Google Analytics 4 VS Universal Analytics

Google Analytics 4

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Universal Analytics

Google Analytics 4

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Universal Analytics

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Google declared on March 16, 2022, that starting in July 2023, it would stop supporting Universal Analytics. That means by that mentioned date, everyone must be all set to use GA4. Since Google Analytics 4 (GA4) was released a few months ago, there is still a lot of misunderstanding regarding the fundamental distinctions between GA4 and the earlier Universal Analytics.

Some important differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics-• Ability to track dataThe ability to track data from both websites and apps within the same property is one of GA4's most eagerly awaited features. All interactions are recorded as events in GA4 using the same mechanism as Google Analytics Firebase (used for mobile apps) . It will be considerably simpler to merge data between a website and a mobile app thanks to their new, uniform data structure.

• Hit types-

The way interactions are recorded in UA and GA4 differs significantly from one another. Interactions were recorded in UA as a variety of hit types, including website views, purchases, and social interactions.

Contrarily, every interaction in GA4 is recorded as an event.Events had a category, action, and label in UA as well, however in GA4 these classifications are absent. Instead, GA4 uses event parameters, which are further details about the action (or event)a user took. Even if some event parameters, like page title, are transmitted automatically, others can be added.Google suggests that you build new logic that makes sense in this new context rather than merely copying existing event logic from UA to GA4 because the data types are fundamentally different.

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Data streams

Data streams are a means to group various data sources under one property. Each property can have a number of web and app streams added. In GA4, views themselves won't be accessible anymore. Filters offer tools for testing before making them active as well as for deactivating active filters. Filters will be applied at the property or subproperty level (subproperties are a GA4 360-only feature).

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Lesser Standard Reports and Simpler Ad Hoc Analysis

Less conventional reports will be available, and Explorations in GA4 will make it simpler to develop unique, ad hoc reports. The main UI is comparable to Data Studio, and it's simple to make customized reports for specific users or responsibilities. Additionally, templates can be used too which range from free forms to funnel and path research, acquisition and conversion, and ecommerce report templates. They are organized by methodologies, use cases, and industries.

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Free BigQuery exports are available with Google Analytics 4

BigQuery exports are made accessible to all properties with GA4 (for UA, this was limited to Analytics 360 properties). This means that you can submit BigQuery unprocessed events, which can then be queried with SQL. As long as usage stays inside BigQuery's sandbox parameters, the function itself is free. The sandbox environment does not support streaming data which must be noted.

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It's more crucial than ever to use Google Tag Manager.

You could utilize GA Universal without Google Tag Manager if you only used its more elementary features.

For instance, Google Analytics itself allows you to construct destination page conversions. This is not possible now with GA4. Every objective is event-based, thus understanding Google Tag Manager is more crucial than ever, especially if you work in e-commerce or digital marketing.

A lot has changed since Google Analytics switched from a session-based data model to an event-based approach. In conclusion, GA4 has far more new features and modifications than GA3 did. Google itself advises marketers to develop GA4 content and use it in combination with their GA3 content. Changes will still be made because GA4 is still formally in beta version. Also if you have any queries regarding digital marketing or Google Analytics 4 or Universal Analytics, reach out to one of the best seo agencies in Northampton, One to One Design Studio for guided assistance.