google Ads, Meta and other paid channels, this means you can model budget shifts against real conversion data without exporting anything. The feature rewards businesses that have clean GA4 setups and proper conversion tracking.
What to do
Open GA4 and look for the cross-channel budgeting section under the Advertising tab
Set up a projection plan for your current quarter to test pacing accuracy
Run a scenario plan comparing your current budget split against a rebalanced version
Ensure all paid channels are properly attributed in GA4 with correct UTM tagging before relying on the projections
Source: Google Analytics Help, MRS Digital, Whistler Billboards