Get to know Google Analytics: From Universal Analytics to GA4

This article is a 6 min read!

Google Analytics has been a staple for businesses and marketing teams alike when it comes to understanding online performance since its introduction in 2005. The first instance of Google Analytics came in the form of Universal Analytics (UA) - a platform we all grew to understand and love. It provided valuable insights into website activity, showed us how to track a user's interactions as they move through a site, and gave us access to demographics and user behaviour information we'd otherwise be in the dark around.

However, as digital landscapes evolved, so did the need for a more advanced analytics solution. So, in July 2023, Google officially transitioned from UA to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a system designed to provide deeper insights into user behaviour across multiple platforms, including mobile apps.

If you're a fan of the old and are looking to transition to the new, moving between the two systems and understanding new terminologies can feel overwhelming. In this blog, we'll explore the benefits of GA4 and the five most significant changes you need to be aware of to make sure you don't miss out on vital data capture, and can seamlessly transition to the new normal.

The endless benefits of GA4

GA4 isn't just a simple update; it's a complete overhaul of Google Analytics with several advantages over UA:

Cross-platform tracking: In a mobile first world, GA4 enables businesses to track both website and app data within the same property, offering a more holistic view of user interactions.
Event-based data model: Unlike UA's session-based approach, GA4 captures all interactions as events, allowing for greater flexibility when it comes to data collection.
AI-powered insights: Google's machine learning models help predict user behaviour and trends based of your historic data, making it easier than ever to adapt and optimise marketing strategies.
Privacy-centric approach: With increasing privacy regulations, GA4 is designed to work with or without cookies, future-proofing your analytics and ensuring more robust compliance with data protection laws.
Enhanced customisation: GA4 provides more control over how data is structured, allowing businesses to tailor analytics to their specific needs and utilise more data points in custom events.

Five key changes you need to know

To help you make the leap from UA to GA4 and ensure you're tracking your current KPIs in the correct way, we've summarised the five key changes from system to system to ensure you're in the know when it comes to effective analytics.

1. App Tracking

One of the most significant improvements in GA4 is its ability to track both websites and mobile apps within the same property. Unlike UA, which required separate tracking setups, GA4 adopts the same measurement model as Google Analytics Firebase (the version of GA for mobile apps). This means every user interaction, whether on a website or an app, is logged as an event, creating a unified view of customer behaviour.
With this change, organisations can gain a better understanding of their audience's journey across multiple platforms. If your organisation has both a website and an app (such as a self-service customer portal), ensuring that GA4 is correctly configured for cross-platform tracking is crucial.

2. Hit types are now Events

In Universal Analytics, interactions were categorised into different hit types, including pageviews, transactions, and social interactions. GA4 simplifies this by capturing everything as an event.
While UA had events structured with categories, actions, and labels, GA4 replaces this with event parameters which act as additional pieces of information that provide context to each action. Some parameters, such as page_title, are automatically tracked, but you can also define custom parameters (up to 25 per event) to tailor the data to your needs.
Because GA4's data model is fundamentally different, Google advises against copying over existing event logic from UA. Instead, you should rethink their approach to event tracking to fully leverage GA4's new capabilities.

3. Session calculations have changed

If you've noticed discrepancies in session numbers between UA and GA4, don't panic - it's because sessions are now calculated differently!

In UA, a session ended if:

There was 30 minutes of inactivity (or per your session timeout settings)
The clock hit midnight, which triggered a new session
A user encountered a new campaign parameter

In GA4, sessions work very differently:

A session is defined by the session_start event, which generates a session ID that all subsequent events are linked to
Sessions can continue past midnight, unlike in UA
Campaign parameters don't automatically trigger new sessions

Realistically, these changes make session tracking more accurate for organisations with a global audience. So if you're not reaching audiences on a global scale, these changes won't affect the outcome of your data, however it will result in differences when comparing data between UA and GA4.

4. Bounce Rate vs. Engagement Rate

Bounce rate was a key metric in Universal Analytics, but GA4 takes a more positive outlook - shifting the focus to engagement rate.
In UA, bounce rate was calculated as the percentage of users who visited only one page without interacting further. In GA4, bounce rate is the inverse of engagement rate, which measures the percentage of sessions that meet at least one of the following criteria:

The session lasted at least 10 seconds
The user completed at least one conversion event
The user viewed at least two pages/screens

Although bounce rate still exists in GA4, it's calculated differently. This change encourages you to focus more on engaged sessions rather than solely on users who leave after viewing one page.

5. GA4 requires Google Tag Manager for Event tracking

With UA, you could set up certain goals and conversions directly in Google Analytics. However, GA4 has moved to an entirely event-based goal system, making Google Tag Manager (GTM) more important than ever.
If you previously relied on UA's built-in goal tracking, you'll now need to use GTM to define and track conversions effectively. This might require some additional setup time, but it provides greater flexibility in tracking user actions and defining what counts as a conversion.

Don't forget: Why are you collecting data?

While understanding the new terminology you need to use the platform is crucial, it's equally important to ask yourself: why are you collecting this data? Too often, organisations track data without a clear purpose or understanding of what the data means, leading to unnecessary complexity and confusion.

To make your analytics work for you:

Ensure that the reports and metrics you track align with your business objectives.
Use your data to inform decisions that drive growth and engagement.
Regularly review and analyse your analytics to measure success and identify areas for improvement.

GA4 offers powerful tools to refine your digital strategy, but it's only useful if you know what you're looking for and how to act on the insights.

Up next: Building dashboard and using reports

Now that you understand the key differences between Universal Analytics and GA4, it's time to take the next step. We're hosting a free to attend, 30 minute webinar on Tuesday 29th April at 11:00am, where we'll show you how to build and structure GA4 dashboards and share insights from our customers on how they're leveraging analytics to enhance their content strategies.

You can find out more about the session here, and use the button below to register your place. Or if you'd like to receive bespoke training around how to identify base line data, structure KPIs and build custom events and dashboards that help you understand your audience, complete the form below.