Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a free web analytics tool provided by Google. Released in October 2020, it has become the sole standard version following the discontinuation of its predecessor, Universal Analytics (UA).
GA4 adopts an event-based measurement model and features powerful analytics capabilities not available before, including cross-platform user behavior analysis and machine learning-powered predictive features. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Google Analytics 4's key features and practical tips for making the most of them.
Google Analytics 4 is a tool that lets you analyze visitor behavior on websites and apps through numerical data. By embedding a tracking code on your site, you can collect a wide range of data including visitor counts, traffic sources, pages viewed, time on site, and conversions.
The defining feature of Google Analytics 4 is its event-based data measurement. While UA focused primarily on page views, GA4 records all user actions — scrolls, video plays, file downloads, button clicks — as events. This allows you to understand not just traffic volume but exactly how users interact with your site.
Universal Analytics stopped collecting data in July 2023, and report access ended entirely in July 2024. Understanding the differences between UA and GA4 is essential for using GA4 effectively.
The measurement model shifted from session-based (UA) to event-based (GA4). UA centered on page view tracking, while GA4 can flexibly define and measure user actions like clicks, scrolls, and video plays as events.
UA required separate measurement for web and app, but GA4 manages both within a single property. Cross-device behavior — such as browsing on a PC and purchasing via a mobile app — can now be tracked as the same user.
The report structure also changed significantly. UA offered numerous pre-built reports, while GA4 simplifies default reports and instead provides the Exploration feature for flexible custom analysis.
In GA4, all user actions are recorded as events, which fall into four categories. Automatically collected events start tracking as soon as GA4 is installed (page views, session start, etc.). Enhanced measurement events like scrolls, outbound clicks, and site searches can be toggled on/off in the GA4 admin. Recommended events use Google-suggested names and parameters. Custom events can be freely defined to match your business requirements.
GA4's standard reports are organized into categories including Realtime, User Attributes, Technology, Acquisition, Engagement, and Monetization. The Realtime report shows active user behavior over the past 30 minutes. Acquisition reports reveal user and session counts by traffic source, while Engagement reports analyze page-level viewing and event activity.
Explorations is one of GA4's most distinctive features, enabling highly flexible custom analysis. Free-form reports let you combine dimensions and metrics to create custom cross-tabulations. Funnel analysis visualizes drop-off rates at each step leading to purchase or registration. Path exploration shows how users navigate through your site in a tree-view format. It also supports segment overlap analysis, cohort analysis, and other advanced techniques.
Google Analytics 4 includes built-in predictive features powered by machine learning. Purchase probability predicts the likelihood of a visitor purchasing within the next 7 days. Churn probability indicates how likely recently active users are to stop using your site within 7 days. These predictive metrics can be used for targeting high-intent users with Google Ads or running retention campaigns for at-risk users.
GA4 integrates web and mobile app data within a single property. Even when users browse products in an app and then purchase on a PC website, the behavior can be visualized as a single user journey. This helps you accurately understand the full customer journey and optimize cross-channel marketing strategies.
GA4 offers free integration with Google's big data analytics tool, BigQuery. This feature was previously available only with the paid Analytics 360 in UA but is now accessible with standard GA4 properties. Exporting GA4 data to BigQuery enables advanced SQL-based analysis, custom report creation, and integration with other data sources.
In GA4, you can mark specific events as key events to measure achievement of business-critical actions. By designating events like product purchases, contact form submissions, and account registrations as key events, you can analyze campaign ROI and optimize conversion funnels.
GA4 supports cookie-less measurement. As third-party cookie restrictions tighten, behavioral modeling and key event modeling help fill data gaps from users who haven't consented to cookies. This privacy-forward design makes Google Analytics 4 well-positioned for evolving regulations.
The greatest benefit of Google Analytics 4 is gaining a complete picture of user behavior. Event-based measurement captures granular actions like scrolls, clicks, and form inputs that page views alone could never reveal, significantly improving the precision of site optimization.
Despite being free, GA4 offers advanced analysis through Explorations, BigQuery integration for secondary data use, and seamless Google Ads integration that lets you use GA4-built audiences directly for ad targeting.
By default, GA4 retains event data for only 2 months. To access historical data in Explorations, change the Data Retention setting to the maximum of 14 months in the admin panel. Note that standard reports are unaffected by this setting.
After implementing GA4, set up key events aligned with your business goals. For e-commerce sites, this might be purchase completion; for B2B sites, contact form submissions or whitepaper downloads. Focus on 3-5 actions that directly drive results.
Using Google Tag Manager for GA4 tag management is the best practice. GTM lets you add and modify events without touching HTML, dramatically improving operational efficiency. Build a system where marketing teams can control measurement settings without depending on engineers.
Going beyond standard reports to leverage Explorations dramatically increases your analytical capabilities. Start by identifying conversion drop-off points with funnel analysis and reviewing user navigation patterns with path exploration. Using segment features to analyze specific user groups leads to more actionable improvement strategies.
GA4 analyzes post-visit behavior while Google Search Console analyzes pre-visit search behavior. Connecting them provides an end-to-end view from search queries through site visits, on-site behavior, and goal completion. This integration is essential for measuring SEO effectiveness.
GA4's interface differs significantly from UA, so expect a learning curve. Exploration operations and event design may feel challenging at first. Start with standard reports to grasp the big picture, then gradually expand into Explorations and custom events.
GA4's default configuration only captures limited data. Plan your custom events and custom dimensions early, as data cannot be collected retroactively. Solid measurement design from the start ensures you accumulate the information needed for future analysis.
Google Analytics 4 is a comprehensive web analytics tool featuring event-based measurement, cross-platform tracking, machine learning predictions, advanced Explorations, and free BigQuery integration.
The five key tips for success are: extend data retention, configure key events properly, integrate with GTM, leverage Explorations, and connect Google Search Console. GA4 delivers its true value not just through installation, but through measurement design aligned with your business goals and continuous analytical improvement.
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