GA4 vs UA, What Is The Difference?
Google Analytics 4 or GA4 is the latest version of Google's popular web analytics tool, Google Analytics (GA). Google Analytics enables users to examine data from both web and mobile apps to fully comprehend their user journey.
GA4 was released in October 2020 with the goal of giving businesses access to more sophisticated analytics and insights than the previous GA, which was also known as Universal Analytics (UA). But what are the key differences between GA4 and UA?
Let’s take a look at four of them:
Data model
The underlying data model is one of the major differences between GA4 and UA. While UA employs a session-based data model, GA4 uses an event-based data model. The primary data points in GA4 are events, and each event can be associated with several attributes, giving user interaction tracking more flexibility and precision.
GA4 strongly emphasizes user-centric tracking, which means that information is gathered and examined at the level of the individual user as compared to just the session or page view level as it was in UA. Through a more comprehensive understanding of the customer journey, businesses are able to better understand the behavior of specific consumers across various sessions and devices.
Enhanced machine learning capabilities
GA4 has built-in machine learning features that make it easier for companies to extract insights from their data. For instance, GA4 has a function called "Predictive Metrics" that automatically detects patterns and trends in data using machine learning algorithms, enabling businesses to gain useful information without needing manual data analysis.
Simplified tracking setup
Compared to UA, GA4's tracking setup is more straightforward. This makes it simpler to track and analyze data across different platforms and offers a more streamlined implementation process. With GA4, businesses can set up tracking for various platforms, such as websites, mobile apps, and other online properties, using the same tracking code, called the Measurement ID.
Privacy-focused
GA4 was created with privacy in mind, taking some of the worries about data privacy and user permission into account. To comply with privacy laws and user requests, GA4 offers choices for organizations to adjust data collection settings, such as data retention times and data sharing. With this, it is possible to gather data on GA4 without using third-party cookies or gathering IP addresses.
GA4 is the most recent version of Google's web analytics software and provides organizations with more sophisticated analytics and insight capabilities than UA did. When deciding between GA4 and UA, businesses should carefully assess their analytics objectives and goals while keeping in mind the distinctions and capabilities of each platform.
