Why you have to switch to Google Analytics 4

What’s the difference
between UA and GA4?

It’s all about the perspective and the primary lenses we use to interpret data.

In the simplest of definitions, UA measured first by sessions, or ‘time spent viewing’ (my words, not Google’s words). GA4 measures everything by ‘events’, or ‘interactive moments’ (again, my description, not Google).
Though most of the information from UA can still be found on GA4, it differs greatly in HOW it was collected and collated, which in turn impacts how it informs us of your customers' behaviours.

1. Cross-Platform Tracking

   UA’s primary focus on ‘views’ made tracking user flows across platforms difficult.

   Now, with GA4, you can track both web and app data together in the same property, and can gain a fuller understanding of how your customers interact with both your app and website.

   With this more holistic approach, you can understand the complete user journey throughout the sales funnel—from acquisition to conversion—enabling more in-depth reporting.

2. Measurement

   GA4 also has an array of new metrics including engaged sessions, engagement rate, and engagement time.

   GA4 utilises a different data logic than UA, focussing on event-based data that processes every user interaction as an ‘event’, rather than utilising session-based data where users are grouped by time frame.

   Again, this event-based method enables better path and cross-platform analysis. It also enables GA4 to better predict how users behave, leading us to the next point:

3. Predictive Analytics

   GA4 now uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to gauge and predict user interactions. The goal of this predictive analysis is to help brands make proactive decisions based on the future, rather than reactive decisions based on past data.

   These AI metrics include purchase probability, churn probability and revenue prediction. These metrics can form an audience for specific Google Ad targeting.

4. Privacy

   With privacy laws and policies becoming increasingly stringent, GA4 has also boosted focus on protecting user data.

   While UA has various privacy controls available, GA4 has ‘privacy-first tracking’ with more comprehensive data collection and usage settings. It also no longer stores IP addresses that pinpoint a person’s exact location and device.

   These new privacy controls have been put in place to meet the increasing expectations for the user or customer to be in control of their own data and privacy.

5. Ease-of-use

   The most obvious change with GA4 is the new-look dashboard.

   While the new dashboard may take some getting used to, it has been designed to give greater insight into the whole customer experience, as well as some attempt to streamline the reporting and interpretation processes. And though it may seem clunky while fitting in GA4’s new features, like predictive insights.