Google Analytics 4 Frequently Asked Questions

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is finally here. Wait, hold on a minute – this platform was officially launched all the way back in October 2020? This may seem like a shock to some. After all, adoption rates were only steady when GA4 first came out, with a number of marketers deciding to remain with Universal Analytics (UA).

Yet Universal Analytics is on the way out for good. GA4 will, for the immediate future at least, be Google’s only analytics platform. That means people have to get up to speed with GA4 fast. They’ve also got a lot to learn. That’s where this FAQ section comes in.

We receive and see a wide range of questions revolving around GA4. So, we have plucked out the most prevalent and highlighted them in the following frequently asked questions:

1. What is Google Analytics 4?

What exactly is Google Analytics 4? If you’re not new to the subject, feel free to move on to the next question. Yet complete beginners need a starting point, and that’s what this provides.

GA4 is the latest release of Google Analytics. It is the biggest update Google has made to its analytics platform in over a decade, one that changes how it works, what features are included, and how users get the most from it.

That’s just a quick introduction. We have put together a guide that lists everything you need to know about Google Analytics 4.

2. What is the difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?

Universal Analytics, the previous iteration of Google Analytics, remains a powerful tool for collecting diverse website data. Yet GA4 has been created to build on this work and offer users a more rounded, accurate, and beneficial analytics platform.

While this page could be made up entirely of the changes and added features, here is a brief list of the most significant GA4 changes:

• No longer session-based: In the eyes of Google, session-based technology – which was prevalent in UA – is generally seen as obsolete. Now it is all about events. Everything that is completed during an event, from the session start to a pageview, is tracked.
• GA4 has moved on from views: Views are no longer utilized in the latest edition of Google Analytics. Instead, reports that can be customized are used for more accurate, easier-to-find data.
• The use of event parameters: The likes of event category, labels, and actions are listed under “event parameters.” For each event through the standard GA4, there are 25 different parameters allowed.

3. Can I view my historical data in GA4?

Do you have any data gathered from Universal Analytics? In this case, you might wonder if this can be viewed in GA4. Sadly, due to the different properties and ways data is collected, historical data collected through UA cannot be viewed in GA4.

However, you still have time to access and download your historical data from UA. Even after the deprecation date, there is a 6 month grace period to get your hands on your data before it’s no longer accessible.

4. Is it more difficult to use GA4 compared to UA?

Some professionals have been slow to adopt GA4 and instead opted to stick with UA as long as possible. This could have you believing that GA4 has a steep learning curve that people want to avoid conquering for as long as possible.

However, the latest analytics tool is not necessarily more difficult to use than its previous iteration. The difficulty comes from the number of changes made to the platform. GA4 is a different beast compared to UA. People that are comfortable with the latter can feel thrown off once they log in to GA4 for the first time.

Ultimately, it is about getting familiar with GA4 and learning about its layout and functionality to overcome certain barriers. Once that is done, that perceived difficulty quickly begins to fade away.

5. Does GA4 collect data differently than UA?

Yes. GA4 has a different approach to collecting data when matched up against UA. The latter, UA, opts for a session-based data model. This is where a user sees their hitsWeb page hits were all the rage in the early days of the internet, but have since been replaced by far more granular, valuable data. being recorded across a given time period.

GA4, however, goes with an event-based model. Rather than hits, it records a group of events for a user over a given time period.

6. What does it mean by a GA4 data stream?

If you have read about GA4, it is likely you have come across the term “data stream.” The reason is that data streams make up one of the biggest – and most positive – changes to the system. These streams, each an information source, have a direct connection to your Google Analytics property. The result: it’s possible to create a data stream that has data for your website and mobile apps.

With UA, your website and app data would need a separate property for each one. That’s not the case with GA4. Instead, these data streams can be combined, supplying you with a unified view of your website analytic data – gaining a more accurate picture in the process.

7. Where have views gone exactly?

Views are gone from GA4. That may seem like a shocking development due to how prevalent they are in UA, and it is one of the reasons plenty have held off making the switch until their hand was forced.

Although views no longer exist, it is still possible to replicate certain “view-like” functions within GA4. This is done through filtered reports and other tools that are available.

8. Will GA4 continue to add features?

Absolutely. Google is always exploring ways to refine and improve its tools, and GA4 is no different. This analytics platform will continue to grow and become more important for businesses and the decisions they make.

Want to stay in the loop about the latest GA4 updates? Make sure you follow our blog content.

9. Is it difficult to complete a GA4 installation?

The answer is dependent on certain factors. As an example, if you are making use of Google Tag Manager, the installation process can be relatively straightforward, to the point where the job can be done within 30 minutes. Yet there are certain scenarios where additional work is required from your side.

This is the case if manual work is required for GA4 to track certain website elements. On-site conversionA conversion is a desirable result on a website that leads to an action such as completing an order, filling out a form, or simply clicking on a link. points, for instance, like purchases, button clicks, and contact forms, could require you to produce your own custom coding. This is the case if a conversion point fails to generate an event that is natively trackable (such as a ‘thank you’ page).

If you’re feeling apprehensive about doing this job on your own, receiving expert guidance for this process is recommended.

10. When should GA4 be installed on my website?

Immediately! The quicker you install GA4 onto your website, the better. This isn’t just about getting up to speed with GA4, either. It is important for gathering data from your site. The quicker GA4 is able to gather data, the more information is available for historical comparisons.

Remember: you cannot use your old data from UA.

Top tip: Not found the question you were hoping to see answered? There is one alternative source we’d recommend: GA4 itself! The platform has its own FAQ section that should answer any further questions about this powerful tool.