Google Analytics 4: Here’s What You Need to Know

Do you feel that fresh breeze coming in? It’s time for a refresh at Google!

It’s time to say goodbye to Universal Analytics, which we’ve known since 2012, and say hello to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)!

A bit more about GA4

With Google Analytics 4, commonly referred to as GA4, data measurement on your website is more precise than ever. But what exactly has changed, and how does it affect you?

Data collection model

The data collection model has been improved in GA4. Before diving into the changes, let’s start with the basics.

Google Analytics—regardless of the version—collects data. Imagine a scout in the forest tracking every movement of a butterfly on a tree. The data gathered helps the scout better understand and eventually capture the butterfly for study.

Google Analytics works in a similar way: it tracks the actions visitors take on your website so you can better understand your customers. With enough data, the possibilities are endless.

Data collection is mainly used for:

• Retargeting

• Website optimization

• Data-driven decision making

• Product development

Google Analytics works by recording events. For example, if someone clicks a button on your website, an event is logged. These events help you understand how users interact with your site.

What changed with GA4?

Previously, data collection was based on pageviews. Events were categorized using:

• Category

• Action

• Label

For example, if a visitor watched a recipe video:

• Category: “Videos”

• Action: “Play”

• Label: “Cooking asparagus”

With GA4, this system has been simplified.

Google now collects events as a whole, focusing on user actions across the entire site rather than just pageviews. Actions like scrolling, clicking, filling out a form, or navigating between pages are all tracked as events.

New features

With GA4, tracking becomes more precise thanks to new features.

Don’t worry—when we talk about tracking, Google isn’t following you around Costco. It simply analyzes how users arrive on your website.

There are several ways users can land on your site:

• Clicking on an ad

• Through social media (like Facebook)

• Via a Google search

Google aggregates this data to understand user acquisition. These insights are essential for improving user experience and measuring the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

If none of your visitors come from your ads, for example, it may be time to make some changes.

New reports

GA4 introduces several new reports, which are essentially collections of your website’s events:

Real-Time Report
See activity on your website as it happens.

DebugView Report
Displays detailed event data and helps identify issues. For example, if a user encounters navigation problems, you can see exactly what actions they took. This helps fix errors and better understand user behavior.

Engagement (Events) Report
Shows which pages are most popular and helps explain why.

Acquisition Report
Helps you understand how new users find your website. Identify which channels drive the most traffic and where to focus your efforts. This report also includes data from your advertising campaigns.

Switching to GA4

Why make the switch to GA4? The main reason is the sunset of Universal Analytics (UA), which forces users to move to the new platform.

UA expiration

There were two key dates:

• July 1, 2023: Data processing stopped (no new data collected)

• December 2023: All UA data was permanently deleted

This was Google’s way of clearing space—like getting rid of a broken coffee machine to make room for a new one.

Data is not transferable

You might think:
“Okay, I’ll switch in June 2023—problem solved.”

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Data collected in UA cannot be transferred to GA4. In fact, the two systems are incompatible. It’s like trying to play a cassette in a CD player… not going to work!

That’s why it’s crucial to switch to GA4 as soon as possible—to start collecting new data right away.

Start collecting your data today!

Want help with the transition? Schedule a meeting with our digital strategist to guide you through the process.