UA vs GA4 - the differences between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4

What's new in Google Analytics 4?

GA4 focuses more on understanding the consumer's life cycle and being customisable for users, including information about acquisition, engagement, monetisation and retention. In short, it means a completely new way of looking at things, and greater scope for customising reports according to users’ needs.

What is the difference between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics?

The main difference between Universal Analytics and GA4 is how information is structured. In the current UA system, information is based on sessions, and Analytics uses this data to record events and goals according to the manual setting of the analytical properties.

With GA4, this has changed significantly, as data collection is based on the events themselves. Primarily, this means that there is more focus on user interaction than on sessions. It also means that the system is more reliable for tracking user engagement on a web page. UA's tracking of every single little event, from button clicks to navigation, was cumbersome and quickly became unwieldy for all but small and simple websites. Because events and goals are set manually in UA, most developers and marketers chose to track only the most central goals for the website, such as registrations and sales.

By shifting to GA4 and an event-based model, it will be easier to sift through interaction data than previously, when event data was collected within sessions. In theory, it will also be easier for Google to predict user behaviour, because all user interaction is tracked automatically and not manually. There will therefore be many more data points for Google to use to predict user behaviour.

Why do you need to switch to GA4?

From 1 July 2023, Universal Analytics will stop collecting data, and therefore it is essential that you have GA4 set up. It is a good idea to set up a GA4 property that runs parallel with Universal Analytics as soon as possible. Even if you do not plan to use GA4 right away, your future digital analytics will be more meaningful if you collect data and improve your models for machine learning.

Do you need help?

Beet recommends a well-planned and structured implementation of GA4, where your starting point is your company’s goals and flows. Our specialists have cutting-edge expertise in digital analysis and can help you to implement GA4. Contact us using the form below to find out more.