Google Analytics 4

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's current analytics platform, which fully replaced Universal Analytics in July 2023. It represents a complete rebuild of how Google tracks and reports website data.

Unlike its predecessor, GA4 uses an event-based data model. Everything a user does on your site – page views, button clicks, form submissions, purchases – is tracked as an event. This gives you more flexibility in what you measure and how you analyse it.

Why GA4 Matters

GA4 was built for a privacy-first world. With cookies becoming less reliable and privacy regulations tightening, GA4 uses machine learning to fill data gaps and predict user behaviour. It also works better across websites and apps, giving you a unified view of customer journeys.

The shift wasn't optional – Universal Analytics stopped processing data in 2023. If you've been putting off learning GA4, now's the time.

Key Differences from Universal Analytics

Event-Based Tracking

Everything is an event. Page views, sessions, and conversions are all events with parameters. This sounds technical but means more flexible reporting.

Engagement Metrics

GA4 replaced bounce rate with engagement rate – a more useful measure of whether visitors found your content valuable.

Explorations

Custom reports called Explorations let you dig deeper into data. More powerful than Universal Analytics, but steeper learning curve.

Predictive Metrics

GA4 can predict purchase probability and churn risk using machine learning, though this needs significant data volume to work.

Getting Started

Most websites now have GA4 installed by default. If you're starting fresh:

1. Create a GA4 property in your Google Analytics account
2. Add the measurement ID to your website
3. Configure your key events (conversions)
4. Set up custom events for important actions
5. Connect to Google Ads for advertising insights