Google Analytics 4: New Generation of the Service Now Available
The web analytics industry is thriving. Marketers, analysts and website owners all need tools to keep up the pace with the ever-changing market. The Mountain View-based giant has released several versions of the Google Analytics tool since its creation, aiming to achieve the perfect statistics. In 2020, we saw another new generation o the tool called Google Analytics 4. It is yet to be seen whether the new service becomes a game-changer but we should certainly keep an eye on it and take a closer look at the new service.
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 (also abbreviated to GA4) is a new generation of the Google Analytics service. It was based on the previous App + Web service, which enabled to track both the website and the app. From now on, GA4 is considered the default version of Google Analytics, implementable using the website’s source code or through the Google Tag Manager tool (recommended option). Importantly, Google Analytics 4 is enabled by default when you create a new service, whether you want to use it or not.
Google Analytics 4 Methodology
The data collection methodology in GA4 is revolutionary compared to the previous one used by Universal Analytics and earlier tracking scripts. Previously, all the measurements of regular Google Analytics referred to sessions, and partially ignored measurements from the web app. Yet GA4 analytics was based on events that trigger throughout the user’s lifetime, although the session has not disappeared completely and is also considered as an event. In addition, the new Google Analytics will have more and more reports generated on the basis of statistical modelling and machine learning.
Differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics
| Universal Analytics | Google Analytics 4 |
| Session-based methodology | Event-based methodology |
| Google Analytics account structure: account -> service -> view | Google Analytics account structure: account -> service |
| Tracking ID: UA-XXXXXXX-X | Tracking ID: G-XXXXXXXXXX |
| Hit limit in the service | No hit limit (at the time of writing this article) |
| Some events such as outbound clicks, scroll must be configured manually | Some events such as outbound clicks, scroll are collected automatically |
Obviously, there are many more differences, starting from the tool interface through conversion setup options to implementation of e-commerce tracking or additional events.
How to migrate to Google Analytics 4?
As mentioned earlier, Google Analytics 4 is created automatically by default on any newly created Google Analytics service, whether you want to use it or not. However, if you have already set up a Google Analytics property to gradually collect data for you, you need to use the special section “Setup Assistant”.
Migration to Google Analytics 4
The setup assistant will guide you step by step through the configuration of the new property. You will have to decide which option to choose:
- “I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property.”
- “I want to connect to an existing Google Analytics 4 property.”
At the time of writing this article, Google recommends choosing the first option to create a new GA4 property alongside the existing Universal Analytics property. Then, you will have to configure a data stream for the newly created property. If you are only connecting the new GA4 to the web (without an app), you need to create a Web data stream. If you additionally have apps, then you need to create Android app / IOS app streams. Read more about setting up a Google Analytics 4 account here.
In order to use all the new Google Analytics options, you need to go to the Setup Assistant available at the property level and configure additional settings, such as connecting to your Ads account or conversion implementation.
At this point, it is not known if and when Google scheduled data export from Google Analytics to Google Analytics 4. It would certainly be quite difficult since these are two completely separate tools based on different mechanisms of operation.
The new GA4 property comes with a redesigned standard reports interface, however, some similarities to its predecessor can still be found. Yet, those who previously used Google Analytics only may find it hard to switch to the new appearance.
The image below shows a diagram of the basic reporting interface when you log in to the GA4 account. The consecutive numbers indicate:
- access to the structure of your Google Analytics account and other services if you have configured them
- a useful search bar to type in the report you need
- standard report card with basic metrics
- date range selection, report customisation and export options
- navigation menu for other reports grouped into collections by topics
- navigation to the Admin section where you can change Google Analytics account settings
New interface of Google Analytics 4
At first glance, the interface of Google Analytics 4 does not differ much from the previous one, however, if you want to navigate to a specific report you always generated in the previous GA version, this is where you might encounter a problem. Not all previous reports or metrics come with their new counterparts, and even if they do, they are often named differently.
Summary
Without doubt, Google Analytics 4 is a huge step forward in web analytics. Modified methodology and more reliable statistics, which include online apps, are Google’s response to the ever-changing environment. If you are still not sure whether to start measuring tracking using GA4 then the answer to your question is ‘yes’. The sooner you implement Google Analytics 4 the better because you will collect a larger sample of data for later analysis. In time, Google will probably seek to deprecate Universal Analytics entirely and if no appropriate export tools are prepared then, you may lose the data permanently.
