{"id":69593,"date":"2023-08-25T03:15:37","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T07:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/?p=69593"},"modified":"2025-01-07T01:19:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T06:19:35","slug":"how-is-ga4-different-from-universal-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/blog\/how-is-ga4-different-from-universal-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"How is GA4 different from Universal Analytics?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s welcome the new era of analytics: &#8216;Google Analytics 4&#8217;. This new version of analytics has ushered in a revolution for all businesses, particularly eCommerce enterprises. Things have been simplified with <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/10089681?hl=en\">GA4<\/a>, and its reporting features are notably advanced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69645\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/what-was-the-need-to-bring-major-updates-in-universal-analytics.jpg\" alt=\"what-was-the-need-to-bring-major-updates-in-universal-analytics\" width=\"740\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/what-was-the-need-to-bring-major-updates-in-universal-analytics.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/what-was-the-need-to-bring-major-updates-in-universal-analytics-190x100.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why should I switch to GA4?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simultaneous web and app tracking has become possible with GA4.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The received data is &#8216;User-Based&#8217; rather than &#8216;Session-Based.&#8217;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GA4 provides options to connect Google tools, allowing you to access all the data on a single platform.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cross-device tracking has improved user-tracking accuracy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is easy to set custom metrics and create events.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numerous customization features make everything simple.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparing data across all parameters is easy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What\u2019s New in GA4?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The interface of GA4 has become significantly refined. The reporting categories have been organized based on the consumer\u2019s life cycle: <\/span><b>Acquisition, Engagement, Monetization, and Retention.<\/b><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-bordered blog_tborder_color\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Category<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overview<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to do with it?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acquisition<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building Product Awareness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acquiring User Interest\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which marketing channels help you to bring customers to your website or app<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engagement<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How users interact with your business?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which pages, blogs are they engaging with?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What content users engage with &amp; share with others<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monetization<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User\u2019s journey in making a purchase<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detailed overview of eCommerce purchases<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What makes the user make a sale?\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retention<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers Return Rate<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Know the lifetime value\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calculate user\u2019s lifetime value &amp; predict how many users can your business retain<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69649\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/consumer-buckets-in-GA4.jpg\" alt=\"consumer-buckets-in-GA4\" width=\"740\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/consumer-buckets-in-GA4.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/consumer-buckets-in-GA4-180x100.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Journey of Google Analytics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Analytics has undergone a long journey to arrive at its present state. Originally known as &#8216;Urchin&#8217;s Analytics&#8217;, it was subsequently acquired by Google in 2005 and became the &#8216;Classic Version of Google Analytics&#8217;. In 2013, a significant update transformed it into &#8216;Universal Analytics&#8217;. By 2020, Google introduced a new beta tracking property called &#8216;web+app&#8217; within the &#8216;Universal Analytics&#8217; framework. And in 2023, we found ourselves experiencing the marvels of &#8216;Google Analytics 4&#8217;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69650\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/journey-of-google-analytics-4-from-2005-to-2023.jpg\" alt=\"journey-of-google-analytics-4-from-2005-to-2023\" width=\"740\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/journey-of-google-analytics-4-from-2005-to-2023.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/journey-of-google-analytics-4-from-2005-to-2023-180x100.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>There are significant differences when comparing Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4. <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The methods by which Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 track user interactions are fundamentally distinct. Universal Analytics measures interactions based on sessions and pageviews across properties, while GA4 measures interactions based on defined events.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The entire interface has undergone a transformation. Although many aspects have been simplified, several newly introduced features can be complex to understand.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Universal Analytics, what was referred to as a &#8216;Goal&#8217; is now termed as &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/blog\/get-conversions-with-traffic-driven-display-advertisements\/\">Conversions<\/a>&#8216; in Google Analytics 4. Similarly, in UA, it was known as &#8216;Total Users,&#8217; whereas in GA4, it is labeled as &#8216;Active Users.&#8217;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In UA, the format for tracking &#8216;Users&#8217; and &#8216;New Users&#8217; appeared as follows: Users: 11,850 and New Users: 11,549. However, GA4 has introduced a different figure format, displaying data as Users: 11K and New Users: 10K. GA4 presents rounded figures for acquired users.