Switching to Google Analytics 4: the key differences every business needs to know

You can think of GA4 as the newest and perhaps most advanced generation of Google Analytics. As such, it looks very different from what you're used to from UA. That makes sense, because this is not about an upgrade or customization. It is about a completely new version where machine learning and modeling take center stage. As a result, GA4 is also described as a future-oriented approach to measuring and analyzing Web site data.

GA4 emphasizes event-based measurement, tracking all user actions with a much more privacy-oriented approach. The platform does not use third party cookies, instead focusing primarily on first party cookies and machine learning to "fill in the gaps.

One of the main reasons for the move to GA4 is that the platform was designed to meet the changing needs and trends in the digital landscape. With the rise of new technologies, such as mobile apps, smart devices and the increasing focus on privacy, Google Analytics needed to evolve to provide better insight into the behavior of modern users. GA4 provides a solid foundation for future developments and is expected to be continuously updated and improved.

GA4 also improves the ability to measure user interactions across devices and platforms. In today's digital age where people use multiple devices, such as smartphones, tablets and desktops, it is essential to get a holistic view of user behavior. GA4 utilizes advanced tracking techniques, such as event-based modeling, that allow you to better understand how users interact with your brand regardless of the device they use.

There is no question that privacy is hugely important in this digital age. With the advent of the GDPR in 2018, privacy issues suddenly became even more important than ever, rising to the top of the agenda of a lot of companies, as well as consumers. Users are increasingly aware of its importance. As a result, they are consciously choosing not to have their sessions tracked and not to agree to all cookies. Google Analytics was therefore forced to make some major changes in order to continue providing relevant insights.

Indeed, Universal Analytics came under fire from European authorities. It would not adequately respect GDPR rules on data transfer. So GA4 has a stronger focus on privacy. At least, it should be. There are still question marks about GA4 because some data is still processed in the U.S.

At least GA4 did address some of the main problems by using artificial intelligence (AI) to create models that provide an understanding of how users who do not want to be tracked behave online.

That sounds like a huge adjustment. Logical, because it is! GA4 works in a completely different way, so it will take some adjusting in the beginning if you work with it or even if you just get certain data reported . We explain the main differences in operation and take a quick look at what impact this can have on your results.

Unlike the page-centric measurement data model in UA, GA4 is event-centric. This means that it tracks not only what pages users visit, but also what actions they take, such as submitting a form, playing a video or adding a product to their shopping cart. This shift allows you to gain more detailed insights about user behavior and engagement with your website.

GA4 introduces lifecycle analysis, which allows you to track user flows from the moment they first interact with your brand to the moment of conversion. This analysis helps you understand what steps users take on their way to conversions and where they might drop out. By tracking user lifecycles, you can identify valuable optimization opportunities and better align your marketing efforts with the needs of your target audience.

Since GA4 uses a different measurement methodology than UA, the switch may involve a learning curve. It may take some time to become familiar with the new interface and reporting capabilities. In addition, it is important to note that GA4 does not import historical data from UA. As a result, direct comparisons with past performance may be more difficult. Therefore, we used GA4 in parallel with UA for a while, as a kind of transition period. That way, we collected enough data in GA4 recently anyway, so that we understand it better and we can compare better.

With event-based measurement and enhanced analytics capabilities, GA4 provides deeper insights into your users' behavior. This allows you to track detailed events and better understand users' journey through your website. While this initially causes a shift in how you interpret your results, it offers potential for more accurate analysis and optimization opportunities in the long run.

Chances are you will suddenly see far fewer sessions in GA4 than in UA. This is just because it is measured in a different way. So it's not that one figure is right and the other is wrong. We'll give you some reasons why that data is shown differently:

• Because of the new way of measuring, GA4 uses a statistical model to estimate the number of sessions, while UA measures sessions directly.
• Geographic settings: customers surfing during midnight are no longer counted as a new session in GA4.
• Because of the new way of measuring, the number of users will also vary, which will also affect the number of sessions.
• You can also detect a difference in engagement duration.

Or almost. The bounce rate will no longer be shown as a standard metric, but it will still be measured. However, the way it is measured also differs from how it was measured in UA. In UA, the bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that contain only one pageview on your website. For example, if a visitor landed on a blog article after clicking on an ad but took no further action (read: triggered an event) before leaving the website again, this was counted as a "bounce. The bounce rate is the number of bounces divided by the number of sessions.

The problem with this is that this user may not have taken any action, but may have taken ten minutes to read the article. The bounce rate thus sometimes gave a distorted picture of reality when it comes to valuable visitors.

In GA4, therefore, the bounce rate is viewed as the opposite of theengagment rate: the percentage of sessions that were not "engaged. Engaged sessions are thus tracked and the bounce rate is calculated based on that. But what exactly is that?

An engaged session:

• lasts longer than 10 seconds;
• triggers a conversion event;
• or viewed two or more pages.

Moving to Google Analytics 4 offers significant benefits for measuring and understanding user behavior on your website. With the shift to event-based measurement and enhanced analytics capabilities, GA4 enables you to gain deeper insights and better align your marketing strategies with the needs of your target audience. While the transition requires some adjustment and comparisons to historical data can be more challenging, it's worth exploring and leveraging GA4's new capabilities to increase your digital success.

Having doubts about whether everything is in place? We would be happy to check for you if it's all in order. Please contact us and we will be happy to help you!