What Has Changed in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as Compared to Universal Analytics (UA)?

Millions of businesses across the globe use Google Analytics to understand the customer behavior and improve upon their experience and even analyze the impact of their marketing efforts to take strategic decisions basis the insights derived. In mid-October 2020, Google officially rolled out Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the latest version of the Google Analytics platform, as a substitute to the older version i.e. Universal Analytics (UA).

Let’s now understand 10 major differences between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics:

1. Platforms

Universal Analytics allows tracking only the website data while this is no more a limitation in Google Analytics  4 as it provides an option to integrate App (iOS+Andriod) as well and presents unified data.

2. Reporting Interface 

GA4 is majorly built on firebase analytics, so you would see difference sets of reporting parameters in GA4 as compared to UA.      

3. Measurement

GA4 uses an event model to track the data, while UA uses sessions and pageviews data. Each user activity in GA4 is considered as an event, which can provide information on a granular level and it starts with event_name. In UA, we mostly relied on the built-in Event Category, Action and Label to track the events.

Here’s an example of how events are tracked differently:

4. User Identification (User & Client ID)

User ID in GA4 provides a cross-platform and cross-device view of user interactions with your app or website. Analytics creates a single user journey from the data associated with a particular user ID. Unlike Universal Analytics, a Google Analytics 4 property incorporates User ID natively across all reporting, analysis and insights and does not require a separate User-ID reporting view.

The Client ID in UA and GA4 serves the same purpose of providing a pseudonymous user identifier. The app equivalent in GA4 is referred to as the App Instance ID.

 5. Automated Event Tracking

Enhanced measurement built-in feature in GA4 permits automated tracking of certain events without any additional tags. However, other event categories like recommended events and custom events require tag changes in the app or web. Custom events are not possible in UA.

6. Engagement Metrics

GA4 provides altogether, a new set of engagement metrics for more accurately tracking user engagements as opposed to pageviews and bounce rate data in UA. It is to be noted that there is no presence on bounce rate in GA4.

 7. Debugging 

GA4 provides a debug view wherein you can validate your configuration within the reporting interface directly, something not possible with UA.

8. Attribution Models

UA provides powerful capabilities with attribution models. Attribution project in UA provides reports similar to multi-channel funnels. GA4 is yet to come up with this.

9. BigQuery Linking

UA provides an option of linking with a couple of google products like Google Ads, Search Console, etc. Besides, it provides a connection to BigQuery only if you are using GA 360. GA4 on the other hand, comes with free linking to BigQuery, which makes it easier to understand the user activities in detail.

10. Views

Views have been an important feature in Universal Analytics, but in GA4, there is no such option yet.

While the above constitute major differences between GA4 and UA, it’s time to wait and watch on what additional features appear in GA4.

Being the latest version, Google recommends advertisers to use GA4, which comes with certain benefits.

• GA4 can measure, unify and de-duplicate user interaction data, which could help to understand the user data properly.
• It presents intelligent business insights with machine learning.
• Powerful metrics and dimensions in GA4 use AI to predict customer behaviour.
• Personal data collection is more into users’ control with Google Analytics 4.