What is the difference between Google Analytics and GA4?

In the world of web analytics, Google Analytics 4 positions itself as the latest version of this powerful free tool. Its goal is to provide valuable insights into visitor behavior on a website, and it represents a profound change in the way web analytics is managed.

As the successor to Universal Analytics (also known as Google Analytics 3 or GA3), Google Analytics 4 is constantly evolving and improving, and in a few months, it will be the only option available. That's why in this article, we will explore the main innovations of this tool and how they can benefit your marketing and social media strategy.

Multi-device context and integrative approach

One of the most significant changes in Google Analytics 4 is its multi-device approach, allowing you to measure both applications and the website in a unified manner. This provides a more complete and accurate view of user behavior across different platforms.

Now, you will be able to better understand how users interact at all touchpoints, allowing you to optimize your marketing strategies and tailor your campaigns to each device.

Goodbye to the pageview-based measurement model

In GA4, the pageview-based measurement model has been left behind, and an event-centered approach has been adopted. This means that the tool focuses on tracking and analyzing the events that occur on your website or applications, such as link clicks, video plays, file downloads, among others.

This approach gives you a more detailed view of how users interact with your content and how those events influence conversion, allowing you to track strategies much more realistically and specifically to the event you need or in general.

Sections that improved in GA4

When accessing the GA4 panel, you will notice that the sections have changed. Although some parts may seem familiar, significant changes have been introduced in the structure.

Main page

This section offers a summary of information, and although it presents some changes, its structure will seem familiar if you have used Universal Analytics before.

Real-time reports

This section already existed in previous versions, but now you can segment the information it shows. The map takes a leading role, along with data related to events. Remember that in GA4, the concept of pageviews has almost completely disappeared and has been replaced by events.

Lifecycle

GA4 takes a step forward by displaying information organized according to a conversion funnel that covers the stages of acquisition, interaction, monetization, and retention or loyalty. This will allow you to better understand the user journey and optimize each stage to improve results.

User

This section gives you the opportunity to delve into the demographic data of the people browsing your website and better understand their behavior. You can use this information to personalize your marketing strategy and adapt it to your target audience.

Events

This section is key in GA4 due to the paradigm shift that occurs. Here is where the events and parameters that are key to conversion are determined. You can perform a detailed tracking of the events relevant to your business and gain valuable insights into their performance.

In addition to these main sections, at the bottom of the screen, you will find other sections related to technical configuration and advanced functionalities:
 

• Create audiences or segments: This section allows you to create custom audiences or segments to analyze specific groups of users and better understand their behaviors.

• Custom definitions: Here you can generate user-centered dimensions, event-centered dimensions, and custom event-centered metrics. These custom definitions will help you perform more precise tracking and delve into valuable data for your marketing strategy.

• DebugView: This feature allows you to have an accurate picture of the actions each user is taking in real-time. It is especially useful for analysis and troubleshooting.

• Manage: This section is essential for performing the necessary technical configuration in GA4. Here you can manage your account, web property, and data streams configuration.

Main differences between Google Analytics VS GA4

To fully understand the changes introduced by GA4, it is important to consider the following key differences.

New structure

GA4 focuses on people and multi-device tracking. The account > web property > data streams structure allows you to integrate data from the web and applications. Keep in mind that Universal Analytics (GA3) web properties cannot be directly migrated to GA4 due to this new structure.

Disappearance of views

In GA4, the structure of views such as Development, Testing, and Production has disappeared. According to Google's official information, they have no plans to recover them. Therefore, it will be necessary to seek other means to separate and organize information. This transition seems to encourage the use of dashboards that can be created in Google Data Studio.

Google Signals

While Google Signals already existed in previous versions, it takes on a prominent role in GA4. When people browse with their Google account active in Chrome, multi-device tracking becomes more accurate. This provides you with a more complete and detailed view of user behavior.

Reduction of predefined reports

GA4 has reduced the number of predefined reports and their nesting. Now, predefined reports are presented in a more accessible and easier-to-find structure. If you need more complex information, you can resort to the Analysis Center and Google Data Studio.

Google Analytics 4 represents a significant evolution in web analytics management. With its multi-device approach, event-based measurement, and new sections, GA4 provides you with a more complete view of your users' behavior and allows you to make more informed decisions to improve your marketing and social media strategies.

Make the most of Google Analytics 4 and stay updated on the new features and improvements that Google will continue to implement with the help of experts like Brand Industria. We are experts and fans of GA4.

Boost your digital strategy with precise data and make decisions based on valuable information with Brand Industry!