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Here are some generic differences between Universal Analytics &amp; GA4<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69652\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/GA4-does-not-use-any-third-party-cookies.jpg\" alt=\"GA4-does-not-use-any-third-party-cookies\" width=\"740\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/GA4-does-not-use-any-third-party-cookies.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/GA4-does-not-use-any-third-party-cookies-180x100.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Data Model\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike Universal Analytics, where data acquisition follows a preset method, Google Analytics 4 provides the flexibility to define parameters for data collection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, consider a scenario where you wish to track a conversion when someone both purchases and views a product. In Google Analytics, you have the option to configure two or more parameters for such cases. This option wasn\u2019t available in Universal Analytics.<\/span><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-bordered blog_tborder_color\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Universal Analytics<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Analytics 4<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data was sent in the form of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Page Views Hits<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Event Hits<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transaction Hits (eCommerce Data)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data is sent in the form of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Events<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/data-model-differences-between-GA4-and-UA.jpg\" alt=\"data-model-differences-between-GA4-and-UA\" width=\"740\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/data-model-differences-between-GA4-and-UA.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/data-model-differences-between-GA4-and-UA-125x100.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Data Flow By Stream\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Universal Analytics, we had to include distinct tracking codes and configure separate properties to monitor different containers like websites, Android apps, or iOS apps. However, in Google Analytics, the process is streamlined. Each container can be tracked seamlessly using GA4.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/tracking-made-easy-in-google-analytic-4.jpg\" alt=\"tracking-made-easy-in-google-analytic-4\" width=\"740\" height=\"954\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/tracking-made-easy-in-google-analytic-4.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/tracking-made-easy-in-google-analytic-4-78x100.jpg 78w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Report Collection Method\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As previously mentioned, the user buckets in Google Analytics 4 have undergone a change. In Universal Analytics, we were familiar with four buckets: &#8216;Audience&#8217;, &#8216;Acquisition&#8217;, &#8216;Behavior&#8217;, and &#8216;Conversion&#8217;. However, in Google Analytics 4, these buckets have been replaced with &#8216;Acquisition&#8217;, &#8216;Engagement&#8217;, &#8216;Monetization&#8217;, and &#8216;Retention&#8217;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/report-collection-methods-in-google-analytics-4-and-universal-analytics.jpg\" alt=\"report-collection-methods-in-google-analytics-4 and-universal-analytics\" width=\"740\" height=\"717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/report-collection-methods-in-google-analytics-4-and-universal-analytics.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/report-collection-methods-in-google-analytics-4-and-universal-analytics-103x100.jpg 103w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Calculate Bounce Rate from Engagement Rate in GA4<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/interface-of-google-analytics-4-which-show-engaged-session.jpg\" alt=\"interface-of-google-analytics-4-which-show-engaged-session\" width=\"740\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/interface-of-google-analytics-4-which-show-engaged-session.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/interface-of-google-analytics-4-which-show-engaged-session-139x100.jpg 139w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In Universal Analytics, there existed a metric known as \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/blog\/how-to-get-a-better-bounce-rate\/\">Bounce Rate<\/a>\u2018, which aimed to determine the total number of people who left a page without taking any action. This metric only considered the \u2018Time users spent on the specific blog or webpage\u2019. What if the user has bought a product in less than 10 seconds? The universal analytics used to consider it as a bounced session. But it is not. However, in GA4, the new metrics &#8220;Engaged Session &amp; Engagement Rate&#8221; has replaced the \u2018Bounce Rate\u2019. By subtracting Engagement Rate from 100, we can obtain Bounce Rate. For detailed analysis of bounce rate, &#8220;Engaged Sessions&#8221; can be considered. This new metric operates with different criteria, calculating engagement based on various parameters such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The user spends a significant amount of time on a specific page.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The user completes a form.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The user clicks on a link.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The user makes a purchase.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An &#8216;Engaged Session&#8217; is registered even if a user doesn&#8217;t spend much time on a particular webpage, as long as they complete a form, make a purchase, or click on a link.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Bye, Universal Analytics!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum up, moving from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a big change. GA4 is better at tracking what users do online and on apps, and it helps businesses understand customers more. It also cares about privacy. Even though it might look a bit different, GA4 gives companies useful information to make smart choices and improve how they work online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s welcome the new era of analytics: &#8216;Google Analytics 4&#8217;. This new version of analytics has ushered in a revolution for all businesses, particularly eCommerce enterprises. Things have been simplified with GA4, and its reporting features are notably advanced. Why should I switch to GA4? Simultaneous web and app tracking has become possible with GA4. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":69644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[833],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-69593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-digital-marketing"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69593"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81358,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69593\/revisions\/81358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kinexmedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}