Universal Analytics stops collecting data on July 1, 2023, so it’s more important than ever to ensure GA4 is properly configured for your digital properties. Here’s what you need to know about Google Analytics 4 vs. Universal Analytics, as well as Google Analytics 4 setup, to ensure your business isn’t losing valuable data.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Simply put, Google Analytics 4 is the newest version of Google Analytics. Formerly known as “App + Web,” GA4 came out of beta in 2020. At its core, GA4 encompasses an entirely new generation of web and app analytics that take into account the full customer journey across multiple platforms. In the wake of the latest privacy laws, GA4 also places a dedicated focus on customer privacy with cookieless measurement and privacy–first tracking capabilities.
Google Analytics 4 vs. Universal Analytics: What’s the Difference?
Most obviously, GA4 allows you to track user engagement across both websites and applications in the same property. However, there are quite a few differences in how data is gathered and visualized within Google Analytics 4:
A New Look
The first thing you’ll notice when exploring GA4 is that it looks entirely different. The dashboard has been redesigned and reorganized to be more streamlined and customizable. This reorganization is meant to simplify tracking the user experience throughout the customer journey. For example, the “Life Cycle” section offers a breakdown of reports by Acquisition, Engagement, Monetization and Retention.
Data Modeling
When it comes to organizing and analyzing data, a different approach is taken in Google Analytics 4 vs. Universal Analytics. UA, for example, primarily revolved around sessions, which are defined as a series of interactions a user has within a given timeframe. UA’s primary focus was on grouping related interactions together within a session.
GA4 shifts the focus to individual events rather than sessions. An event represents a specific user action or interaction, such as button clicks, video plays, file downloads, or pageviews. Each event is associated with a specific user rather than a specific session, so they can be linked with other events to form a sequence of interactions.
This shift from session-based to event-based modeling allows for more granular tracking and analysis of actions users take on your site or app. It also allows for an array of new metrics, such as:
- Engaged sessions
- Engagement time
- Engagement rate
Event & Conversion Tracking
GA4 has introduced a simplified and streamlined approach to event & conversion tracking. With the new event-based data modeling, there is a lot more flexibility and customization when it comes to tracking custom events in GA4. You can now set up to 25 event parameters within a single event, offering a more flexible framework for generating and delivering insights.
Conversions in GA4 are created based on events. Toggles within the event settings make it easier than ever before to define specific actions as conversion events.
Google Analytics 4 also introduces a more flexible and data-driven attribution model called “Data-Driven Attribution.” It takes into account various touchpoints along the user journey to assign credit for conversions, providing a more comprehensive view of the customer journey.
Advanced Control
Google Analytics 4 puts more control in your hands. It now gives you the ability to customize dashboards in the Reports tab, enabling you to see the information most important to your business. In the explorations tab, you can create custom charts and tables for any data not visualized within the standard reports. The added ability to create custom segments allows you to further narrow web and app users to truly unlock powerful insights into your target audience.
Google Analytics 4 Setup
Set up for GA4 will differ depending on if you are creating an entirely new account or setting it up alongside a legacy UA property. Luckily, Google makes it easy to set up your GA4 account regardless of your starting point.
Creating a New Account
If you’re creating a new Google Analytics account, you will be creating a GA4 property by default. Follow the instructions as outlined by Google in order to create and configure your property for web and/or app data tracking.
Creating Alongside a UA Property
If you already have an existing UA property, Google has already created a Google Analytics 4 property for you. Access your GA4 property by clicking on accounts and navigating to the GA4 property under “properties & apps.”
From there, you can navigate to the “Setup Assistant” in your property settings to complete your GA4 setup and ensure it is gathering data for your website and/or app.
Get Started with Google Analytics 4
GA4 is a powerful analytics tool that provides valuable insights into the full customer journey of your audience. With the sunsetting of Universal Analytics, it’s extremely important that GA4 is set up correctly for all of your business’s websites and apps.
If you have more questions about Google Analytics 4, reach out to BBR Creative. Our team of digital marketing experts is here to support you.
